The Devil to Pay – A sweeping and epic queer historical adventure (Paperback)

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In 1802, a fragile peace settles over Britain as the Treaty of Amiens brings years of war to a halt. Lieutenant Arthur Courtney returns home expecting quiet days and familiar company, drawn back into the orbit of Hiram Nightingale, whose presence carries both comfort and unspoken history.

In The Devil to Pay, that stillness does not last. When a naval frigate disappears en route to Malta, carrying diplomats whose absence could reignite conflict with France, Courtney and Nightingale are sent to sea once more. Aboard HMS Lysander, suspicion and strain creep through the ranks as the search stretches on and danger closes in.

The novel moves between the outer tensions of duty and politics and the inner weight of memory and desire. Against a backdrop of smoke, discipline, and restless waters, Courtney and Nightingale must reckon with a bond shaped by years of restraint. As the mission grows more precarious, so too does the cost of what they have kept hidden, in a world where truth can be as incendiary as war itself.