Free Lilac Temptress by Elizabeth Davis Page B

last long after the
railroad tracks are laid though these parts.” Drake watched William
shift in his chair, knowing that William understood the truth of
his words.
    “ Mr. Hunter, private land
is needed as well. This is a huge undertaking. Times are changing,
and this railroad will make our economy stronger. It will usher in
the twentieth century.”
    “ You are a visionary,”
William grunted pointedly.
    “ And you refuse to see the
benefits. This railroad brings with it power to feed the hungry,
and heal the sick. You have a town mostly of farmers. A train can
safely, quickly, and cheaply transport your goods to port
cities.”
    William quietly listened. His face
became harder to interpret—but Drake was sure that he had the
brutish, old man’s full attention.
    “ There is a lack of
education for children in your town. Goods are not being moved here
quickly enough from New Iberia because of the treacherous swamp.
Your sick townspeople don’t get the medicines they need in time.
God have mercy on the souls that perished from yellow fever.” Drake
said, noting William visibly cringe; he must have struck an
unpleasant chord.
    “ We live the best way we
know how, Mr. McCalister. We have survived many tragedies in this
town. Business from travelers passing from Vermilionville to New
Iberia keep our townsfolk satisfied. We are a comfortable folk,”
William protested, sounding more like he was trying to convince
himself than Drake.
    “ Most of the men in your
town have already sold, Mr. Hunter. These townsfolk know that
merchants have developed a strong interest in building a railroad
through this town. May I ask what’s keeping you from
selling?”
    Drake took stock of William’s
disposition; he reckoned that this man simply did not like
change.
    “ I was solely hired to
represent you and get you what you want. The company hopes that
small towns will develop around the railroad, but yours is already
here, and close enough to New Iberia to benefit well from trade,”
Drake said most convincingly, holding out his neatly folded
financial papers that he removed from his waistcoat’s inside
pocket.
    “ This is the figure that
the company is offering. It is higher than the amount shown to you
by the previous men who were sent here. The company means to get
you what you want.” Drake passed the paperwork to William. “In
turn, the company intends to get what it wants.”
    William skimmed the papers with
reservation. “Are you any good at what you do, Mr.
McCalister?”
    “ I am the best in New
Orleans. I can represent you at the sell, making sure you get the
highest amount for your property.”
    “ I don’t care about the
money, but I hate to admit the obvious. You are absolutely right.”
William cocked his head sideways and met Sierra’s suspenseful eyes.
In that moment, he thought of her, and how this sale might give her
everything she ever wanted. He only wanted to protect her. He only
wanted to spare her from the perils of the outside world. In this
town he easily provided for both Sierra and Kyle. But one day he
knew he might lose them both, especially if he insisted on keeping
them in Jadesville.
    Sierra was every bit as beautiful as
her mother, Marie Anne Sabine, William thought, with dull
heartache, threatening to resurface. Marie Anne was the only woman
he had ever loved, but she had married his closest friend, Nicolas
Maudet. Since Marie Anne’s death, he desperately did what he could
to hold on to his memories of her, and raising her children had
given him a sense of connection to the past, a connection to
her.
    Every time Sierra had
pleaded with him to hear about her parents, he wanted to tell their
story. But Adrienne had said it wasn’t best to dredge up the past,
and that Sierra didn’t need to know the whole truth of it. Damn you Adrienne!
    Adrienne always thought she knew what
was best, and lately she had been trying to convince him to sell
his land. This might be the last time the railroad