Perfumed Halls was going to be one of those stories that get the prudish in a huff. The Halls in question were places where sensual pleasures happen – sex, in short. Three couples all very much in love, ought to be able to avail of the private rooms.

Funnily enough, having created the Halls, and having made them as attractive as possible with their crystal flower gardens, the glowing stalactites and the perfumed waterfall, the private rooms actually seemed a little distasteful. I found myself wondering about who changed the linen and what the mattresses must be like after they had been used all day, and it started to be less a place for sensual pleasure and more a cheap hotel that rents by the hour.

So our heroic group decide against the idea, especially after they discover that Lord Oakdaene is also there, with two women, neither of them his wife.

This story really was meant to have some kind of follow up where Lord Oakdaene would be involved in some kind of financial scandal on Gallifrey and exposed by Kristoph. In fact, the stories went in a different direction, but it establishes the idea that Oakdaene is a crook. In the Theta Sigma series it transpires that Oakdaene died offworld while involved in a shady business deal, but such things are only hinted at, here.

What the story does emphasise is the difference between Rõgæn Koschei Oakdaene and his brother, Lee Oakdaene, aka Mai Li Tuo. While Lord Oakdaene is the honoured head of the Oldblood House, despite his nefarious dealings, Lee, or Li, is the dishonoured man who cannot even be publicly acknowledged. It’s an injustice that nobody is able to do anything about.