A life of set routine is the norm for Raymond Smith. Now in his mid-thirties, a fleeting wartime romance far behind him, he is an exemplary clerk at a London insurance firm where he’s perceived as dry and conventional.
But Raymond has a secret. Every month or so, he visits Charlie’s, one of the more understated bars in Soho's flowering gay scene in the 1930s. There, he seeks relief with strangers to get him through the next few weeks.
On one of these visits, he encounters suave David Carstairs, a well-travelled linguist with the Foreign Office. Rather than a brief encounter, David offers him friendship and even affection. Despite Raymond’s misgivings, the two men, with their contrasting backgrounds and experiences, start to form a bond in the spring of 1936 as Europe inexorably begins to march towards war.
Will Raymond fearfully reject this chance of happiness? Or can he unbend enough to allow David into his heart and life?
Chapter 1London, January 1936 “Time for elevenses! Can I tempt you to a cup of tea, Mr. Smith? It’s nice and fresh since I’m starting at this end of the corridor today. And would you like a biscuit? Or why not take a currant bun or two? In my opinion, you need a bit of feeding up.” “Thank you, Mrs. Murphy.” Raymond grudgingly tore himself away from his report, trying to hide his annoyance at the voluble interruption. He was conscious of his pernickety reputation amongst his colleagues and aware that the door was wide open to accommodate the tea trolley, so he attempted a smile as he put down his fountain pen. He took the cup and saucer from the motherly tea lady and tried not to wince at her disapproving tut when he chose only one plain biscuit from the proffered tin. Mrs. Murphy put he
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