John Stanton is an agent of the Bureau.
That is the only name we have for this mysterious yet well-known department of the British government, though its operatives are usually, as in the case of Stanton, referred to as 'Agents of the Crown'.
Stanton "had heard stories about the Agents of the Crown, a secret government agency which did all the work other government departments couldn't do for a variety of reasons. As a matter of fact, John could name at least three series of cheap paperback novels filled with stories about the Agents and their adventures. He'd believed they were real when he'd still been a schoolboy, but with age and more knowledge about the world, his belief had withered". Now he knew they were real.
The Agents of the Crown, working for this Bureau, date back, we are told, to the time of Queen Elizabeth I and its operatives have been protecting the monarch and the country ever since.
I must admit I cannot quite place the time frame for these adventures though I would hazard a guess of the 1920s; the feel of the world in which the action happens feels even older - perhaps the 1880s - but there is mention of Stanton passing an airfield which would rule that out. Certainly the period is one in which the titled and gentry still maintain airs.
Stanton is a member of one such titled family, the youngest of five, all men. Both parents are still around running the impressive estate with eldest brother Henry preparing to take on most of those duties. The family is very well off, something that Stanton knows well since it is his primary role in the hierarchy, when not away on a little trip (read: mission), he handles most of the books and all the family correspondence. The other males prefer to spend their time out hunting but Stanton, while an excellent marksman, has little enjoyment in that. He would prefer to linger inside in the extensive library.
And yet this sedentary figure is not only called upon on several occasions to handle assignments which require a fair amount of physical exertion, he performs well and without trouble, largely because while he is a lot more seasoned and inured to hardship than he appears.
Stanton had several years earlier been on a tour of the Continent and while in Sicily had been kidnapped and held in a tower for a very long time. He was forced to write letters home making people believe all was well but after nearly a year he overheard that whoever ordered his capture now wanted him dead. He managed to escape in a harrowing climb. He went on the lam for a period of time and took odd jobs to pay his way as he got his strength and stamina to a condition in which he felt necessary to then go after whoever it was that had it in for him. It was on his eventual return to London, still searching, that he is approached by Harper, head of the Bureau, and offered a job with the promise of help finding the truth of his dilemma.