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

Philip and I arrived at home a little after five, where we changed into casual attire, having decided to go directly out to eat after our swim. We had a light supper at Rick’s, after which we visited our favorite bookstore and browsed for a while before returning home. Once we were home, we went up to the study and spent an hour or so at our respective desks, then changed into running gear for a short run around the park. This had the desired effect, and afterward we went straight from the shower to bed.


Thursday produced no real surprises. Wetherbee’s opening statement boiled down to one or two items: that Philip, who had no visible means of support, was dependent upon his wife’s income; that her pregnancy (he managed to imply, without coming out and saying so, that Philip was obviously not the father) represented a threat to his financial security, and, fearing that he was about to lose his gravy train, he’d killed her. How they intended to prove this was beyond me.


Chapter 82