The Trainmasters (37 page)

“Even though they want to kill me,” John said. “Like I said, I’m not a good man to know right now. In fact, now that I think
of it, it’s better for you not to be seen with me.”

Francis let out a huge gust of laughter when he heard that.

“What’s that about?” John said, perplexed.

“I didn’t realize it earlier,” Francis said, “but you have now become a member of my club. Welcome to the cheerful fellowship
of men who are not good to know.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, boy,” John said, suppressing a smile. “You haven’t yet been sent into exile. And I for one
am delighted to know you. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“Without me you might be much better off,” Francis said wryly, suddenly reminded of Kitty Lancaster.

“How so?”

“There are two ways to take your statement—logically,” Francis said. His voice was playful, but there was a darker edge to
it, too. “You say you don’t know where you’d be without me. This means that without me you’d be worse off than you are. But
it could also mean that without me you’d be better off and happier.”

“Francis, Francis,” John said, suppressing another smile, “don’t be such a philosopher. I’m not clever or subtle enough to
keep up with you. I’m just a simple engineer. And when I tell you I’m glad to be with you, believe me, that’s what I mean.”

“If you say so, sir,” Francis said, his voice dripping disbelief. “If you say you are simple, then I’ll go along with your
wishes.”

Francis was, in fact, not actually sure what to make of John Carlysle. Though he was certain that John was by no means simple,
he could not see beyond his British reserve. Yet, Francis would never forget that John had trusted his judgment during the
tunnel crisis. And afterward, John was never less than fair in his dealings. For all this, Francis admired John. Therefore
he was willing to wait and see what was actually going on between John and Tom Collins before judging John.

As always, there was the unspoken connection between Francis and John—Kitty Lancaster. Francis did not know what Kitty’s feelings
for John were. He still wanted her very much. But he didn’t have any illusions or false hopes on the subject because of the
break that had occurred between them before John appeared in Kitty’s life. That break had been preceded by painful, angry
scenes that their powerful attraction for one another could not overcome. Kitty’s abrupt departure from Gallitzin in April
proved that. Francis knew that she would have remained longer if she felt differently.

And so, Kitty’s image dominated both men’s minds whenever they met. Yet neither ever mentioned her name in the other’s presence.

Teresa had remained standing during the initial conversation between John and the two other men. When she made a move to sit
down, John motioned for her not to. “Teresa,” he said, “I’d like a few words with you. Could you spare me some time?”

She looked at Graham. He was shuffling the cards.

“Yes, of course,” she said.

“Will you excuse us?” he asked Graham and Francis.

“Don’t go away with that man,” Graham teased. “It’s dangerous to know him.”

John gratefully realized that Graham still trusted him.

“In that, his son takes after him,” she said.

“I should only hope,” Graham said, turning back to his cards.

“Teresa,” John said, holding his hand out toward the door, “would you lead the way, please?”

“Yes, thank you,” she said and proceeded across the room with John behind her.

Outside, John took the lead, directing her a short way outside the village to a place where they would not be overheard.

“What’s on your mind, Mr. Carlysle?” she asked once they were alone.

“I’d like you to help me out, Teresa,” he said. “It’s quite important.” He paused to let that sink in. “Would you be willing
to take on a special job for me?”

“Tell me about it.”

“There’s actually little that you have to do, but only you can do it for reasons that you’ll see quickly.”

“Go on.”

“You know why Tom Collins has called this gathering tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yes,” she said, “I know about that.”

“And you know what’s likely to happen then to your brother?”

“Yes.” As she spoke the word, her face grew tense, her features stony.

“Do you believe I support Collins in any way?” he asked when he saw this reaction.

“That’s the way people are talking, Mr. Carlysle. They’re saying you met with Collins and are taking his side.”

“I did do that, and Collins does believe I’ve come over to him. But I’ve done that deliberately; I have good reasons for it.
But I’ve done those things only for the sake of appearances.”

“What do you mean?” she asked with more than a little bit of suspicion in her voice. She had never imagined that John Carlysle
was a man who was in any way capable of intrigue.

“I’ll try to explain as much as I can.”

“All right.”

“First, I want you to be my messenger. I want you to go to your brother and to my son Graham and to Francis Stockton with
a message from me.”

“You were just now with Francis and Graham. Why didn’t you tell them yourself?”

“They must not be told that the message is from me.”

“A message?
From
you and
not
from you?”

“Yes. I want you to set up a meeting with them for later today… sometime this evening would be best. After dark. And I want
it outside of the camp in some out-of-the-way spot.”

“Would the clearing in the woods do? The place where I take the children?”

“Perfect.”

“Is that the message you want me to give to them? All of it?”

“Yes. Simply tell them that it is vital for them to come together this evening. Tell them they are not to speak of this meeting
to anyone. And don’t tell them I’m to be there.”

“Why can’t I tell them that?”

“I can’t be seen meeting with them, and they can’t be seen meeting with me.”

“Why?”

“There are a number of things I can’t tell you, Teresa. That’s one of them.”

“I think you must,” she said, thoughtfully, doubtfully. “I don’t think you will be well served by keeping your intentions
mysterious, Mr. Carlysle. I don’t know why you’ve come to me, but it’s clear that you need me. And that means you need to
trust me with your thoughts.”

John pondered a minute. He wanted very much to be honest with her. But he also believed it would be better for her if she
did not know his plans.

In truth, the ways of espionage and intrigue left him very uncomfortable.

“You’re absolutely correct,” he agreed, after a time.

