The cold wind after the rain swept back and forth along Whitehall, as Minister Rowan tightened his military cloak and descended the steps of the Home Office, his stiff steps still carrying the rhythm of an officer formed during the Peninsular War.
Today's Home Office meeting was as long and tedious as usual. Viscount Duncannon, the Home Secretary, evidently had less interest in police affairs than his predecessor, Viscount Melbourne, and even less so than Sir Robert Peel, the founder of Scotland Yard.
Although Viscount Duncannon tried to feign concern, his words often inadvertently revealed his impatience with "Scotland Yard's overreach," as if the department's very existence was an infringement on free rights.
