The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (48 page)

They were silent for a few moments until he said, ‘but you know, despite your mother’s best efforts, you seemed to have turned out very well, very well indeed. You’re a thoroughly nice lady, sociable and friendly and as I said before, very brave.’

She was moved, ‘thank you. Someone once said that “That which does not kill us makes us stronger."'

‘Nietzsche.’

‘Sorry?’

‘That’s who said what you’ve just quoted.’

‘Oh.’ She smiled, ‘you’re very smart.’

He shrugged, ‘just have a really good memory.’

‘Well I think this Nietzsche was wrong.’

‘Oh, why?’

‘Well what if you had a near fatal accident and you ended up in a coma, you’d hardly be stronger then would you?’

He laughed out loud, ‘we can always find a fault in these little homilies if we try hard enough. But in your case the homily seems to be true. Maybe you take after your father.’

‘I don’t really remember him too well. But I hope I would have more backbone that to leave my children to a drunken woman’s neglect and abuse.’

He arched his brows, ‘I’m sure you have more backbone than most people, you have certainly proved that since you’ve been here.’

She had been looking down at her glass twirling the stem between her fingers but looked up sharply as he said this. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean the panther incident.’

‘Oh, oh yes, that.’ She looked down again, she would have to be careful not to get suspicious when someone said something she thought referred to her connection with Olivia or
they
would get suspicious, wondering why she reacted as she did to innocent comments.

He said, ‘what did you think I meant?’ Although he knew damn well what she had thought.

She said, ‘nothing, I just don’t think of the “panther incident” as bravery on my part.’

‘Well I do, so there.’

She laughed, ‘so was that interesting enough for you?’

‘Sorry?’

‘My deep dark past, was it interesting enough for you to tell me
your
secrets?’

Oh yes, very interesting he thought, but not as interesting as mine. Still he decided to humour her, and there would be no harm in throwing in some truth too. He said, ‘I’ve already told you where we lived. There was just me and my mother, she died when I was seven and I went to live with my uncle in Louisiana, I left there when I was sixteen. Later I joined the Marines, saw some action in the first desert storm, never really went home after that.’

‘Never?’

‘No, I travelled a lot; I’ve been pretty much everywhere you can think of. I love Europe and Scandinavia; I hope to settle there one day.’

‘Scandinavia?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where in Scandinavia?’

He caught himself in time; he had done it again, slipped up and told her about his plans for going to Scandinavia. Still, he wasn’t too worried; after all she would hardly be in a position to tell anyone.

He said, ‘Denmark maybe.’

She laughed, ‘yes, I can see you as a Viking, you’re certainly tall enough.’

‘I thought they were all blonde.’

‘You could dye your hair.’

He screwed up his face, ‘I said I wanted to live amongst Scandinavians not become one of them.’

She laughed again. ‘Well perhaps you could marry one, that would be the next best thing.’

‘How do you know I’m not already married?’

Her smile faded. He could almost see the thoughts running through her head; she was thinking that he was just passing time with her while he was alone. That she was someone to keep him company while he was away from his wife and kids. He decided to keep her hanging for a moment so he looked back at her his face serious. She whispered, ‘are you?’

He shrugged then gave in and smiled, ‘no, I’m not married, not now and not have been.’ A little truth thrown in.

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in a gesture of impatience. He laughed and asked ‘what would you have done if I’d said I’ve got myself a wife and four kids back at the family homestead?’

‘I would have tipped this lovely, fruity, very expensive bottle of wine over your head, caught a cab back to Eden and told everyone there what a horrible human being you are. My good friend the sheriff would probably have thrown you in the cells just for upsetting me.’

Again he laughed out loud, ‘I think he would have too.’

‘I might tell him anyway, get my own back for your scaring me like that.’

‘The thought of my being married scares you?’

‘Of course, it would be an awful thing to spend time in the company of a man who had a wife and children. I certainly wouldn’t like it if I was the wife in question.’

‘You’re a very decent and moral person, Miss. Faraday.’

She looked surprised, ‘I should think most people would feel that way wouldn’t they? Surely you would not like to be a cuckold or to be the cause of someone else being one.’

He stared at her for a moment then to her chagrin he burst out laughing.

People looked their way with interest; they must have been able to see by Adela’s expression that this time he was laughing at her and not with her.

She looked very hurt, ‘I was about to add that being tricked and deceived must be one of the most humiliating things that one can suffer, but I think I’ll add being laughed at to that list.’

Her words sobered him, ‘I didn’t mean to offend you, it’s just that it’s not very often these days you hear the word "cuckold."'

She did not appear in the least mollified by his apology. He said, ‘please don’t be angry. And you’re absolutely right, I would most definitely not want to be tricked or deceived….or be a cuckold. Please accept my apology.’

‘Of course.’

‘I think that’s the least sincere you’ve been since we met.’

She said nothing and he sighed, ‘tell me what I can do to make it up to you.’

‘There’s no need to make it up to me.’ She sighed too, ‘I’m sorry, it’s just that…’

She broke off and his tone serious he finished for her, ‘your mother put you down by laughing at you, and when someone else does it you think she must have had cause.’

She looked at him in surprise, ‘well, yes, but how…

‘It’s pretty obvious, ‘he interrupted gently, ‘she made fun of you and ridiculed your pastimes and hobbies and your appearance. It’s made you distrustful of people who say something nice to you; you think there must be some ulterior motive, some hidden agenda behind their compliments. The same with laughing at you, you think there must be something about you that causes people to find you funny, and not in a nice way. She has made you wary to the point that you have no confidence in yourself or your talents and abilities.’

