A pause. “And it so happens that the French officer in question left the military earlier this year and is now an attaché with the French diplomatic service,” added von Münch in a rush. “And he’s currently here in London.”
“You think Greeley may have been murdered because of something he knew about a military betrayal?” asked the earl. “But why now, six years later?”
“I don’t know, milord. All I can say is that our conversations about the war in Portugal and Spain appeared to upset Mr. Greeley. He seemed to . . . I am not sure how to describe it other than to say he seemed to be having private conversations with himself. As if his mind was recalling some unsettling memories.”
The librarian lifted his shoulders in uncertainty. “I’m sorry. Does that make any sense?”
Wrexford thought about what he had just heard. “Perhaps.” The horrors of war did strange things to the mind. “Where is this Frenchman now? Can we arrange to meet with him?”
The librarian pointed down to the lake, where pearls of moonlight glimmered over the placid water. “He agreed to meet with us tonight but wished to do so discreetly. We must circle around to the eastern end of the lake, where a narrow spit of land allows us access to Duck Island.” He pulled out his pocket watch and thumbed open the case. “He should already be there.”
* * *
“I have to confess that I am puzzled by certain aspects of our investigation—or rather, ourtwoinvestigations,” mused the dowager after the three of them had resumed strolling along the winding walkways. “I understand why Wrex feels honor-bound by the memory of his late brother to solve Greeley’s murder. And I can see that a radical new technology like oceangoing steamships would be a subject for A. J. Quill’s pen.”
Alison fell silent as she slowed and carefully rounded a rough patch of ground. “But what I don’t comprehend is why you seem to have a specific interest in Lord Taviot’s consortium. If there is any unholy skullduggery going on between the groups seeking to invent an oceangoing steamship, isn’t it a matter best left for the government?”
Light winked off her spectacles as they passed one of the torchieres. “After our last adventure, you and Wrexford made it quite clear that you had no intention of dirtying your hands with any more twisted intrigues involving the lust for money and power.”
“A fair question,” allowed Charlotte. “I wish I had a simple answer.”
“I suggest we have a seat,” said Cordelia. She glanced at a nearby bench. “This might require some time—”
“And some champagne,” drawled the dowager. Spotting a footman refilling his tray at one of the refreshment tents, she waggled her cane to catch his attention. “I think better with a glass of wine in hand.”
Charlotte waited for them to be served before beginning. “The first thing that drew me—that is, A. J. Quill—into the fray was the fire at Henry Maudslay’s laboratory—”
“Yes, that’s another thing that is confusing,” said Alison. “I thought Maudslay only made . . . thingamabobs that make other . . . thingamabobs.”
“You’re right—he’s famous for his lathes,” said Cordelia, “which make the parts for many types of machinery, including the latest models of steam engines. However, given the momentous impact oceangoing steamships would have on the world, Maudslay decided to put his skills to working on the technical challenge of designing a whole new type of marine propulsion system.”
“Propulsion system?” The dowager looked perplexed. “What, exactly, does that mean?”
“At first, that puzzled me, too,” answered Charlotte. “For a ship to be able to navigate the oceans, it requirestwonew innovations. A more powerful steam engine, which uses fuel with enough efficiency so that the ship can carry what it needs to travel great distances. But even more importantly, it also needs a revolutionary new means of propulsion. Right now, river steamboats use paddle wheels, but the current designs would never survive the storms and waves at sea.”
“Ah.” Alison nodded in understanding. “So what is the alternative?”
“As Kit says,” answered Cordelia, “if we knew the answer to that question, we would soon be richer than King Croesus.”
“Hmmm.” The dowager looked thoughtful.
“Let us put aside the question about the actual innovation needed to propel a ship through the ocean,” continued Cordelia. “Given the impact oceangoing steamships would have on our shipping business, Kit became intrigued by the concept and was interested in Maudslay’s work.”
“Because of Kit’s interest, Wrex and I—or rather, the Weasels—looked a little more closely at the fire,” added Charlotte, “and discovered that it was arson.”
“I see,” murmured the dowager.
“And when the boys and I inadvertently discovered some suspicious tinkering in the naval laboratory at the King’s Dockyard, I realized the race to conquer the oceans has great implications for our country,” she went on. “And thus it is a subject that A. J. Quill can’t ignore.”
“It’s clear from the recent incidents that there is some dark mischief afoot,” said Cordelia. “Each of the groups working to create an oceangoing steamship has a powerful incentive for preventing anyone else from succeeding . . .”
Alison listened in rapt attention as Cordelia went on to explain the political and economic—as well as the military—ramifications.
“At present,” she finished, “it appears that Lord Taviot’s consortium has the lead in the race.”
“Taviot . . . and his sister Lady Kirkwall.” The dowager contemplated the tiny bubbles fizzing up in her glass. “Ah, now things are coming into sharper focus,” she mused. “You think they are behind the attacks on their rivals?”
“It’s possible. However, we also have a very personal concern about them,” said Charlotte. “Kit has been invited to join their Advisory Board and become one of their charter investors. But Cordelia is adamantly opposed to it for several reasons—”
