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.But we ll not be in publicmuch. Davy turned him toward the inner door. Shall weretire? If you d rather sleep alone, the other bedroom isstill available for you. Of course not. Will glanced down at the face turnedup toward his, and brushed the back of his fingers over thebeard. I hear you, and you sound the same and then Ilook, and must look again but it is no longer such asurprise. It will matter less, after dark. Davy surveyed theroom. There was something else. He went to the deskand took out a small object wrapped in a handkerchief. Here.For you.As soon as he felt the bundle, Will realized what it hadto be; the handkerchief unrolled and the thick plait ofblond hair fell into his hand.Braided; they d almost neverbothered to do that, when they dressed one another s hair,but of course it would hold together better this way.101Winds of Change I thought you might like to have it, Davy saiddiffidently. It had to go, of course.Will s fingers closed around it.He could not speak.Davy frowned at his silence. I m sorry, Will.Ofcourse you needn t Thank you. Will caressed the braid with his thumbbefore wrapping it again and stowing it in his inner breastpocket, golden treasure that it was.His other hand reachedout to touch Davy s short dark hair.A new feeling. Thankyou. I m not quite used to it, myself, Davy admitted. Though Will, it does save time.Without you to comb itout.Kissing Davy saved Will from another incipientsnivel. Let s get to that tub, shall we? I ll see what you relike with a wet beard. He opened the door to the bath-room, and a warm floral scent enveloped them.Theenormous tub was half-full, and clean white towels lay ona small bench beside it. We ve been unshaven before. Davy said. Even thefirst time.The first time.Aboard that renegade s ship, sofoolish each of them had been secretly in love with theother, though only Davy had been fully aware of hisfeelings.And Marshall had been disgusted with himselffor having allowed such contact with a shipmate,particularly one under his command.But after they hadspent two weeks together, when Davy took and passed hisofficer s examination.somehow all the fears andhesitation had been sorted through and discarded.Maintaining their love under Articles of War had beendifficult and always risky; opportunities to be togetherwere rare and precious.As this one was.They kissed; he began to undo the soft cravat atDavy s throat. Would you rather bathe first, alone? I Davy s mouth tightened. No.You may as well102Lee Rowansee the thing.It s ugly, but well, it will be dark soon.Did Davy not realize he d seen that dreadful injury, inthe days after his mock funeral? He had been unconsciousor feverish much of the time, then, and dosed withlaudanum for the pain, so perhaps he did not remember. Whatever you like, Davy.It s really no matter. Let s not let the water get too cold. Davy turnedaway and stripped quickly, clearly bracing himself for anordeal.Will undressed as well, placing his shirt and otherclothing over his uniform coat.Captain Smith had told himto find himself an epaulet in Kingston, the symbol thatwould transform the uniform of a Lieutenant into that of aCommander.He had not sought that promotion; he did notdeserve it.He would trade it in a heartbeat to have Davyback beside him, even in a rowboat.Will shed the last of his clothing just as Davy pulledhis shirt over his head.His unaccustomed slenderness, thevulnerable bare neck with its cap of dark hair, touched aprotective chord.Before Davy could turn around, Willmoved up close, gathering his lover against him. I don tneed to see, Davy.You re alive.That s enough. I may have to hide from the world.I m not hidingfrom you. Taking Will s hands, Davy moved them to hislower chest, where Will felt a raised, slightly bumpyirregularity on the smooth skin. That s the entry wound.This one a longer, slightly thinner ridge That sfrom the surgery.He nuzzled the back of Davy s neck. Do they hurt? They itch.Damnably, sometimes.I m told that s agood sign. He took a step away and turned quickly,studying Will s face. Please tell me if you can t standit.After one brief glance at the long, ragged red line, Willraised his eyes to meet his friend s. You re breathing.He placed his hands carefully on Davy s shoulders. You re warm
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