Dearest Gentle Reader, This Author's column today concerns hidden fortunes, blank pages that set Westminster ablaze, and a stable door shut far too late to matter. One might think the Season's intrigues could not grow more delicious - one would be gravely mistaken. Do click through before someone less discreet reveals what you have missed.

Dearest Gentle Reader, This Author's column today concerns golden handshakes of a most platinum variety, warnings ignored with breathtaking audacity, and a confession from the nation's physicians that will have every employer raising an eyebrow. The fuse, it seems, has been lit - and only a fool would look away before the spark reaches the powder.