Chapter 13
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
"Shaun?" Louise asked gently, stepping inside the whitewashed kitchen, "I have someone I want you to meet,"
The little boy looked up, a frothy moustache of milk on his lip, "Yeth Mithh Louithe?" he asked around a mouthful of bread and butter.
"Shaun Peterson you know better than to speak with your mouthful," Louise reproved gently, tugging Erik inside with one firm, rosemary hand, "This is Erik, he tells me you've met before,"
"Beggin' ye pardon, Miss Louise, but I don't thinks we 'ave," Shaun rejected the idea, Erik, with his head bowed, gave a short, cynical laugh, "Tell me Shaun," he said a trifle spitefully, "Did you enjoy your apple?"
The eight year olds mouth dropped open, revealing a gap between his two front teeth, Louise sighed and lifted a corner of her apron to wipe away the moustache on his upper lip, Shaun flushed and pulled back. "That was ye?" he whispered, "By gore mister! I is right sorry!"
"Am," Louise corrected absently, watching Erik's reaction.
"Wot?"
"I am sorry, you know better than that Shaun,"
Erik was clutching his chest in sudden pain, the simple apology the boy had given to him struck something deep within his soul. Had anyone ever apologised to him before? Ever at all? His entire life had been spent excusing his face, and now a child was asking his forgiveness, for a sight that had made grown men hunt him down in rage. He managed a weak smile at the boy, which was returned with a gap-toothed grin, and felt his eyes burn with fresh tears. He turned away swiftly, covering his face with his hands to catch the hot salt.
"Aw geez mister, ye don't need to cover yer face!" Shaun proclaimed, licking berry stains from his fingers, "Not amongst friends," Louise added softly, Erik drew in a shaking breath and nodded, staring at the scrubbed white benches, a neat hand rested gently on his shoulder for a moment, pressing warm fingers on his cold back. He risked a glance up at Louise, her face swimming in the cloudy tears that blinded his sight, she nodded once and let him slip past her, back into the quiet solitude of the garden to collect himself. He rubbed the backs of his fine long hands over his eyes, furiously brushing away the tears, as inside, Louise took up Shaun's empty plate and ushered him outside to return home, untying Bessie and sending him off with a wave and a handful of berries.
Erik knelt in the cool grass, the garden warm and sheltered by rough stonewalls. Neat rows of vegetables and potted herbs were arranged around the edge of the secluded area. His fingers brushed over spiced leaves, pausing at a spiky, spindly plant, rosemary. He twisted a sprig from the bush and brought it close to his face, breathing the scent in deeply, there was something so commonplace, yet mysterious, about the scent, he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Erik?" he opened his eyes, a pair of bare feet, graced by a brown skirt stood before him, he knelt up, raising his eyes to meet Louise's grey ones, even kneeling, he came up to her shoulder. Wordlessly, he handed her the sprig of herb, she took it and sniffed the scent with a sigh of happiness, then tucked the stem behind her ear, then she stepped close and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, as he pressed his distorted face against her stomach, breathing in time to the silent wind that whispered from the forest.