What if present-day Britain had never relinquished its Victorian values? To the demure Miss Thrift Moncrieff, they are all she knows. In this sequel to Imperial Lace, young Thrift is selected for rigorous training in the Diplomatic Service. For Thrift's aristocratic manners hide a wanton pleasure in sexual humiliation, which make her eminently suited to the intrigues necessary for the preservation of the Empire. In fact, Thrift is only too happy to sacrifice her dignity time and again in the noble cause of King and Country!