Chapter 37
Wind-whipped rain pelted against the pale marble facade as Charlotte and Wrexford hurried from their carriage into the stately archway entrance of Somerset House.
“Let us hope the foul weather is not an omen of ill luck for Perkins and his colleagues,” she murmured as they headed into the vast cobbled courtyard and ducked under a covered walkway.
“That Sir Joseph Banks reassumed his position as head of the committee after Langdon’s unfortunate demise, coupled with the fact that Ainsley recently resigned from the Bank of England, doesn’t auger well for them,” muttered the earl.
“Those people are businessmen, not gentlemen,” said Wrexford with a note of sarcasm. “Sir Joseph will, of course, think only he and his fellow Royal Society members are entitled to make such a momentous decision.”
“Arse,” huffed Charlotte. “Heaven forfend that practical knowledge and expertise be given the same weight as an accident of birth.”
“Perhaps in the future,” said Wrexford. “But I won’t hold my breath waiting.”
A rumble of thunder from downriver punctuated the cynical comment as they passed through the imposing entrance doors of the Royal Society.
The auditorium was fast filling with government dignitaries, as well as members of the scientific, banking, and merchant communities. Sheffield and Cordelia beckoned to them, indicating that they had saved two seats.
“The competitors are all seated in the front row,” said Sheffield.
“Congreve is looking rather smug, no doubt thinking that his connections with the government and England’s aristocracy give him a great advantage over the other competitors.
However, Fairman is a respected printer here in London, and I recently learned from MacArthur that Charles Bagot, our British ambassador to America, became acquainted with Perkins there and is a great admirer of his printing.
” A faint smile. “Indeed, it seems Bagot sent a letter of recommendation to a member of the prime minister’s privy council, so our friends are not without influential supporters. ”
A rap-rap of Sir Joseph’s gavel silenced the crowd’s murmuring as he called the meeting to order. He was seated at the grand table on the raised stage, with several bank officials and senior committee members flanking him on either side.
“As you all know, we’re gathered here today to announce the winner of the competition to create the Inimitable Banknote,” he intoned.
“The decision has not been an easy one …” Sir Joseph looked up over the rims of his spectacles and proceeded to drone on at length with acknowledgments and thanks to all the people who had been part of the process.
“Lud, the man likes to hear the sound of his own voice,” observed Charlotte, just loud enough for the earl to hear.
“I daresay he’s earned the right to rattle on,” replied Wrexford. “Age may have dulled his edge—we all shall face that— but one can’t deny that he’s made many great contributions to science.”
“I meant no disrespect. I simply wish—”
Charlotte quickly fell silent as Sir Joseph unfolded a sheet of paper sitting atop the pile of documents in front of him.
“Now, let us get to the matter at hand. First of all, I wish to have William Bawtree, the Bank of England’s superintendent of printing and engraving, give us his report on the sample banknotes submitted for the committee’s consideration. ”
The man sitting to the far right of Sir Joseph cleared his throat with a nervous cough.
His rounded face, already florid to begin with, took on an even redder hue.
“My task in this endeavor was to see if I could reproduce the submitted samples using the traditional methods of hand engraving with enough accuracy that an observer couldn’t distinguish between the submitted samples and my copy. ”
“Even the samples with the newfangled fancy guilloche designs?” barked Sir Joseph.
“Yes, sir.”
“And the samples with multiple colors?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sir Joseph pursed his lips and tapped his fingertips together, letting the exchange sink in.
He was, noted Wrexford, well skilled in public speaking and the art of creating drama to put the audience on the edge of their seats.
“How was this test accomplished?”
The superintendent dabbed a handkerchief to his brow before answering.
“The committee members looked at all the submitted samples with one of my copies set next to it.” A surreptitious glance at the competitors, who were looking up at the stage with sphinxlike stares.
“Neither was identified, and they were asked to pick out the hand-engraved one.”
Again, Sir Joseph allowed the tension to build before asking the key question. “And what was the outcome?”
Bawtree wet his lips. “In each case, the committee members seemed to … ahhh … have a very hard time distinguishing between the two.”
