The Tiger Prince (34 page)

His amusement instantly vanished. “I need your help to get Ian to Cinnidar. Don’t let your anger at me hurt him.”

“Do you think I’d do that?” She drew a deep breath and tried to control her temper. “I’ll speak to Ian tonight and try to prepare the way for you.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“I doubt if it will do any good.” She opened the door. “You’d best be prepared to give up your plan and take Ian to Spain.”

“If I don’t get back to Cinnidar soon, there may not be a Cinnidar … or a Glenclaren.” He paused and smiled. “Curious. I wonder why you’re so angry with me.”

She slammed the door of the study and marched across the foyer toward the staircase.

Ruel had been at Glenclaren only a matter of hours
and he was already throwing her into a turmoil with his wicked tongue and wickeder thoughts. Mother of heaven, she had wanted to slap that comely face and— Why? Ruel was right, she did not easily lose her temper.

It was perfectly reasonable for her, to be angry. He had given her insult.

But he had apologized immediately and she had never let Ruel’s impudence disturb her before.

She would dismiss the rascal from her mind, she decided firmly. She had better things to do with her energy than let Ruel upset her like this. She must prepare Ian for Ruel’s visit tomorrow.

He had known there was nothing for him here.

Ruel sat his horse on the crest of the hill, his gaze fastened on the thatched cottage a few yards away.

The cottage had been deserted since he had left Glenclaren and was probably overrun with rats and cockroaches. He had known when he left the castle tonight he would not be able to sleep here. He certainly felt no sentiment for the place. He had spent more nights curled up in his blanket in the hills than in this hut. After the laird had lost interest in his mother and rejected her claim that Ruel was his son, she had made it clear Ruel was not welcome when she entertained the men of the glen.

Perhaps he had come here to reinforce how fortunate he was to have escaped this place that had brought him only humiliation and tears. Tears? God in heaven, he had shed no tears since he was a boy of seven. He must be becoming maudlin to be recalling that foolish lad.

Why the devil had he even come here?

Jane.

It had been Jane, gazing at him defiantly, wrapped in that damned MacClaren plaid that had set off the chain of memories and brought him here. He had thought he was prepared, but the moment he had caught sight of her he had felt … Dear God, what had he felt? Bitterness,
lust … and possession. It was the latter emotion that he must strive to vanquish. Revenge would rid him of bitterness, the plan he was about to put in place would eventually slake his lust, but to own was also to be owned. Over the years the thought of her had possessed and now obsessed him.

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?”

“Yes.” It would be a miracle. Freedom to build. Freedom to work. But it was only a deliciously baited trap. She had to stop thinking about it.

“You could give your friend Li Sung a high position in the company. He’d have a place in the community and the respect he deserves. You’d have enough money to properly take care of Patrick.”

“Be still,” she hissed.

“You want it, Jane,” he said softly. “You know you want it.”

“Not from you.”

“Who else would give it to you? I know a dozen men who would sell their souls for an opportunity like this. Security for the people you care about and the chance to get rich.”

Freedom. Li Sung. A railroad.

“I don’t want to hear any more.”

“Why? When it’s so sweet to your ears?”

She whirled on her heel and started down the path.

He was beside her in an instant, his hand on her arm.

“Let me go!”

“Not until you’ve heard me out.”

She had already heard an irresistible siren call, and it was tearing her apart. She said jerkily, “You’ve made your offer. It doesn’t tempt me.”

“The hell it doesn’t,” he said grimly. “You wouldn’t still be at Glenclaren if you’d been able to get work anywhere else. You
want
this and so do I.”

“And it’s worth all that money to get me there?”

“Oh yes.” He paused. “Because when I have you on Cinnidar, I’m going to find a way to punish you. You won’t escape as you did here at Glenclaren.”

It was the answer she expected; there was no reason
to feel this jolting hurt. She laughed without mirth. “Good God, then why would I be fool enough to go?”

“I’ve told you all the reasons.” He smiled. “Except one.”

She waited.

“Obsession is seldom a singular passion. It demands a response and you’re a very responsive woman. You want your railroad, you want safety and happiness for your friends.” He paused. “And you want what we had together in Kasanpore.”

“No!”

“It’s not finished yet. We tasted just enough to tantalize us. We’ve never had enough. Neither one of us can ever be free of the other until we do.” His gaze was almost caressing as it moved over her face. His words were soft, persuasive, weaving a sensual spell around her. “And you want to be free of me, don’t you, Jane? Every night I was with you when you lay down in that bed in the cottage, just as you were with me on the mountain. Did you toss and turn and curse me as I did you?”

She moistened her lips. “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t—” Damn him, he was smiling faintly, knowingly, and she felt suddenly naked, as if he had been there watching her during those nights when she had not been able to close the thought of him out.

She had to get away from him! She whirled and ran down the hill, The cold wind struck her cheeks, but she barely felt it.

She didn’t stop until she reached the cottage. She slammed the door, bolted it, ran across the room, and flung herself on the bed.

She was icy cold, shaking uncontrollably.

“Jane.”

She tensed, her gaze on the locked door.

“I’ll come back tomorrow for your answer,” Ruel said. “I’m slipping the contract and Medford’s survey report under the door. You’ll have plenty of time before tomorrow to examine them both.”

“I don’t want to see them.”

“But you’ll still look at them. You’ll think of Li Sung
and Patrick. You’ll remember how hard it is for a woman to make a place in this world.” Two folded documents slithered serpentlike beneath the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jane.”

She didn’t hear the departing footsteps, but she knew he was gone.

She should be relieved, but she was not. It was as if he were in the room with her, looking at her, touching her.

It’s not finished yet.

It was true. No matter how she had lied to herself, she had never been able to fight what she felt for Ruel. It had always been there in the background, like a melody with the verse left unsung.

Let it stay unfinished. She didn’t want it to start again. She had struggled for three years to banish the love she had felt for Ruel. She could not imagine anything more terrible than caring for a man who wanted only to hurt her. The idea made her so frightened, she felt sick to her stomach.