Steven Jackson was raised in England, on the wrong side of the tracks-"the Black Country, where there's no right side." After a convoluted journey through life, he's content to bask in the Arizona sun and in his wife's attentions. His only contact with England is via the Internet or his infrequent visits to the British and Dominion Club near Long Beach-his English "fix."

Into this idyll comes a letter from the British Embassy inviting him to discuss "a matter of some delicacy." Steven allows his wife, Pamela, to persuade him to respond to the letter, only because the consulate is on the...

Steven Jackson was raised in England, on the wrong side of the tracks-"the Black Country, where there's no right side." After a convoluted journey through life, he's content to bask in the Arizona sun and in his wife's attentions. His only contact with England is via the Internet or his infrequent visits to the British and Dominion Club near Long Beach-his English "fix."

Into this idyll comes a letter from the British Embassy inviting him to discuss "a matter of some delicacy." Steven allows his wife, Pamela, to persuade him to respond to the letter, only because the consulate is on the...