But this emotional turmoil would end soon. Once he had rid himself of the bitterness and lust, she would no longer be important to him. He would be able to forget her as he had forgotten this cottage, as he had forgotten that boy he had been, as he had forgotten Glenclaren.
"Not overly luxurious but very bright and pleasant." Ruel's gazed over Jane's head at the meager furnishings in the one-room cottage. "May I come in?"
"No," Jane said baldly.
"I thought that would be your response. Then come and walk with me."
Walk out with me.
The words he had spoken that night in Kasanpore came back to her as if they had been spoken yesterday.
"But I'm not courting you this time," he said softly. "We've gone far beyond that madness. I have a proposition to discuss."
Why did the devil always know what she was thinking? she wondered with exasperation. "I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, I'll probably be the one doing the talking. The only word you need say is yes."
She gazed at him mutinously.
"You can come walk with me or I'll come in. I'm not going away."
She hesitated, and then deliberately picked up her MacClaren shawl from the back of the chair by the door and strode out of the cottage.
"That's better." He closed the door and strolled beside her up the path toward the hill. "Did you tell Li Sung of our talk?"
"No," she said curtly.
"That's all right, you can discuss it later after you have all the details."
"I'm not going to Cinnidar, and you're mad to think Ian will go. Have you talked to him?"
"This morning."
"And?"
"He refused, of course."
She felt a ridiculous rush of relief. Of course Ian had refused. She had been worried for nothing.
"But I'll talk to him again this evening." He paused. "And tomorrow morning, and as many times as it takes until he agrees to go."
Her relief vanished as she recognized the implacable resolution in his tone. She had heard that note a hundred times before during those first days of Ian's illness. Ian had not been able to withstand him then, and she doubted he would now. "I won't go with you."
He smiled as they continued to climb.
"I won't," she said desperately. "You can't make me go. I'd be a fool to let you put me in a position where you could hurt me."
"Unless you saw an advantage to you and your covey that would be worth the risk. I've thought a long time about ways and means of gathering you into my net. I was going to wait until you became a little more desperate, but circumstances have forced me to move a bit faster."
"Listen to you. I'm just supposed to walk into this net?"
"No, you'll cautiously edge forward, do everything possible to avoid it, work yourself into exhaustion to escape, and give in only when there's no other choice." He cast her a sideways glance. "Because the carrot I'm going to offer is too delicious for you to refuse."
"What carrot?"
"A railroad."
Her eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"Not only a railroad, but money enough to give you independence and the life you want to lead. Interested?"
"No."
"Yes, you are, but you think I'm trying to trick you. No tricks. My cards are all on the table. You'll know exactly what rewards and penalties to expect."
"This conversation makes no sense."
"Then I'd best hasten to elaborate. I need a railroad to carry gold ore from the mountain across the jungle and then up the canyon wall to the refinery at the harbor. I've managed to carve out a rough path wide enough for pack trains, but that's only a tenth of the load railway cars could carry. I need that gold."
"Need or want?"
"Both. I want it because it will make me rich as Midas. And I need it because, if I don't get a large amount of gold processed soon, I won't have the money to support Glenclaren and defend Cinnidar from Abdar."
"Abdar?"
"Did you think the ground had opened up and swallowed him after you left Kasanpore?"
"I haven't thought about him at all." She paused. "Any more than I've thought of you."
He ignored the last remark. "Abdar's very much astir and interested in Cinnidar."
"How do you know?"
"Pachtal showed up on the island over a year ago. I'm sure he took a fascinating report back to Abdar regarding the gold I've been shipping."
"What difference does it make? You own Cinnidar. He can't touch it."
"Not now. But Pickering tells me he'll soon be the ruler of Kasanpore. The maharajah is being treated for a tubercular condition by the British doctors at the fort and Pickering doubts he'll last more than another nine or ten months. That means I must have Cinnidar well fortified by the time Abdar takes power."
"But you own it."
"The Savitsars originally annexed Cinnidar by force. If it suits his convenience, there's nothing to stop Abdar from declaring the bill of sale null and void and make a move to take the island back."
"The British would—"
"The British aren't going to interfere with Abdar's actions against an island two hundred and fifty miles off the coast. They know Abdar would like nothing better than to throw the British out of his province and are going to be busy enough trying to keep a firm foothold in Kasanpore. If I'm to keep Cinnidar, I have to be prepared to defend it myself."
"And to do it you need a railroad?"
"And someone to build it." He paused. "You, Jane."
She shook her head.
"It will be a difficult task but not impossible. I've had the terrain surveyed by James Medford, an engineer recommended by Pickering. Have you heard of him?"
"Of course. He's very well respected."
"Medford said the job will have its nightmare aspects but can be built in seven months."
"Then have him do it."
"I gave Medford the job of laying the tracks from the canyon to the refinery at the harbor. I saved the canyon for you."
"Thank you," she said ironically. "I'm surprised you'd trust me with your fine railroad."
"I know you're more than competent." He met her gaze. "And you'd never dare try to substitute shoddy materials with me."
"Wouldn't I?"
He ignored her sarcasm and continued. "Our contract will read that you'll be required to have the line over Elephant Crossing completed eight weeks after work begins, and your track must join with Medford's seven months from the day you start. That's the exact estimated period Medford judged it could be done. If you miss the deadline over Elephant Crossing, you'll forfeit fifty percent of your total fee. If you don't complete the total line in seven months, you forfeit another thirty percent."
"Why are you telling me this? I'm not interested in your terms."
"You will be. Because, if the railroad is completed on time, I'll give you enough money to start your own company and fund its operation for the first year."
Her eyes widened with shock. "You don't mean it."
"It's all there in the contract. Once the railroad is built, that amount of money will mean nothing to me. But it would mean a great deal to you, wouldn't it, Jane?"