"Too much sulfur," Josh replied. "Any time you get poor quality iron, it's due to some contaminating element. The two major ones are sulfur and phosphorus. Even then, if you add just the right percentages you can get a different alloy steel with properties you might want. It's all just a matter . . ."

"Of understanding the chemistry," finished De Geer.

Josh nodded and smiled. "Correct. The interesting thing of course, is that the chemistry will change with different types of alloys and different percentages of alloys, as will how you need to heat treat the steel or iron. Up-time it had become pretty much of an exact science, whereas down-time everyone is still groping in the dark and doing all kinds of strange things, some of which waste a lot of time and money."

"Besides carbon," De Geer asked, "which types of alloys are most important for iron and steel?"

Josh stopped to ponder the question. "For steel right now I think tungsten and chromium are the most important. Tungsten would allow you to make a steel close to what was called 'hi-speed tool steel.' With proper heat treatment it allowed you to machine metal and parts at high temperatures. It was at least six times as good as regular carbon tool steel. Chromium would give you a better structural steel and at high percentages provides a lot of corrosion resistance to the steel. With around twelve to twenty percent chromium, if you could get the carbon part of the steel down low enough, say below two tenths of one percent, you would have what we call 'stainless steel.' But this will be pretty difficult until we can build induction furnaces and get pure chromium metal. Not impossible, just very difficult. Four-forty types of stainless actually contain from seven-tenths up to one percent carbon.

"For cast iron," continued Josh, "silicon is the most important alloy, I would say. Higher silicon content makes for a more h.o.m.ogenous cast iron that is less likely to crack and have holes and gaps, especially if you heat treat it properly."

As they continued the tour, De Geer motioned to De Vries who had been standing nearby. "Find out everything you can about steel alloys, especially tungsten, chromium and silicon. Locations, uses,everything."

On the day before their departure from Grantville, De Vries met with De Geer to go over what he had discovered.

"So tungsten can be found in the tailings of tin mines?" De Geer asked in surprise.

De Vries nodded. "The mineral is called wolframite and will be found in ores in combination with another mineral called ca.s.siterite."

"And chromium?" De Geer asked.

"Easiest to use form would be chromite. The Americans have identified the locations in general terms: Kemi in Finland, Bursa in Russia, the Ottoman Empire and Maryland in North America. Kemi may be difficult because of the rock overburden. Maryland was the world supplier of chromite for many years in the up-time early 1800's. The formations occur in what are called 'Serpentine Barrens' which will actually be easy to find because they have a different ground cover than the surrounding forest. One of Josh Modi's friends, Vince Masaniello, showed me a copy of a brochure with a simple map of an area called Soldier's Delight where some of the chromite was mined. While it was used as an alloy for steel eventually, most of its early use was for producing a yellow dye."

De Geer grunted. If chromite in the up-time universe was used for a dye, he might be able to use that fact to enlist Amsterdam dye makers in an expedition. But something nagged him. "Maryland? Where have I heard that name?"

De Vries smiled. "I looked up the history. Does the name Lord Baltimore sound familiar?"

De Geer snapped his fingers. "Of course, Lord Baltimore. George Calvert."

Late in the winter of 1631 De Geer had attended a meeting hosted by Philip Burlamachi who had been the financial agent in Amsterdam for the English Crown for almost twenty years. As usual they gossiped about the kings they represented and Burlamachi had told him about Lord Baltimore's latest land venture.

Despite the fact that George Calvert was a Catholic, he was a favorite of Charles I. In 1625 Charles had given George Calvert the t.i.tle of Baron of Baltimore in the kingdom of Ireland for services rendered to the crown. Due to the pressure Calvert felt because of his Catholicism, he kept founding colonies or obtaining land grants in the New World, hoping to persuade the king to legalize the practice of Catholicism in the colonies. His latest attempt was a charter granting him palatine rights to millions of acres north of Virginia. He had wanted to call the colony Cresentia, but Charles I insisted, said Burlamachi, on having it named after his Queen, Marieland. In order to interest people in coming to Marieland, said Burlamachi, Lord Baltimore intended to offer a variety of rewards, including large land grants, government appointments, and n.o.ble t.i.tles. Those who transported sufficient numbers of colonists could have their tract designated as a manor.

De Geer smiled. "When we return to Amsterdam, remind me to send you to England to see Lord Baltimore. I'll offer to supply a ship with colonists. Miners, of course."

De Vries laughed. "Perhaps you can be the count of Soldier's Delight?"

But the Maryland expedition had been complicated by the fact of George Calvert's death in London onApril 15, 1632 while De Geer was in Grantville. De Geer waited until he had heard that Cecil Calvert, the new Lord Baltimore, had obtained another charter which had gone into effect on June 20, 1632. He then dispatched De Vries to London along with Dirck Graswinckel to negotiate a land grant in the northern part of the colony that contained the serpentine barrens.