“Hmmph!” Congreve, who many people considered the leading candidate to win the competition, sat forward in his chair, his heavyset frame quivering with indignation.
“Perhaps the committee members need to have their eyes examined! It’s simply impossible for the human hand to replicate the mechanical precision of a rose engine! ”
“I—I quite agree with you, Sir William,” stammered the superintendent. “But the truth is, the copy doesn’t have to be perfect. It simply has to be good enough so that the public can’t easily tell whether a banknote is authentic or a counterfeit.”
He swallowed hard. “And I’m afraid that my work stymied the committee, and I think we would all agree that they are more sophisticated and discerning than our average citizen.”
Congreve muttered something under his breath.
“So what are you saying?” asked Augustus Applegath. “Did none of us create an acceptable design?”
Bawtree waited for a nod from Sir Joseph before answering. “The banknotes submitted by Mr. Perkins and Mr. Fairman came closest to meeting our requirements. Indeed, their new siderography process shows great promise, and with a few small improvements, their banknotes might solve—”
“However, I advised our government in no uncertain terms that it would be a grave mistake to allow an American to be involved in creating money for the Bank of England,” interrupted Sir Joseph.
A sniff. “And they have agreed.”
Wrexford felt a little sorry for Ibbetson, the engineer whose demonstration of rose engines had first introduced him to the challenge of creating banknotes that couldn’t be counterfeited. The poor fellow was squirming in his seat, looking thoroughly confused.
“I—I don’t understand,” he exclaimed. “Are you … are you saying that nobody has won the prize?”
“That is correct. The prize of ￡20,000 will not be awarded,” replied Sir Joseph.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd.
“For now, investing the time and expense in an unproven method makes no logical sense,” continued Sir Joseph. “We have decided to solve the problem of creating the Inimitable Banknote with a different solution.”
More rumblings.
“What solution?” demanded Congreve.
“I shall let Mr. Staniforth answer that.”
On receiving an imperious wave from Sir Joseph, the director of the Bank of England responded. “We have been working with our longtime papermaker, William Brewer of Maidstone, to design a special watermark to stamp into the paper used to print our banknotes—”
“Watermarks are nothing new!” protested Congreve.
“However, I myself have been working on an innovative multilayer method. It’s not quite perfected, but if allowed another few months of research, I’m quite confident that when it’s combined with my printing plates, the process will create an absolutely foolproof banknote. ”
“Brewer has already experimented with that multilayer technology, sir, and we have decided it is far too complicated and unreliable,” replied the director.
“His new creation utilizes existing methods and creates a very distinctive design using an elaborate pattern of woven wire that, in all practicality, forgers simply can’t reproduce.
They would also need their own paper-mill, which is, of course, a prohibitive expense.
” A grunt. “Not to speak of the fact that the specific supplies needed would guarantee its existence would not go unnoticed by the authorities.”
Congreve sputtered but could muster no further retort.
“The point is,” said the director, “We have printed up a batch of our current banknotes on paper utilizing Brewer’s new watermark and tested them with a number of members of the Royal Society for Arts.
In every case, the men were easily able to distinguish a legitimate banknote from a counterfeit banknote simply by holding the paper up to the light. ”
He smoothed the folds of his cravat. “I am quite confident that all of our citizens will quickly catch on.”
“Thank you for all your hard work in resolving the issue, sir.” Seizing the moment, Sir Joseph banged his gavel. “Since there is no further business to discuss, I declare the meeting to be adjourned.”
Charlotte noted that Perkins was watching the drama unfold around him with a look of bemusement rather than ire. “Our American friend seems to have taken the proceedings in stride,” she remarked.
“I have the sense that very little rattles Perkins,” said Sheffield. “He has the perfect temperament for an inventor—setbacks are to be used to nudge one in a better direction.”
“I wonder what he will do now?” she mused, as Sir Joseph and his group descended from the stage and disappeared into a side salon. “Return to America where he is known and respected?”
“Let us ask him,” said Sheffield. “He appears to be coming our way.”
The crowd was beginning to file out of the auditorium, the murmuring of voices indicating that the initial surprise was giving way to speculation. The drawing rooms of Mayfair, guessed Charlotte, would soon be abuzz with gossip and rumors.
