Alexander Benedict is a misanthropic thirtysomething magical consultant, working with the Agency's top homicide detective, and perfectly content with his life, thank you very much. Julian St. Albans is the youthful heir to his family's fortune and affianced to his beloved Cecil Mandeville, a family friend as well as Julian's lover. When Mandeville is murdered using magical means, Alex is brought in on the case. It's the worst day of Julian's life, but until they meet, it's just another case for Alex. Neither of them have any idea how their lives are about to change. Alex has to disentangle...

In this sequel to The Courtship of Julian St. Albans, Julian - once a member of the pampered elite and Courted by the cream of society - is now an Apprentice and the still-pampered boyfriend of consulting mage Alex Benedict. He arrives one bright August morning at the plant nursery where he's working through his apprenticeship, only to find a dead body among the lucky clover. This is the first in a series of strange murders that keep getting closer and closer to home, to Julian's wonderful new life and all the magic threading through it, including the new magic that's blossomed inside him....