EDWARD Llewellyn, the hard-working personal adviser to Chris Patten, has been indulging a passion recently which we thought he reserved for Conservative politics and assisting his master in matters of state.
The former member of the Tory Research Department, who did his bit towards engineering John Major's election success when he was based in London, has been taking tango lessons with TVB reporter and anchor Deborah Kan.
Now, as we all know, the tango is an erotic dance which originated in the brothels of Buenos Aires about 100 years ago. It has been labelled lascivious, flirtatious and sexually stimulating - words not often associated with the stiff upper lip of the British.
Eton and Oxford educated Edward, however, plunged head-long into the lessons, throwing his customary reserve to the wind and battling against a tendency to stand on his partner's feet and follow her lead.
Unfortunately, we hear his efforts were not enough to satisfy the demands of young Deborah, not a woman to mince her words. As the final examinations approached, she decided that Edward's exertions and ardour were inadequate to the task and ordered him to the sidelines so she could select a more agile partner.
All this reminds us of the words of a famous tango teacher, who said that the dance brings out sexual tensions, hidden feelings and insecurities about male-female domination. It can make or break relationships. We are happy to report, however, that Edward, who is currently holidaying in England, and Deborah remain good friends off the dance floor.