Not counting your peasants and servants, of course. Mazalet bowed again. "I was not aware that someone of your peerage could engage in any industrial endeavour," he said blandly. "But if Your Grace prefers to question my honor. I'd be more than willing to give satisfaction." He glanced at the prone dog. "No animals in the salle, of course."
"Heh! You don't lack for guts." The admiral smiled suddenly. "I don't trust you of course, but my nephew probably had it coming, anyway." He waved for Mazalet to proceed.
"Is the salvage contract for Vasa still open?" Mazalet asked. "If so, I want to take a crack at it."
The admiral started. "You want the reward for the salvage?" he asked incredulously. "What makes you think you can succeed where Ian Bulmer failed?"
"I've just returned from a trip to Thuringia," Mazalet said. "And yes, the knowledge and expertise residing with those newcomers is nothing less than miraculous. I didn't spend nearly enough time there, but with the knowledge I've acquired, I'm convinced that the salvage is possible."
"The contract is open." Admiral Fleming leaned back in his chair, and steepled his fingers. "I suppose it doesn't cost me anything to let you try." He turned toward the short officer. "Sparre, please go outside and call for a drop of wine. I'm afraid the discussion will take longer than I expected." He gestured with his hand. "Don't stand there man. I doubt Herr Mazalet will try to hurt the hand that might feed him."
"It's a matter of vast embarrassment to us," said Lothar Boelcke, sipping his wine. "I mean, with the masts sticking out of the water for every trading vessel to see and laugh at. If it could be raised . . . well it would do the prestige of those involved a great deal of good—besides the monetary value of the salvage, that is. But this Monsieur Fermin Mazalet d'Angouleme . . . well, his reputation is a little stained. I would be very careful doing business with him. I think, perhaps, Fleming is being clever with him. If he fails . . . well he had better leave the country fast and forever or he will end up rotting in a jail—which would please Fleming and a number of other highly placed people. If—as seems unlikely—he succeeds . . . Fleming will get the credit."
"There is the third scenario. He tricks a fair number of people into investing in it . . . and leaves with the money," said Ginny, thoughtfully. "My father is a good, solid man. But he invested a part of his savings into some scheme to pump water out of very profitable coal mines. It was a scam."
"A what?"
She explained.
Boelcke nodded. "He has a glib tongue. And he deals well with aristocrats. Not . . ." He smiled. ". . . with business people like me."
Anna smothered a laugh. "Yes, dear. Because you told me about his last scheme, and I said if it sounded too good to be true, it probably was. So tell us, Ginny. Just what is your plan?"
"I'm not very glib or good at raising money. I couldn't do that in a million years. But I have read and researched enough to know how the Vasa really could be salvaged, if not brought to the surface. I'd like Mazalet to raise the money . . . and trick him into setting things up so we can actually do it. As long as we get to the stage of bringing up the first salvage, he probably won't cut and run."
"It sounds very good," said Boelcke. "But how do you plan to do this?"
Ginny's eyes were narrowed. "Because I have read the same books from the Grantville library—and a few more—that Mazalet has, I know what he needs and what I think he intends to do. He came here by way of Finland. But he came alone. I've made a friend among the ferry women . . ."
"You have a happy knack of making friends here in Sweden. Maybe you can raise money easier than you think," said Anna. "So what did the ferry woman tell you, dear? They hear all the gossip of Stockholm sooner or later."
"He had hired some Karelians. Just like Bulmer. But there was fight over money and the equipment he wished to use. They went back."
"Karelians?"
"Divers," said Anna briskly.
"Really, my dear," the consul began, but his wife cut him short.
"Divers," she repeated. "Men that walk under water. There were quite a few Karelians in Bulmer's crew."
"I was just about to say that," Boelcke said evenly. "Bulmer kept a savage bunch that swaggered around town raising all kinds of hell. Not our kind of people by any means, and I don't suppose they did a lot for Bulmer either, since he lost his contract. Diving like that is not something I can say I ever heard of Swedes doing."