The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (54 page)

Eventually she said, ‘you know it seems such a waste just standing here, shall we go and take a look around?’

‘Are you sure? I know you don’t like crowds.’

‘Yes I’m sure. I did come to this country to explore and try out new things; I should at least
try
to be an adventuress.’

He chuckled and putting his hand on the small of her back as he had done before escorted her around the ship. They went onto the top deck and watched
Ship Island coming closer.

It took about an hour to reach the
Island and during that time he told her some of its history. He told her that the Island had been named in 1699 by French Explorers and that many colonists took their first steps on American soil at Ship Island, it was known as the Plymouth Rock of the Gulf coast.

It had also been a prison for confederate P.O.W’s and one could take a tour of
Fort Massachusetts too. She marvelled at how much he seemed to know, he did not strike her as the type to be interested in history, yet she was often surprised by him, sometimes she had to admit, even shocked. He told her that the ferry service that went to the Islands was rumoured to be owned by the mob. She was amazed.

The hour went very quickly and they alighted from the ferry onto a board -walk, which stretched for three quarters of a mile to the swim beach on the south side of the
Island.

He told her that they would probably see some Atlantic Bottle Nosed Dolphins which swam here feeding on Mullet and Menhaden.

She was very excited about that, telling him that she had never seen a Dolphin except on the television. He was surprised and asked if she had never been to a zoo or an aquarium she said she hadn’t and then went quiet for a while. He took her hand again and said, ‘well this is going to be a day of firsts for you, in a vacation full of firsts.’

Once again she had the distinct impression that he was telling her something, more than that, preparing her for something. She felt trepidation gnaw at her stomach, trepidation and fear and an undeniable excitement before she chided herself for being all kinds of an idiot. She was reading too much into the things he said, seeing things that weren’t there, hearing things that weren’t being said. She must stop it.

They arrived at the beach and Adela noticed what a lot of people there were. They were running in and out of the ocean; or surfing or water skiing or playing beach games or just lying around getting a tan.

They stopped under a relatively shaded area and she put her towel on the sand and they sat dow
n. He followed her gaze and quoted, ‘Melanoma by the sea.’

She looked up at him in surprise, ‘good memory.’

‘I wouldn’t forget that, it was the first time I realised you had a terrific sense of humour.’

‘Humour? It wasn’t meant to be funny, it was meant to be a warning.’

He laughed, ‘you’ve just made my point again, great sense of humour, great legs, great accent, great…

She cut him off, ‘all right, all right, I get it, I’m great. You can stop now.’

‘I don’t want to stop, I’m enjoying myself.’

'You know, Mr. Hennessey; you wield that charm like a weapon.’

He looked askance at her then burst out laughing. Still laughing he said, ‘all right it might be my undeniable charm speaking, but it also has the virtue of being true, as is everything else I say.’

She had tried to be nonchalant and laid back about the things that he had said, but in reality she felt confused and uncertain when he complimented her. She knew he was the type of man to charm his way through life, that it came as easy to him as carrying a weapon, a part of his
life that was why she had used the gun analogy. He was so used to it that even he probably didn’t know whether he was being genuine or not.

Oh gosh, she wished she knew more about men and their ways, she wished she had more experience so that she could tell the charmer from the sycophant, the flatterer from the liar, the honest from the false. She was a child really in many ways, a child let loose in the world for the first time and she found herself floundering, and men, men such as Sterling Hennessey could perhaps take advantage of that. And yet his eyes, his lovely expressive eyes assured her that he was serious and sincere when he complimented her, that he meant what he said.

Oh she must stop this, stop analysing things, stop analysing him and his intentions. So what if he was insincere, so what if he enjoyed teasing her? He was amusing and interesting and smart and fantastic company, as well as very attractive. She had enjoyed his company immensely these last few days and she would continue to enjoy it. So she would take him as she found him, and take the things he said, especially his compliments, with just the tiniest pinch of salt. Yes, she would live for today and leave tomorrow to sort itself out.

His voice broke into her thoughts, ‘well, what do you think?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘About going to the nude beach, it’s not far and it makes sense since you don’t have your bathing suit with you.’ He couldn’t decide which had opened wider, her eyes or her mouth, but instead of the usual red suffusing her face it was almost white as she stammered, ‘nu…wha…I…what…
no
.’

He continued to watch her outraged face until he could stand it no longer and burst out laughing. Her face went from white to pink in an instant. She said, ‘oh you…you…’

She couldn’t finish so outraged was she.

He said, ‘serves you right for not listening to what I was saying.’

Her outrage turned to contrition, ‘oh I’m sorry, I was miles away, I never meant to be rude. I’m so sorry.’

Still laughing he said, ‘I think I got my own back, it was worth being ignored just to see the look on your face, so you’re forgiven.’

She was shamefaced now as well as embarrassed. He said, ‘what were you thinking of that caused you to divert from your usual good manners?’

She certainly wasn’t about to tell him exactly what she had been thinking so edged a little, ‘oh, just stuff, about how much I’m enjoying myself, how I would never have come here by myself, or if I had I would have been very nervous and on edge.’ She looked back at him, ‘I’m very grateful to you for organising this trip, and for accompanying me today, and all the other times too.’

He looked into her eyes and his gaze was very direct as he said, ‘you know you don’t have to be grateful to me, I’m enjoying myself too, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Gulfport or here to Ship. I would not have thought about coming here on this little trip of mine. I’m grateful for
your
company too.’

She said softly, ‘thank you,
Sterling.’