"Tell him I will transport a ship full of colonists on the Dragon," De Geer told them. "Attempt to get at least one hundred thousand acres in the area we want."

Chapter Three.

For Louis De Geer, the spring of 1633 was a boom time for his armament business. Everyone seemed to be buying. The French, the Danes, the States General, even the English. The Spanish too had approached him, but he had never knowingly armed an enemy of The United Provinces, unlike Elias Trip.

It was the English purchases that surprised De Geer the most. Rumors in the winter of 1632 had indicated that Philip Burlamachi was close to bankruptcy and that there had been a serious disagreement between Burlamachi and his brother-in-law and major creditor, Philip Calandrini. Then, as if by magic, Burlamachi seemed to be as wealthy as Midas. Longstanding debts going back as far as a decade had been paid off and Burlamachi was purchasing war material and recruiting mercenaries. A lot of mercenaries.

The question was, where was the money coming from?

There was only one reasonable answer.

France.

The question then became, what did Richelieu get out of it? What did the English have that Richelieu would want? And who would know the answer?

There was one major source of information that De Geer could count on. Jean Hoeufft. Through his brother, Mathieu Hoeufft, Jean Hoeufft was one of two agents that Richelieu used to obtain credit and purchase war material in Amsterdam. Earlier in the 1630's Jean Hoeufft had been the conduit for French money sent to Gustavus Adolphus through De Geer. If anyone would know what Richelieu had received for pouring silver into the hands of Charles I, it would be Hoeufft. De Geer sent for Jan de Vries. "I want you to go to Paris. Talk to Jean Hoeufft and see if you can discover what the French got for the money they're pouring down the English rat hole."

De Vries nodded. "By land or by sea?"

De Geer smiled. "By sea. It will be quicker."

Five weeks later De Geer received three separate dispatches from Jan de Vries over the s.p.a.ce of a week. Clearly, De Vries wanted to make sure the message got through. Each had been encoded using the cipher system given them by Colette, and each had the same message once decoded.

NORTH AMERICA.

Oh ho, thought De Geer when he read the message.Lord Baltimore is going to be unpleasantlysurprised, if he doesn't already know.

De Geer shook his head. No, if Cecil Calvert knew then the news would have leaked by now. So both the English and the French were keeping this a secret. Which, given the nature of the royal courts in both countries, astonished him. In fact, it made De Geer uneasy. If they could keep something this momentous secret, what else might be going on?

But the most immediate concern was what to do about the Dragon and the expedition to Maryland.

De Geer smiled. The French and Dutch were allies, were they not? It should be a simple matter to negotiate for the land grants needed to mine the chromite in the Baltimore area. Perhaps Colette and Josh could leave early for their trip to Paris.

Then De Geer remembered who they would be staying with. Richelieu's niece, the marquise de Combalet. Perfect!

But they would need legal advice. He sent for Dirck Graswinckel.

Graswinckel was enthusiastic. He had enjoyed his stay in Paris with Hugo Grotius and had numerous contacts there.

"You will be arriving early, so I will arrange some funds with a bill of exchange sent to Jean Hoeufft. Be careful. We don't want the French to know we are looking for chromite. Just ask for a general mining concession in the area. Better yet, ask for several mining concessions and let them negotiate you down to the ones we want. Explain everything to Josh and Colette. If they impress the marquise de Combalet it would ease the way for a meeting with Richelieu if that is needed."

After Graswinckel left De Geer sat back in his chair. Every business instinct he had told him there was something deeper going on. But what?

The first ten days of their stay in Paris were a whirlwind of activity for Colette and Joshua Modi. They arrived at the Pet.i.t Luxembourg on a sunny afternoon. The ride through Paris had been disconcerting for Josh, with constant deja vu flashes as he caught glimpses of street patterns or buildings.

The marquise de Combalet waited for them in the foyer of the Pet.i.t Luxembourg having been warned of their arrival by the courier they had sent ahead on reaching the gates of Paris. She wore an elegant green dress and had a string of pearls around her neck although she wore very little make-up. She had black hair and black eyebrows and a small receding chin. She was not very pretty, but to Josh she seemed to exude a presence of serenity and confidence.

She knows who she is, thought Josh,and she's happy with herself.

To her right were two old women, one dressed in serviceable brown and white clothing and the other in black. Both women had canes and were watching him and Colette with intelligent intensity. They were so much alike that they looked like bookends.

After the initial introductions, the marquise, who insisted they simply call her Lady Marie, turned to the two old women. "Colette, I believe you know Marie de Gournay?" She motioned to the woman in black.

Colette smiled and moved to hug the older woman. "I am so happy to meet you at last, Marie! But youweren't supposed to tell on me!"

Marie de Gournay laughed. "I was too proud of you, my dear. And I couldn't stand the men at the salon going on and on how Crucibellus was obviously a man and how no woman could possibly write in such a concise and intelligent manner. