CHAPTER 6
“Murdered!” exclaimed Wayland. “There must be some mistake!” He looked at his friends in mute appeal. “We all know that country coroners are notoriously uneducated and ill-trained.”
“In this case, the coroner was trained by a surgeon known for his skill in the mortuary arts as well as healing. In fact, he is a family friend, and I’m quite confident that any pupil of his will not have made a mistake as to the cause of death,” responded Charlotte.
“And to be sure, our friend, who was a guest at the wedding, is having a look at the body as we speak.”
“Ye gods.” Garfield slumped back in his chair. “Why would anyone want to harm Jasper?”
“That is why we are here. We are hoping you might be able to help answer that question,” explained Cordelia. “You and your fellow members of the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society likely know him best. Please think—is there anyone who had reason to wish Jasper ill?”
“It could be a very personal grudge,” suggested Charlotte. “An unpaid debt, jealousy over a lady?”
The three men frowned in thought.
Wayland, however, took only a moment before answering.
“I can’t think of any possible motive. Jasper was a quiet fellow who did little socializing.
His work was his life.” He paused. “But then, your cousin knows him better than any of us. If there was some hidden trouble in Jasper’s life, he would be the one to be aware of it. ”
“We look forward to hearing all that Oliver can tell us. But unfortunately, the bad weather and subsequent damage to the area’s roads appear to have stranded him somewhere. He never made it to the wedding,” explained Cordelia.
“Perhaps it would be wise to wait for him to arrive before making further inquiries,” suggested Wayland.
“In our experience, we’ve found that it’s best to move quickly in gathering evidence of a crime,” replied Cordelia.
Wayland raised his brows. “Your experience?”
When the only reply he received from Cordelia and Charlotte was an unflinching stare, he quickly cleared his throat with a cough. “But of course, if you think it best, we are happy to be as helpful as we can.” His gaze darted to Garfield. “Kendall?”
“I have to agree with Mercer. Jasper was a bit of a recluse. He really did seem to care more about numbers and abstract ideas than he did about people and parties,” responded Garfield after pinching at the pleat of his trousers. “However . . .”
“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 entitled Improving 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-Jér?me 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 is extremely charming,” said Wayland. “And extremely attractive.”
“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.”
“Jasper always preferred to keep his discoveries secret until he was sure that he had worked out all the flaws and come up with the right solution,” mused Garfield. “I didn’t press him as much as you did, Mercer, because . . . well, because his mind spun in a special way, and I respected that.”
“What about you, Mr. Wheeler?” asked Charlotte. “Have you anything to add?”
Wheeler merely shook his head.
And yet Charlotte was sure that the flicker in his eyes said otherwise.
Wayland took a discreet look at his pocket watch. “Is there anything else you wish to ask us? Otherwise, there is a reception starting shortly for the visiting lecturer from Bavaria.”
As they all politely rose, Charlotte contrived to whisper in Cordelia’s ear while adjusting the folds of her shawl. “Find a reason to draw Wayland and Garfield out of the room for a few moments.”
Cordelia was quick to improvise. “Oh, Kendall, before you go, might you and Mercer escort me for a quick peek into the study room overlooking the King’s College Chapel?” A winsome smile. “I have such fond memories of you two allowing me to sneak in as part of your group.”
Garfield chuckled. “You deserved to be there far more than we did, as you actually completed the assigned lessons while we—well, never mind what we did.”
As the good-humored comments trailed out into the corridor, Charlotte turned to Wheeler. “I take it you also joined the Revolutions-Per-Minute Society as a student here?” she asked as a way to begin a conversation, even though she knew he had not.