She looked away then down at the table then back up at him and her voice was low as she said, ‘yes, it’s true, but I can’t think how you would know all that. We’ve only just met, you don’t even know me.’

‘It was the singing, even a deaf person could tell that you have a beautiful voice, anyone who can sing like that would have been up on that stage showing off for all they were worth. You know in your heart that your voice is rare and lovely, but you were afraid to get up and sing because you’ve been told too often that you’re making a fool of yourself when you do.’

He smiled a soft smile and reached over covering her hands with his. She looked down at his big strong hands which had swallowed hers whole. She looked up and their eyes met and locked.

He said, ‘if someone had told Shakespeare often enough that his writing was garbage he would probably have become a welder instead.’

She could not drag her eyes away from his bright, steady gaze; his eyes seemed to hypnotize her. She swallowed several times before she could speak, when she did her voice was husky and low, ‘you’re an observer of human nature, Sterling Hennessey.’

Inwardly he said, I’ve had to be my dear, Miss. Faraday. Out loud he said, ‘it wouldn’t take a hell of a lot of observing to see what was going on. Although I didn’t know it was your mother who had injured you and left you feeling less than worthy. I thought it was maybe an abusive ex husband. That perhaps you had come to this country to escape him.’

She shook her head, ‘no, no husband. But I suppose you’re right about the escaping part, I did want to put distance between myself and all that had happened.’ She gave a rueful little laugh, ‘but if death couldn’t do that, I don’t know why I thought an ocean could.’

He frowned, ‘well since you’ve been here you’ve discovered that people aren’t laughing at you…apart from my little faux pas back there of course, for which I apologise again…and that people like you and want to get to know you because you’re funny and charming and sweet and
very
good company. And of course there’s that darn sexy English accent.’

She tried to release her hands from under his as her face reddened but he held on firmly.

'So, I’ve told you about my love life, so what about yours?’

She shifted uncomfortably, ‘mine?’

‘Yes, I know you’re not married but what about boyfriends, is there someone back home, someone special.’ He knew there wasn’t of course, he just wanted her to confirm it.

She said, ‘no, no boyfriends, I never really had time and the men that
I
would have found interesting didn’t want to be associated with the likes of us.’

‘Then they weren’t worth knowing, or getting to know, if a man can’t see beyond the alcoholic mother to the pretty, smart, funny, lovely young woman who is her daughter then that’s there loss. And my gain.’ He added with meaning.

She cast her eyes down but she was smiling well pleased as she said shyly, ‘you’re so silly.’

This time he didn’t laugh but said firmly, ‘can’t you just take a compliment in the spirit in which it’s given, genuinely and sincerely?’

She still looked doubtful but said, ‘okay.’

He chuckled, ‘so am I forgiven now?’

‘Of course. I’m sorry I reacted as I did, I should never have taken your laughter so personally.’

‘I’ve told you I understand.’

‘I know, and thank you.’

He smiled that bright ever so sexy smile and released her hands, ‘you’re welcome.’

Her hands felt suddenly cold and she wished he would cover them again with his own; she wanted to continue to feel that warm, tingly sensation.

So that he would not sense her reaction she said, ‘oh, and by the way, I don’t think they had welders in Shakespeare’s time.’

‘Carpenter then, whatever, it would have been a travesty.’

She laughed, relieved they were no longer talking serious stuff, and about her too. She seemed to have been the subject of most of the conversation tonight and subsequently learned hardly anything about him. He had skimmed over the subject of his family, his mother, his absent father, even the uncle whom he had lived with from a young age. He seemed to have very skilfully and successfully managed to steer the conversation back to her.

She had seen something in his eyes when he had held her gaze, an understanding, a rapport, an affinity. She had seen something else too and that was what had made her uncomfortable, but at the same time excited as she had never been before. She needed to get away from him for just a few minutes to clear her head.

She said rather shyly, ‘I must use the bathroom before we leave.’

He nodded and watched her as she walked towards the bathrooms well pleased with the way the evening was progressing.

CHAPTER 18.

      He knew of course she was putting some distance between them, getting some breathing space to recover her equilibrium. He would have had to be blind or stupid to have missed the way she had looked at him, how her hands had trembled slightly in his, how her cheeks had flushed a rosy pink when he had started into her eyes. He had known enough women to recognise the signs of desire when he saw them. He was amused by it, and even more amused because he knew she was trying hard to suppress those desires. He felt like calling the waiter over and asking him to slap him on the back for his very skilful psychoanalyse of her. Although she was easy to read, it was obvious she was deeply affected by her upbringing.

He smiled to himself. If she had money, which he knew she had, she could have hired him to do away with the mother and rid herself of the bitch long ago. But then she might not have come here and he might not be earning the easiest five million bucks in history. She came walking back to the table and smiled at him, she sat down and picked up her wine. He asked if she would like coffee but she declined and added that she was enjoying the wine although he noticed she had only had one glass, if that.

He asked, ‘so you’ve definitely decided that Gulfport is next on your list of places to see in more detail?’

‘Oh yes, I’m going to come tomorrow, I think I’ll get the bus. The Carters, that’s the family who are staying in the cabin opposite mine, often come here for the beach etcetera and they usually get the bus in, so that’s what I’ll do.’