Attorney Charles Barnett thought it was all over for him and his heart. In the three years since his partner died, he hasn't felt so much as a spark of attraction to another man. That suddenly changes when Charles is assigned a new case and meets his new client.<br><br>Recent widower Philip d'Autremont has been traveling in all the same circles as Charles, but somehow they've never managed to meet. Now that they have, both men find themselves falling hard and fast.<br><br>But there's more than one hurdle to Charles and Philip beginning a love affair, much less maintaining it: Philip is on trial for murder, a politically ambitious and homophobic district attorney is determined to convict him, and Charles is responsible for Philip's defense.

Trial

Richard eyed me critically and said, “Are we in love?”


“I was afraid of that. Does he know? Is it reciprocal? Are the two of you going to set up housekeeping, etcetera?”


“1) He has reason to suspect; 2) I don’t know; and 3) Ditto. It’s much too early to tell. Besides, that’s the least of my worries at the moment.”


“Well, you can give me the unexpurgated version next week. I just hope you aren’t setting yourself up to get hurt.”


“I’m not worried. Even if it goes nowhere and is over tomorrow, it will have served a purpose in that I have, how did you put it last night? ‘Returned to the land of the living.’”


“Just so you know what you’re about.” He started to say something else but stopped as we heard Philip coming down the hall.


“This is the key to the deadbolt and the door,” Philip said, handing a brass key to Richard, “and I’ve written down the code for the alarm system—the pad is just inside the entrance.”


Chapter 18