Forty years ago, Alan Davidson was a diplomat with the British mission to NATO headquarters. In his spare moments he wrote a romantic thriller poking gentle fun at the whole business of diplomacy and foreign affairs. Not only is it a happy and charming book, yet with plenty of narrative drive - and incidental information on the history of bicycling, Belgium, and even bird-watching - but it anticipated the way of world events. No wonder that publication was forbidden by the Foreign Office, and the only people who had seen this work are friends of the author who received samizdat copies printed in Bangkok while he was UK Ambassador to Laos.