Gerard turned to face Elias. Only his face remained. Without giving himself a chance to think it over, Gerard removed his eye patch and placed it beside the washbasin. He closed his eyes.
Elias massaged the salve into Gerard’s face. A month ago, Gerard could not have imagined allowing anyone to do this. Ever. He could not have ever imagined letting someone see his scars or his damaged eye without wanting to cover and hide them.
But here they were.
Gerard felt his good eye sting. He let out a breath.
“You okay?” Elias asked, voice soft.
Gerard nodded. He could not manage more than that.
“I love you, Gerard. All of you. And your scars are part of you,” Elias said as his fingers smoothed cream into Gerard’s scarred eyelid. “They are a part of you and your history.” Elias huffed. “A part ofourhistory, I suppose.
“I wouldn’t change this part of you, even if I could. Not for my sake, anyway. I happen to think the scars make you look strong and distinguished.”
Gerard let himself believe Elias. And as he sat in that moment with Elias’s words and actions washing over him, they soothed some of the jagged cuts that had tunnelled so deep inside Gerard.
Soft lips pressed against his own. “There. Finished.”
Gerard opened his eyes as Elias closed the lid on the pot.
Elias smiled. “Is it time for bed? I’m exhausted.”
“One moment.” Gerard rose and walked to his trunk.He’d seen the wooden box briefly when he’d been searching for the oil. He pulled it out and opened it.
Inside lay his mother’s black titanium ring hanging on a chain. He undid the clasp and removed the ring from the chain, which he placed back in the box and in the trunk. Taking a deep breath, he returned to sitting across from Elias.
“This belonged to my mother. When she wore it, I used to play with it on her finger.” Gerard looked down at the scuffed metal. “When she died, it became mine. I always dreamed of giving it to my spouse one day. Then …”
“Then you discovered you would be married to me,” Elias finished.
Gerard nodded. “It is not much. During her life, she owned jewellery far finer and more valuable. But this had been made by her grandfather when she left her village to come to court. It meant a lot to her. It means a lot to me.”
He looked from the worn ring to Elias’s face. He remembered thinking how someone like Elias would never wear such a plain and tattered piece of jewellery. After all, it wasn’t Elias’s style. Elias always dressed so pristinely.
“Would you like to wear it?” he asked, although there was no doubt in his heart what Elias’s answer would be.
“It would be my honour to wear your mother’s ring.” And Elias took the black titanium band from Gerard’s fingers. He slipped it on the second finger on his right hand.
“It fits,” Gerard said, throat tight.
Elias stroked the band. “It’s like I was always meant to wear it.”
Gerard took his hand, staring down at the black band around Elias’s slender finger. He leaned forward and kissed Elias’s knuckles. “Now we should go to bed and get some sleep. Who knows when we’ll be called upon.”
A knock sounded on the door as if in response to Gerard’s words. They glanced at each other, both sitting naked.
“I think we might have missed our opportunity to sleep,” Elias said as he rose.
Still, Gerard couldn’t regret it. Not with everything at peace between them.
He did not know who was knocking or what lay beyond that door, but Gerard was certain that he and Elias would be okay. After all, they loved each other. Somehow, he thought he could face the whole world with that knowledge.
He placed his eye patch back on and grabbed a blanket to wrap around himself. He might feel comfortable with Elias seeing his scars. But that was Elias.
Elias reached into his trunk and pulled out a coat. Doing up the buttons, he walked towards the door. The coat covered to his mid-thigh.
Elias glanced back at him. Gerard nodded, and Elias opened the door.
