Wrexford kept a stoic face, but Charlotte discerned a glimmer of emotion in his eyes.
He shifted his stance before continuing. “That explains the basic machinations surrounding Argentum Trading Company. The last—and perhaps most important—part of Sir Charles’s nefarious scheming involved Professor Sudler’s Computing Engine. He—”
“Hmmph!”
They all turned to see the professor shuffle into the doorway. He was wearing a dressing gown over his nightshirt, and the flicker of the single candle clutched in his fist showed his grey hair was sticking out in spiky tufts from beneath his knitted nightcap.
“I knew they were rotten to the core,” added Sudler darkly. “What the devil were they up to?”
“You should be getting your rest, sir,” chided Cordelia, clearly concerned for her elderly friend. “We can explain everything in the morning.”
“Be damned with rest,” grumbled the professor. “I couldn’t sleep, and then I heard your voices. I want to know whether we prevented them from achieving whatever evil they had in mind.”
“That we did,” answered Wrexford. “Sir Charles had lived most of his life at sea, which gave his extraordinarily gifted mind much free time in which to think. Some of his endeavors were worthy ones, like his scientific book on seashells. But greed quickly came to dominate his thoughts. He devised some lucrative trading schemes, but as sea captains must have skill in mathematics for navigation, it was the rumor of your Engine that sparked his most ambitious plan—”
“Navigation tables!” Sudler slapped his palm to his brow. “Good Lord, how did I not see it?”
“I missed it, as well.” Cordelia grimaced. “I saw only numbers and couldn’t put two and two together.”
“None of us knew that the admiral was involved,” pointed out Wrexford. “It is easy to see what a puzzle represents when all the pieces have been fitted together.”
“True.” The professor shook his head and fixed Cordelia with an apologetic look. “Much as it may pain you to hear this, my dear friend, this ordeal has taught me that I don’t wish to continue to run computations for monetary gain. I intend to return to my cottage and continue to work on improving my Engine’s capabilities. It will be years before it’s fully functional. And then . . .”
A beatific smile lit up his wrinkled face. “And then I shall create accurate tables for all to use freely—things like navigation tables, which will save countless lives by helping eliminate shipwrecks. The only reward I want is seeing all our new scientific innovations contribute to making the world a better place.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Cordelia. “I prefer the challenge of using my own head for calculations rather than a machine. And I like thinking about the human aspects of my business ventures, and how to create value and not just profits.”
Charlotte considered her friend’s words. Like herself, Cordelia kept her feelings well guarded. It was easy to see her as ruled by cold logic. But her stalwart support of her brother, along with her progressive views on business, revealed her heart was not made of steel rods and brass gears.
A glance at Sheffield showed he appeared to be thinking much the same thing.
“But as to making our partnership profitable, I owe you an apology, Mr. Sheffield.” Cordelia sat down rather heavily in one of the empty chairs around the table. “With all the pressures of running the arbitrage calculations and the tables for Sir Charles, I’ve neglected our own business venture. I’ve paid no attention to our investments, which was horribly unfair.” A pause. “As I was asking you to oversee the operation before you had an opportunity to gain some experience in commerce.”
Sheffield’s expression went through a series of odd little contortions. “Actually, no apologies are necessary, Lady Cordelia. Miss Winchester and Miss Howe are extremely clever . . .”
He paused and turned to Wrexford. “Miss Winchester and Miss Howe are our other two business partners. The fact that they are women is why I couldn’t reveal their names to you in the first place.”
The earl nodded. “I understand. And given the circumstances, you needn’t worry about my investment. I don’t expect—”
The sudden crackle of papers caused him to fall silent. Sheffield extracted a packet from his pocket. To Charlotte, he looked a little sheepish as he offered it to Wrexford, whose eyes flared in surprise when he peeled back the covering to reveal a sheaf of banknotes.
“It so happens I can return your initial investment now,” explained Sheffield. “It goes without saying that you retain your stock in the company, and I expect that we’ll be paying handsome quarterly dividends going forward.”
Cordelia stared at him in mute shock.
Woodbridge let out a low whistle. “How did you manage to make all that money? I . . . I thought you weren’t very good at numbers.”
“I’m not,” answered Sheffield with a wry shrug. “I simply added up other variables in my head.”
“W-what variables?” stammered Cordelia.
Sheffield pursed his lips. “Well, it all started when Wrexford took me with him to see Hedley, the engineering fellow who invented Puffing Billy.”
“Yes, I remember,” mused the earl. “You seemed awfully intrigued with his model locomotive.”
“Well, the Ashton affair made it very clear that innovations in steam engines were very profitable, and the idea of moving engines seemed like a very revolutionary idea that would change transportation forever. So, as Lady Cordelia left the temporary running of the business to me, I made the decision to invest your money in Hedley’s idea. And then . . .”
“And then?” pressed Cordelia when Sheffield paused for breath.
