The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) Read Online Free PDF

call me crazy,’ as he passed her.
    The meaning of what he’d said did not immediately register because she was so amazed that he’d actually spoken. But then his words sank in and she turned swiftly and asked his retreating figure, ‘I’m sorry, what was that?’
    He ignored her so she hurried to catch up with him. ‘Mr. Lando, I asked you what you’d said.’ He stopped walking so abruptly that she almost ran into him. He turned to her and the scathing look he gave her made her want to take a step back, she didn't, but met his eye which seemed to surprise him. He took of his hat and flicked it against his thigh making a snapping sound, Adela was sure he would like to do that to her neck.  
    She noticed that his thick brown hair was sticking to his head and that his eyes were very bright without the shade of the hat he always wore; she was also surprised that he seemed much younger than she had imagined; perhaps middle thirties.  His nose was slightly askew as though it had been broken and not set properly and there were small criss- cross scars around his mouth and lines at the corners of his eyes as though he squinted a lot, but his teeth were white in his tanned face. If he had tidied himself up a little and combed his unruly hair he could have been really quite handsome she thought. Standing this close to him she could smell sweat mingled with a fresh earthy scent.
    Those dark brown eyes were now looking at her with contempt. His voice was low and raspy as though he didn’t speak much, which he probably didn’t, except maybe to himself, and from what Adela had heard that would not surprise her.  He said, '‘you're lucky that startled is all you got.’ He waved the dead rabbit in her face, she turned her head to the side and closed her eyes in repulsion, ‘and lucky this ain't you.'
    She raised her eyebrows in surprise, ‘what do you mean?’
    He rolled his eyes as if he was talking to an idiot, which is how he probably saw her, and everyone else come to that since he reputedly avoided contact with the outside world, according to the lady in the shop and the postmaster that is. He said, ‘if you choose to take a detour through here you get what you deserve.’ He raised his rifle as if he was in two minds whether to shoot her for her stupidity.
    She glanced around and realised what he meant. She had strayed from the path, maybe when she had been chasing the deer. Embarrassed having been caught doing something she had been told was dangerous, ‘oh, oh gosh, I didn’t realise,’ she gave a nervous laugh; ‘I was chasing a deer and got carried away in the moment.’ He said nothing only gaped at her. She tried humour, ‘oops.’
    He stared at her as though she was a lunatic, which of course she was for wandering off the path like that. He gave her a look that clearly said, stupid woman, stupid foreigners.
    She scanned the trees behind her and when she looked back to her amazement Jonas Lando had gone.  She stood a moment shocked by his abrupt departure;  she hadn’t even heard him move. She caught a glimpse of his back as he disappeared through the trees.
    She did a 360 degree turn and realised that she could not see the path and that she was lost. She began to run in the direction he had gone and to her relief saw him about twenty yards ahead. She wouldn’t admit to this unresponsive, dour man that she was lost so called, ‘Mr. Land o, if you’re going back to your cabin I’ll walk with you.’ But he’d vanished into the undergrowth. She called again. ‘Mr. Lando? Did you hear me?’
    She knew he had of course. Trying to keep the pleading and mounting fear at being left out here lost a nd alone from her voice she called, ‘I said I’ll walk back with you.’ She put on a brief burst of speed and caught him up, she took his arm and gasped out, ‘did you hear what I said, I said I would walk…’ Without turning round he shrugged her hand roughly from his arm. ‘Mr. Lando?’ She