‘Hallelujah, at last she calls me
Sterling without hesitation or prompting.’

She smacked his hand lightly but he cried out as though in pain, ‘ouch, God that hurt, how will I ever explain all these bruises to my cousin and his new bride.’

‘Tell them you met a woman who got quite violent when she was laughed at.’

He laughed out loud then said, ‘hidden depths, Miss. Faraday, hidden depths, I like it.’

She turned from his gaze and said, ‘don’t be si…a ninny.’

His laughter grew and people walking past and those sitting nearby looked at them and smiled.

He said, ‘shall we get something to eat then take a walk and admire the scenery, we might spot some of those Dolphins I was telling you about. Then we could go to Fort Massachusetts if you want.’

‘Oh yes, that sounds lovely.’ He stood up and held out his hand to her, she hesitated only slightly before putting her own hand in his. She immediately felt that frisson that she experienced every time he touched her skin.

He pulled her to her feet but did not release her hand; instead he held it tightly in his as they made their way along the beach to the picnic area and snack bar.

It was very hot indeed now but they were lucky and found a table with a big umbrella in the middle. He told her to sit down while he went to get their food. He said, ‘is there anything you would particularly like to eat?’ Craw fish, oysters, lobster.’

She didn’t rise to his teasing but said, ‘all of the above please.’

He chuckled and asked if he should choose for her and she replied in the affirmative.

When he was gone she felt somehow alone and exposed. It was funny how she felt safe and secure and protected with him. She hardly knew him yet she trusted him to look out for her well being.

She looked around at the
scenery; it was certainly very beautiful here. The sea was so clear and very blue. She was so happy she had come here today, and even happier that she was with Sterling, it made this day twice as special.

He returned five minutes later with a tray on which were two plates piled high with fries and chicken and two large plastic cups of orange juice.

She said, ‘gosh, they certainly don’t stint on the food here. Thank you.’

‘I’ll bet you don’t finish all that.’

‘Is that a challenge?’

‘Yes.’

‘Accepted.’

They ate while he watched her from under his eyelashes intermittently as she tried, tried very hard, to finish the huge stack of fries but eventually she sat back in her seat let out a huge sigh and said, ‘all right, I submit, you win.’

He laughed, ‘well you did better than I thought.’

‘That’s only because I’m stubborn.’

‘Well I’m glad you stopped, I don’t think I would have the energy in this heat for carrying you around the Island.’

‘Oh you spoil sport.’

He laughed again and as he did so he was thinking that he had laughed more this last few days than he had done in, oh, in so long he couldn’t even recall. Once or twice today he had almost forgotten why he was really here, almost being the operative word. While he had teased her and laughed with her on the ferry he had been thinking that the first thing he would buy with his five mil was a yacht. He liked to sail and he was a proficient sailor. Yes, he would get himself a fifty footer, nothing to elaborate or flashy, nothing that would attract too much attention, except to the ladies of course.

Her voice broke into his daydream about the new gleaming white boat. 'You said it was a long time since you’d been to
Ship Island, did you used to come here very often?’

‘Not too often, I’d say a few dozen or so times in my life. And Cat and Horn Island too, all of them really.’

She nodded, ‘you’re so lucky, it’s a beautiful place.’

‘Yes it is.’ But you told me that you lived near the coast, I expect that’s beautiful too.’

‘Oh it is, Cornwall is lovely, a great tourist place. But we don’t have the weather for this,’ she waved her hands around encompassing the beach and the ocean where people sunbathed and swam, ‘last year for instance the weather was so bad we hardly had any tourists staying near by. They probably went abroad, it can be cheaper and you get the nice weather too. It’s so unpredictable at home, sun in the morning, rain in the afternoon, that kind of thing.’

‘Maybe you ought to leave there, move here.’

‘Yes, but then I’d just complain that it’s too hot all the time.’

He smiled, ‘we have our seasons too, it rains and it gets cold here the same as anywhere else. Not forgetting the hurricanes too.’

‘There’s that, but you get this lovely sunny weather to make up for it.’

‘That’s true.’

They sat and talked about this and that until he said, ‘are you sufficiently recovered from the mountain you just ate to walk a little?’

‘I can keep up with you, Mr. Sarcastic.’

‘Ah, back to my last name again.’

She laughed and they stood, gathered their things and began to walk across the warm sand.

As they walked to Fort Massachusetts Adela was feeling the heat pretty badly, she had been hot since she’d been here but this was something else, it was as though there was no air. She glanced at Hennessey but he seemed unaffected by the heat, perhaps because he lived here, or had lived here and she knew that it got very hot in Texas where he now lived too, so maybe he was used to it.

He caught her looking at him, he said with concern, ‘are you all right?’

She managed a smile, ‘yes of course, I’m just still unaccustomed to the heat.’

‘It is a little oppressive. Perhaps I shouldn’t have arranged this trip today; I keep forgetting that you’re not as used to it as we Mississippians.’

She said, ‘oh no, I’m glad we came here, it’s lovely, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’

‘All right, but if you start to feel ill please tell me, okay?’

She smiled gratefully, ‘okay.’ Then somewhat mischievously she said, ‘anyway, you’re not a Mississippian either, you’re a Texan now.’

He looked surprised for a moment then said, ‘once a Mississippian always a Mississippian. No matter where you go your home state is always your home state, and your own kind always welcome back a prodigal son…or daughter, that’s just the way it is.’

‘That’s a nice sentiment.’

He smiled and said, ‘there’ll be more shade at the fort, we’ll find somewhere for you to sit down for a while, gather your strength.’