“Who else knows about it?”
“Only you. Today. I’m giving Skinner a story tonight if I can find him. So, business’s over. Now, how’s Shevaun?”
“Good and bad. She’s accepted the fact that she’s betrothed. But I have to admit, however much I love her, she doesn’t love me.”
“Will you buy out Tillman’s interests?”
“Not if Shevaun marries me. If she hadn’t agreed—well, it would be bad business not to. Now that Wilf’s dead, I’ll have to find another partner. That will mean giving a stock interest—you know very well the problems.”
“Aye. What’s Zergeyev up to?”
“Oh, he’s still here. His hip doesn’t trouble him very much. We see quite a lot of him. Dine with him two or three times a week.” Cooper smiled wanly. “He’s very much attached to Shevaun and she seems to like him. She’s visiting on his ship now.”
Struan rubbed his chin speculatively. “Then I’ve another gamble for you. More dangerous than cinchona.”
“What?”
“Send Shevaun home for a year. Give her her head—she’s a thoroughbred. If she wants to come back at the end of a year, you’ll marry her happily. If she decides against you, you give her her freedom. In any event tell her you’ll continue to pay her father his ‘share’ for his lifetime. Her brothers can rot. Dinna forget, we can make good use of Senator Tillman’s connections on our cinchona venture. The money you give him will more than repay itself.”
Cooper walked over to his desk to fetch the cigars and to give himself time. Why was the Tai-Pan suggesting this? Did he plan to go after Shevaun himself? No, there was no need for him to be so devious: if he beckoned, Shevaun would go running.
“I’d have to think about that, Tai-Pan,” he said. “Cigar?”
“Nay, thanks. And while you’re considering it, add a further gamble. Ask Zergeyev to offer her passage home on his ship—chaperoned, of course.”
“You’re out of your head!”
“Nay, laddie.” Struan produced the copy of the papers, neatly bound with green ribbon. “Read these.”
Cooper picked it up. “What is it?”
“Read. Take your time.”
Cooper sat at his desk and undid the ribbon.
Well, Struan was telling himself, cinchona’s launched. Now what about Culum? Perhaps the lad’s right, he does need a partner. Jeff’s the answer. Struan-Cooper-Tillman. At least, Struan-Cooper; we can forget Tillman now. Why na? It’s a huge advantage to Jeff. We gain an advantage with the Americas. Jeff’s canny and straight. Think about it very carefully. It’s a good solution. Longstaff? Longstaff’s taken care of as much as he can ever be. Once out of your sight, he’ll only do what the next strong man tells him to do. How about Skinner? Thus far he’s done well. Blore? Must check on him. Mauss too. What next? Home and May-may. Perhaps Orlov was right. Perhaps all you felt was the sea watching you—you’ve had a fair run for your money. Dinna put aside such feelings lightly.
Inexorably his mind bore down on Brock: Aye. There’s a killing to be done. And Liza was right. Once it starts, perhaps it’ll never end. Or it will end with both of you.
“How true is this?” Cooper had finished with the dossier.
“The source would be called ‘beyond question.’ What’s your feeling about it?”
“It’s diabolical. Zergeyev’s obviously the man—certainly one of them—sent to investigate the ‘British sphere of influence’ in Asia, and to study the means of emigration into Russian Alaska.” Cooper collected his thoughts a moment. Then he said, “What to do about it? Well, following your thought: Shevaun. Zergeyev would be delighted to escort her to America. She beguiles him either deliberately or unknowingly and takes him to Washington. Her father, who is the obvious one to give all this to, tells Zergeyev privately that the United States is distressed with Russia and wants them out. Monroe Doctrine and all that. Is this what you had in mind?”
“You’re a smart man, Jeff.”
“This information makes Lord Cunnington look like a fool.”
“It does that.”
“And absolutely makes the need—and vital importance—of Hong Kong obvious.”
“Aye.”
“Now what we have to decide is how to get this information immediately and safely into the senator’s hands. This will raise his stock in political circles enormously, so he’ll play it for all he’s worth. Should we risk letting Shevaun in on all this, or just give her a copy of the dossier to take to her father?”
“I’d na let her read the dossier or even tell her what’s in it. After all, she’s a woman. Women are likely to do the unpredictable. She might fall in love with Zergeyev. Then she’d dump the United States of America, because female logic says that she must protect the mate, irrespective of heritage or whatever. It’d be disastrous if Zergeyev knew we were aware of all that’s in the dossier.”
“I’d like to think about all this,” Cooper said. He tied up the folder and handed it back. “It sounds pompous, Tai-Pan, but my country’ll learn to thank you.”
“I want nae thanks, Jeff. It might help, perhaps, if Senator Tillman and other diplomats began to ridicule Lord Cunnington’s stupid mishandling of our area.”
“Yes. Take it as done. By the way, you owe me twenty guineas.”
“For what?”
“Don’t you remember our bet? Over who was the nude? The first day, Dirk. Aristotle’s painting of the ceding of the island was part of the bet, don’t you remember?”
“Aye. Who was she?” Struan asked. Twenty guineas is na much against a lady’s honor, he thought. Aye, but dammit, I liked that painting.
“Shevaun. She told me two days ago—said she was going to have the painting done of herself. Like the Duchess of Alba.”
“Are you going to let her?”
“I don’t know.” Cooper’s face crinkled with a wan smile and lost, momentarily, its usual anguish. “The sea voyage would stop that, wouldn’t it?”
“Na with that lassie. I’ll send the purse aboard tomorrow. As I remember, the loser was to have Aristotle paint the winner in to boot. Take it as done.”
“Perhaps you’d accept the painting. As a gift. I’ll have Aristotle paint both of us in, eh?”
“Well, thank you. I’ve always fancied that painting.”
Cooper motioned at the papers. “Let’s talk some more about these tomorrow. I’ll decide overnight about sending Shevaun.”
Struan thought about tomorrow. He handed the papers back to Cooper. “Put this in your safe. For safety.”
“Thanks. Thanks for trusting me, Tai-Pan.”