And yet, there was something about his manner that set alarm bells ringing at the back of her mind.
“I’ve been following events in Cockatrice with great interest,” Vesperian said, as a maid arrived with a tray of drinks and small cakes. “I’m glad to hear that most of your…innovations remain in effect.”
“They haven’t been changed,” Emily agreed. She couldn’t help noticing that the maid’s dress was terrifyingly short. “I find they bring in considerably more tax revenue.”
“Of course,” Vesperian said. The maid withdrew, as silently as she’d come. “And they are spreading, are they not?”
“Swanhaven has adopted some of my innovations,” Emily said. She covertly tested the drink and cakes for poison, finding nothing. “I don’t know how far they’ll spread beyond there.”
“The new Baron has considerable influence,” Vesperian said. If he’d noticed her test, he didn’t bother to comment on it. “And you know him, do you not?”
“Yes,” Emily said, flatly. King Randor had given Swanhaven to Jade, after both of the baron’s legal heirs had died. She couldn’t decide if Randor had done his son-in-law a favor or given him a poisoned chalice to drain. Swanhaven had been on the verge of outright rebellion only seven months ago. “He has many other duties to attend to.”
She nibbled one of the cakes, tasting sugar on her lips. It was sweet enough to make her teeth hurt – yet another display of wealth. Sugar was expensive, even in a trading city. The cake probably cost more than an entire month’s supply of food, for a poor family. She wasn’t particularly impressed. There was a fine line between showing off one’s wealth and naked conspicuous consumption.
Vesperian chatted about everything from politics to magic. Emily listened, feeling an odd sense of respect mingling with irritation. On one hand, he asked for her opinion and actually listened; on the other hand, he hadn’t said anything of particular consequence, certainly nothing that explained why he’d asked her to visit. She could have had the same conversation with almost anyone. And yet, somehow, she doubted he just wanted a chat.
“The railway is coming along well,” Vesperian said. “Have you ridden the line to Cockatrice?”
“Not yet,” Emily said. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to return to Zangaria without King Randor’s permission. Practically speaking, Randor had no way to keep her out as long as she was careful, but it would put Alassa and Imaiqah in an awkward position if he found out. And Jade, who might be ordered to arrest her. “I hear it’s spectacular, though.”
“It is,” Vesperian said. He grinned. Oddly, she thought it was the first genuine emotion he’d shown. “We started with a single track, which might have been a mistake; we had to add a second track within a month, just to run engines in both directions at once. Right now, we can move goods from Beneficence to Cockatrice City in just under two hours. We’re currently working on extending the line further into Zangaria.”
His smile grew wider. “My investors have been very happy,” he added. “Each individual payment is quite small, of course, but they’ve been mounting up rapidly. I’ve made them very wealthy men.”
Emily nodded. “I’m sure they’re pleased.”
“They are,” Vesperian said. His smile lit up his face. “And extending the line into Zangaria will bring them more money.”
“One would hope so,” Emily said. “Do you have permission to take the line further south?”
Vesperian shrugged, dismissively. “There are some diplomatic headaches to be sorted out,” he said. “And minor technical bugs.”
Emily frowned. “Diplomatic headaches?”
“A number of aristocrats are reluctant to allow us to take the railway through their territory unless we come to terms with them first.” He sounded irked. “Each of them holds out for the best deal he can get, but whenever one of their fellows gets a better deal…they want the same deal for themselves. They just don’t stay bribed.”
He shrugged. “But we have enough agreements in place to extend the line into Swanhaven and up towards the Iron Hills,” he added. “The profits will be considerable for those who cooperate.”
Emily wasn’t so sure. “Do either of them have anything to offer your investors?”
“The railway line will open up promising new investment opportunities,” Vesperian said. He rose and walked over to his desk, returning with a large paper map. “Shipping iron ore, for example, has always been a problem. A working railway line will make it cheaper to ship ore around the country, as well as creating new markets for coal. The mines down south have never been fully developed.”
He placed the map on the table, inviting Emily to inspect it. The map was practically a work of art, an order of magnitude more detailed than any of the rough maps she’d seen on campaign. She silently applauded the mapmaker, noting how he’d carefully sketched out the distances instead of guessing wildly. It wouldn’t be perfect, of course, but it was good enough to showcase Vesperian’s plans. He’d even added the local boundary lines between the different noble estates.
Her finger traced the railway lines on the map. The line between Beneficence and Cockatrice was relatively straight. It curved to avoid a couple of hills, but nothing else. The planned line beyond Cockatrice, however, looked as though someone had drawn a jagged line on the map. It swung around widely, adding hundreds of miles to its final length. Some of the alterations made sense – there were places where building a bridge would be difficult – but others seemed to come out of nowhere. The planned track meandered at random.
“This will add considerably to the final cost,” she mused. “Why does it…?”