“However what?” pressed Charlotte.
“It was just a far-fetched thought.” He gave an apologetic grimace. “Never mind.”
“No thought is too far-fetched to consider,” she replied. “It’s only by examining every possibility, no matter how remote, that we can hope to bring the truth to light.”
“Very well, then.” Garfield released a sigh. “Both Jasper and Oliver attended a scientific symposium in Paris several months ago entitledImproving the Welfare of Mankind through Innovations in the Speed and Cost of Transportation.”
“That’s quite a mouthful,” observed Charlotte.
“It sounds even more lofty in French,” quipped Wayland, a glint of amusement in his gaze.
Wayland seemed quick with a bon mot, she reflected. Clearly, he thought himself a clever fellow.
“Be that as it may, what, exactly, does it mean?” asked Cordelia.
“The French have led the way in building modern roads,” explained Garfield. “In the middle of the last century, a fellow by the name of Pierre-Marie-Jérôme Trésaguet developed a new method of construction that is considered the first real innovation since the Roman legions created their marvelous feats of road engineering, both here in Britain and across the vast areas they occupied in Europe.”
He paused. “Napoleon recognized the military importance as well as the social and economic benefits of a good network of roads, so he encouraged the French scientific community to continue thinking about ways to improve them. It’s one of the reasons he was so successful in waging war. He could move his armies far faster than other nations in reaction to where his troops were needed.”
“Thomas Telford, our leading expert in road building, has based his work on the same basic method, which involves various layers of different-sized stone to make a stable surface that can stand up to the vagaries of the weather and constant use,” offered Wheeler.
It was the first time the fellow had ventured to speak, save for mumbling a greeting during the initial introductions.
“It may sound simple,” he continued, his voice growing more confident. “But it’s not. It involves a number of complex decisions, based on the terrain, the soil, the slope of the road—”
“Let us not bore the ladies with a scientific lecture,” interrupted Wayland, flashing an apologetic smile at Charlotte and Cordelia. “What Wheeler means is that road building is still an art as well as a science. There are basic principles, but we still have much to learn about refining the current techniques.”
Charlotte noted that Wayland called him “Wheeler,” while referring to the other society members by their Christian names. Within the beau monde, the difference indicated whether one was merely an acquaintance or a good friend.
Wheeler sat back in his chair, all spark of animation disappearing and leaving his face looking once again as if it were carved out of stone.
“Getting back to the French,” said Garfield. “Oliver told me that the members of the Paris Society for Practical Science—which, by the by, includes a woman mathematician who serves as one of the group’s officers—were very interested in Jasper’s ideas. Not the ones concerning roads but more specifically bridges, which were his specialty. He said they seemed quite determined to coax Jasper into revealing his latest innovation.”
“Indeed, it sounded like they were quite lavish in entertaining our friends, plying them with fine food and wine,” said Wayland. “Hoping, no doubt, that Jasper would let slip a revelation concerning his work.”
“I doubt they managed to seduce any secrets out of him,” said Cordelia. “Jasper tended to be shy to the point of rudeness with strangers.”
“I have heard from other scientific colleagues who have met her at conferences that Mademoiselle Benoit isextremelycharming,” said Wayland. “Andextremelyattractive.”
“Jasper and I have been friends since childhood,” replied Cordelia. “I’ve never known him to have an appetite for anything other than his mathematical and scientific work.”
“Good friends are sometimes too close to see every facet of a person,” remarked Garfield.
“That may be true,” she conceded.
“Just in case it is of any assistance,” offered Wayland, “I should mention that the members of the Paris Society for Practical Science will be arriving in London next week for the international conference on transportation being held at the Royal Institution. Of course, we all will be attending as well.”
Cordelia gave a grateful smile. “Thank you. That is extremely helpful to know.”
As the ensuing moment of silence stretched out, a cough and a rustle of wool warned that the meeting was on the cusp of ending. Charlotte, however, had the feeling that there was more to learn.
“You said Milton’s specialty was bridges,” she mused. “Was he working on something specific? Some innovation in a key component that would greatly improve the way bridges are built?”
“As a matter of fact, he had been dropping hints that he had made a momentous discovery, milady,” answered Garfield. “He was always madly sketching away in a pocket notebook that he called his ‘scribbling book,’ which he said was where he let his imagination take flight.”
“His behavior did seem to indicate that he was on the cusp of something revolutionary,” offered Wayland. “However, when I asked him to show us the work papers on his latest idea—we all shared our efforts to make technological and design improvements with each other at our monthly meetings—he was awfully coy about it. He kept promising to bring them, but he never did.”
A shrug. “Not that it mattered. Several weeks ago, he left his scribbling book on his worktable to fetch some other research material while I was visiting him, and I confess I took a peek at the pages. It looked like gibberish to me.”