“Then can you explain yourself?”

“It would be better—for you—if I didn’t.”

“I’d like to judge that.”

“Perhaps,” he said.

“Well then…” she said.

“I can tell you a part of it,” he said at last, after a considerable pause for thought. “It must be seen that I approve of
Tom Collins’s acts tomorrow at the assembly and that I now have come to support his overall treatment of the men. It will
also appear that through me he has the backing of the railroad.”

“You what?” she snapped, suddenly swelling up with outrage—but also pricked with simple curiosity. “You can’t be serious coming
to
me
for help to do
that

“That’s why it must never be known that I am meeting with Egan, Stockton, and my son.”

“
Thai’s
why?”

“Yes.” He looked at her. “The word is ‘appeared.’ I must
seem
, at least, to assent to Collins’s acts.”

“Why?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She shook her head. “You are a terribly exasperating man, and this is a terribly exasperating discussion!”

He looked at her again. “You’ll have to trust my judgment, Teresa. You’ll have to believe that I know what I’m doing, even
when I seem to be doing the exact opposite of what you and your brother would like me to do.”

“Go on,” she said, now more curious than outraged.

At that moment he decided to risk telling her all that was troubling him.

“Think about Collins a moment, not from your brother’s side but from mine. Consider the man’s motives.”

“That’s easy. He’s a petty tyrant.”

“That’s what he appears to be,” John agreed. “He seems to be one of those bosses who tries to squeeze more and more work out
of his men by constantly punishing them. But consider that from other angles. First of all, he is paid to get a job done.
But, the job is not getting done. Not only is he harassing the men, but he is about to let go many of the best of them, including
your brother. In so doing he will be making it publicly clear that he is determined to be unreasonable and unfair and to make
the workers’ existence utterly miserable, while at the same time giving the appearance to the directors of the railroad that
he is merely being hard and strict. What do you think of that?”

“I don’t know,” she said, drawing in her breath slowly, for she was beginning to see the direction of his argument.

“Now, let me move away from Tom Collins for a moment.”

Teresa’s brow furrowed deeply, and she took in another very long, very deep draught of air.

“Let us suppose that someone wants to put an end to the Pennsylvania Railroad. But to put an end to it in such a way that
its death does not appear to be sabotage. How would a person do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Here is one
very
good way to do that,” he said. He described the growing number of incidents of destruction of property and equipment, incidents
that did not appear to be sabotage. Then he described the railroad’s growing financial difficulties and his own suspicion
that this was due to theft and fraud. Then he added Tom Collins’s recent actions to that formula.

“I see what you’re getting at now,” she said when he had finished with that thought.

“And so I’m beginning to think that it’s not just Tom Collins that I’ve got to deal with and stop. It’s whoever is behind
the entire plot to destroy the railroad.”

“Yes,” she said, “I see. But how do you get to
that
person?”

“Through Collins.”

“Through Collins?”

“If I play my cards right, Collins will lead me to his master. But
only
if I play my cards right. And that means that he must come to think that I am inconsequential. And that means he must believe
that I’ve come over to his camp.

“He also must believe, of course, that he has the backing of the railroad. I plan for him to think he has attained both of
those goals.

“So if I seem to go along with Collins, then he thinks I’m weak, and he can dismiss me from his mind… and from his fears.
Once that happens, I can begin to manipulate him.”

“How?”

John didn’t explain that exactly.

“After that I want to press him further. And for that I’ll need some good men to back me up. That’s why I want your brother,
my son, and Francis Stockton. Those three are forces of nature, Teresa… They are human whirlwinds. But I’m an engineer, girl,
and a good one. I intend to harness their natural force and direct it against those who are trying to hurt the railroad.”

“I think you’re going mad,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Perhaps,” he said with a nervous laugh of his own.

“But I think there might be some reason in your madness,” she said soberly. And then she turned away from him to consider
what he had said to her. She remained that way for quite a long time.

John, losing his patience, stretched a hand out and lightly touched her shoulder. “Are you still with me?” he asked gently.

“All right,” she said, still facing him. “I’m with you.”

“Does that mean you’ll do it for me?” John asked anxiously.

“Yes, Mr. Carlysle, I will do what you ask.” She then turned and faced him once more, giving him a surprisingly warm, radiant
smile. “I’ve decided that I like you, Mr. John Carlysle… You’re maybe a bit too stiff, somber, and earnest, but you’re deep,
too. And you’ve got in you more imagination than most railroad men have.” And then she let her eyes slide shyly away from
him.

John Carlysle did not hurry up the path to Teresa O’ Rahilly’s glade. He walked slowly in part because he was not looking
forward to his encounter with the three young men. But there was another, deeper reason too why he lingered: For the first
time in what seemed like weeks, John was able to be alone with himself without having to scheme or plan or organize.

He took advantage of the solitude and the balmy June evening and strolled leisurely, enchanted by the soft wind and shifting
leaves, by the moist, delicious, earthy scents, and the delirious summer songs of insects and birds.

As the dusk faded and died, the woods began to shimmer with burnished silver light from a half moon. Under the grand and ancient
trees, the moonlight did not so much shine as fall through the air like mist. John sensed Julia’s presence about him, and
he felt profoundly calm. He could almost imagine her walking beside him, and in his mind he could see her face as she had
looked during her pregnancy with Graham. And then, suddenly, Julia’s image was replaced with Kitty’s, and strangely enough
her expression was the same as Julia’s had been. John was still daydreaming when he walked into the glade.