<p>The Prince of Wales has asked four wealthy entrepreneurs and their wives to Buckingham Palace to discuss a fantastic idea: the construction of a six-thousand-mile railroad that would stretch the full length of Africa. But the prince&rsquo;s gathering proves disastrous when the mutilated body of a prostitute turns up in a linen closet among the queen&rsquo;s monogrammed sheets. With great haste, Thomas Pitt, the brilliant mainstay of Special Services, is summoned to resolve the crisis. The Pitts&rsquo; cockney maid, Gracie, is also recruited to pose as a palace servant and listen in on the guests&rsquo; conversations. If Pitt and Gracie fail to find out who brutally murdered the young woman, Pitt&rsquo;s career will be over, and the scandal may just cause the monarchy to fall.</p>