But before she could give that much thought, Perkins and MacArthur squeezed past a group of army engineers from the Royal Arsenal who had paused to commiserate with Congreve over the committee’s decision and hurried to join them.
“No gnashing of teeth?” asked Sheffield.
Perkins flashed a pearly-white smile. “Not at all. In fact, I agree with the Bank of England that watermarks are an integral element in creating banknotes that can’t be counterfeited.
In fact, before I left America, I had been exploring a variety of techniques with Thomas Gilpin, a well-known papermaker.
But like Congreve, I have not yet achieved a result that meets my standards.
” A shrug. “The metal roller I invented for my siderography may also be an innovative answer for how to press intricate watermarks into wet paper. I shall keep experimenting on that here in England.”
“You mean to stay in this country?” asked Charlotte.
“Oh, yes!” Another smile. “You see, the Bank of England may have a prejudice against using foreigners to print their currency, due to Sir Joseph Bank’s opposition to the idea.
However, I am leaving tomorrow to sign contracts to produce banknotes for several regional banks in the north.
And from there, I will head to Ireland to finalize a very lucrative agreement with the Bank of Ireland to produce their paper currency. ”
“Congratulations,” said Wrexford. “I shall hope that sooner rather than later, the Bank of England will shake off their conservative attitude toward change and embrace the new technological innovations you have made.”
“Change is coming, whether they like it or not,” responded Perkins. “Scientific knowledge in a variety of fields is growing in leaps and bounds, allowing us to engineer more sophisticated machines. I daresay, I won’t be the only one innovating foolproof new methods for printing currency.”
MacArthur cleared his throat. “Sir, Mr. Fairman is signaling to us that we ought to be leaving.”
Perkins nodded. “Indeed, there is much to arrange in order to move all of our machinery to Liverpool and set up shop there.”
As he began to take his leave, Charlotte turned to MacArthur. “Will you go north with Mr. Perkins to Liverpool?”
“I will, milady. However, after we have the workshop established, I mean to head to Scotland and meet with members of my mother’s and father’s families,” he answered.
“I have been rootless and adrift for so much of my life … I had very much longed to reconnect with Uncle Fletcher, but the evil lingering from the past shattered that dream.”
His eyes then pooled with gratitude. “But I am so grateful to you and your husband—and to Hawk—for pressing to learn the truth about his death. I now feel that justice has been achieved for all the past wrongs. It has given me closure on that part of my life, and I hope to have a second chance to make something of myself and and create positive innovations for the world.”
“We all deserve second chances, Mr. MacArthur.” Charlotte gave his hand a squeeze. “I have no doubt that your future will be filled with all good things.”
His lips twitched. “As for the future, I hope to continue with my art. Who knows—perhaps I’ll return to London and set up my own shop for engraving the ornamental embellishments for firearms.”
“I’m quite sure Joseph and Durs Egg would be your first clients.”
“Jack!” called Fairman. “We really must be going.”
MacArthur acknowledged the request with a wave. “Please give my regards to Lady Eddylina,” he said to Charlotte. “And to Raven. I hope they enjoy their pistols.”
“You may always consider yourself a part of our family. If you pass through London again, you must promise to pay a visit to Berkeley Square.”
“It would be an honor, milady.” With that, he bobbed a quick bow, then hurried away.
“He’s a nice lad,” remarked Sheffield. “I’m sorry we don’t have a chance to throw a gala party for him and Perkins and their compatriots before they depart. They may not have won the ￡20,000 prize, but they have much to celebrate.”
“As do we.” Charlotte repressed a shiver as she recalled the past few weeks of serpentine intrigue and mortal threats to all those she held dear.
Drawing in a shaky breath, she locked eyes with Cordelia for a moment before shifting her gaze to Wrexford.
“We were inordinately lucky to come through these last few weeks of murder and mayhem with only a few terrible scares. So I, for one, am determined to keep Trouble at bay and ensure a lengthy interval of peace and quiet for our family and friends.”
A smile. “As for a party, I’m sure Perkins and his partners are capable of sparking their own merriment. For we have an even more important celebration for which to prepare.”