In the Barrister's Bed by Tina Gabrielle Read Free Book Online

Coates sought him out to tell him his fellow barristers had arrived and were waiting for him in the library.
    James heard their voices as he walked down the hall. He had invited his friends to visit Wyndmoor Manor for a short holiday before he had left for Hertfordshire. James had been under the mistaken impression that the business of purchasing the country property would go smoothly, and he had looked forward to spending time with his friends away from their chambers and their hectic dockets. He had not expected a merry chase throughout Hertfordshire, searching for Sir Redmond Reeves to sell him Wyndmoor Manor.
    As soon as James opened the library door, two of his colleagues, Anthony Stevens and Brent Stone, rose to greet him.
    “Hello, Devlin,” Anthony drawled. “Or should we call you ‘Duke’?”
    James rolled his eyes. His friends had always referred to him by his surname, Devlin, and he had no desire for them to start addressing him by his new title.
    “Don’t even jest about it. It’s bad enough that I will have to leave Lincoln’s Inn.” James knew it to be true. He couldn’t handle the vast responsibilities he had inherited, sit in the House of Lords, and continue to practice as a barrister.
    “Where’s Jack?” James asked.
    Jack Harding was the fourth barrister in their chambers and the most successful in the courtroom. Known as the smooth-talking “jury master,” Jack was the only married barrister in their chambers, having wed his pupilmaster’s beautiful daughter, Evelyn Darlington, five years ago.
    “Jack’s with Evie. He has an upcoming trial and they plan to arrive as soon as he’s free,” Anthony said.
    “It will be the first time they’ll leave little Phillip to travel together. I suspect their new nanny will have her hands full with that mischievous three-year-old boy,” Brent said.
    James laughed. “Let’s drink a toast to your arrival then.” He went to a sideboard, poured three glasses of whiskey, and handed them out. “I’m glad you’re both here. I need some advice.”
    Anthony and Brent lowered their glasses.
    “What’s amiss?” they asked in unison.
    James sipped his whiskey before answering. “I arrived here only to find the place occupied. A sharp-tongued widow who claims she purchased the property three days prior to me from the same man, a Sir Redmond Reeves.”
    “Have you seen her deed?” Anthony asked.
    James nodded. “I have, and as far as I can tell it is not a forgery.”
    “I have a bad feeling about this,” Brent said. “As a barrister, I’ve heard of it, of course. With the increase of population in debtors’ prison, swindlers and thieves have grown desperate and bold. There are others out there selling properties to numerous owners in short amounts of time and then fleeing before they can be held accountable.”
    “I’ve assumed as much,” James said dryly.
    “I take it you already recorded the deed?” Anthony asked.
    “I did. She did not.”
    Anthony shrugged. “Then technically the place is yours.”
    “Wait,” Brent said. “She purchased it first, you say?”
    “By only three days,” James said.
    “But she was also first to occupy the manor?” Brent asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Then the matter may not be so cut and dried. She may have an arguable case. What of the old adage possession is nine tenths of the law? If I was her barrister, I would paint her as a sympathetic widow and argue she has the winning side. It would be up to a judge and a jury to decide. Quite simply, there is a possibility, albeit small, that you could lose,” Brent said.
    Anthony frowned in exasperation as he turned to Brent. “You tend to favor the lady?”
    “I’m only giving a legal opinion. Yours tends to be skewed against women,” Brent said.
    Anthony laughed bitterly. “What the devil do you know about women? You’re celibate, for Christ’s sake.”
    Brent’s lips thinned with irritation. “Your legal practice has turned you into a jaded man,