Disappear
with Me
by L. Dean Pace-Frech
Blurb:
Love is
greater than hope or faith, but can Reverend Leander Norris convince a jury
that the love he shares with another man is natural?
In 1910,
the United Kingdom was in turmoil. King Edward died after only nine years on
the throne. The social class system that upheld British society for centuries
was being chipped away by social, political, and economic unrest across the
Commonwealth. Amidst this backdrop, Reverend Leander Norris is accused of
sodomy. After discovering his own self-worth and unconditional love, Leander
finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right and pleads not
guilty to the charges.
Throughout the trial, Leander’s past is revealed,
including the temptations that bring the accusations against him. By the end of
the trail, Leander is once again reunited with a romantic interest from the
past, but it may be too late to rekindle any love that might remain, given the
circumstances of the era and Leander’s likely sentence.
Excerpt:
“Are you
not a scholar?” Weeks asked. “Do you not know the Bible that you preach from
each Sunday?”
“I know
it very well,” Leander answered. “But the Bible has many interpretations. I
think you can guess that mine might be a little less than conventional.”
Weeks
reclined back in his chair. He made a steeple with his fingers and rested them
on his pursed lips.
“You're
actually sitting here telling me that, as a man of God, you're all right with
buggery and feel you've done nothing wrong?”
“Mr.
Weeks, do you realize you keep asking me the same question over again, using
different words?”
“As your
counsel, I need to be sure that I understand your position, the one you expect
me to defend.”
“You
sound shocked that I would suggest such a thing. I can't have you defending me
if you don't believe it yourself.”
“Reverend,
my beliefs about the situation are irrelevant; it doesn't matter what I
believe. I need to be able to defend our position in court and hope our defense
can refute what the prosecution will present.”
“I have
to have conviction in my sermons each Sunday morning. I think you also know you
need to have a conviction when defending your clients.”
“And I
can assure you that I have that same conviction to make sure that you receive a
fair trial. I will do my best—”
“Do your
best to what? Go through the motions and make sure that the I's are dotted and
the T's are crossed so it looks like I've been given a good defense?”
Weeks
didn't answer and that was all the answer that Leander needed. After a moment,
Weeks tried to start again. “Look, Revered, I am your assigned counsel for this
trial. I am on your side. I want to see you get a fair trial, but you must
understand what we're up against is quite overwhelming.”
“I know;
I've never done anything the simple way.”
“Sir, you
must understand that we are going up against laws that are rooted in two
thousand years of Christian tradition and about as many years of British
attitude.”
“Mr.
Weeks, do you love your wife?”
Weeks let
out an impatient sigh. “Of course, but here you go asking intimate questions
about me that have no bearing on my defending your case.”
“Humor
me, sir. Do you love your wife?”
“Yes, I
very much love my wife and family.”
“What if
you woke up tomorrow and a constable showed up on your doorstep and arrested
you because they said the love you share with your wife was illegal?”
Weeks
didn't answer him. Instead, in a quiet voice, he said, “You know you and I are
just two people. We're not going to change these laws overnight.”
About the Author:
With
inspiration from historical tourism sites, the love of reading, and a desire to
write a novel, L. Dean Pace-Frech started crafting his debut novel, A
Place to Call Their Own, in 2008. After four years of writing and polishing the
manuscript, he submitted it for publication and Musa Publishing offered him a
contract in early 2013. Disappear With Me is his second novel.
Dean
lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his partner, Thomas, and their two cats.
They are involved in their church and enjoy watching movies, outdoor activities
in the warmer weather and spending time together with friends and family. In
addition to writing, Dean enjoys reading and patio gardening.
Prior to
novels, Dean did some technical writing in his career. He plans to write a
sequel to both A Place to Call Their Own and Disappear with Me,
but is taking some time away from those characters and worlds to work on a
third novel, The Higher Law.
Thank you
for stopping by today! Join the conversation: use #disappearwithme to talk
about the novel on social media. I love to connect!
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