“Exactly,” said the duke with a grimace. “Brindley really does think the trees we’re planting along the banks will help.”
“And bring profit, too, in time. Genius, Francis.”
“Brindley’s, not mine.”
“You’re too modest.”
Bridgewater shrugged. He was a slender young man, five years Bryght’s junior and an awkward blend of naiveté and shrewdness. As a youth he’d been thought both frail and stupid, but he was proving to be neither. There were many who now thought him mad, but Bryght knew they’d be proved wrong, too.
If the money held out.
Bryght poured brandy for them both. “I won a thousand or so tonight you can have. Less a couple of hundred.”
“You lost?” asked Bridgewater with mild surprise.
“On purpose.”
“How strange.”
“I felt inclined to do a kindly act.”
Bridgewater glanced at the window. “And it’s not even full moon.”
“Christian charity seems amazingly out of favor these days,” commented Bryght dryly. “Consider it an investment, then. That’ll be more to your mercenary heart.”
Bridgewater grinned unrepentantly. “An investment in what, though? Is there profit in it?”
“Only spiritual.” Bryght deflected this line of talk. “Do you still intend to return north tomorrow?”
Bridgewater threw down his pen and stretched. “Yes. I’ve done all I can to push the bill through. I wish to hell Parliament had no say in private enterprise. It would make my life easier.”
“What problems are the committee raising now? I’ll grant that approving an aqueduct did demand an act of faith since the ill-educated dolts seemed unaware that Roman examples still exist. But it’s straight for the sea now, isn’t it?”
The duke grimaced. “With a canal, nothing is ever straight except the cut. They’re a huddle of nervous fools. If no one ever takes a risk, there’ll be no progress.”
“Having the aqueduct fail before their eyes doubtless made them cautious,” Bryght pointed out.
“A minor flaw, and soon corrected. There’s been no problem since.”
“Except a couple of expensive floods…”
“Whose side are you on? In a new venture there are bound to be problems!”
“Pax,” said Bryght with a grin. “I’m teasing you, Francis. But you must admit that for people more cautious than we, it does seem a mad scheme. You ought to have heard Andover on the subject.”
“Is it caution, or greed? Behind some of those Doubting Thomases there are people who stand to lose a great deal of money when the canal is working. Brooke practically had an apoplexy speaking against my Bill.”
“Be fair, Francis. Brooke isn’t thinking of profits. He doesn’t care for you cutting a bloody great pathway across his part of the country. Just be grateful you’re not trying to do it near Rothgar Abbey or you’d have my brother against you.”
“There has to be change if there’s to be progress. These conservative old squires will ruin England.”
“I do hope you’re not thinking of Rothgar as a conservative old squire.”
Bridgewater burst out laughing. “Perish the thought! And I certainly wouldn’t care to be up against him.” He sobered. “As it is, most of the opposition are venal. Their doubts disappear at the sign of gold. I’ve given elegant gifts and even naked coin to people I’d rather kick in the ballocks. Gads, but I’d rather see the money going toward construction.”
“It’s all construction of one sort or another.”
“Building fortunes for the greedy? There’s honest money to be made everywhere these days, but lazy people here in London look only to bribery and gaming.”
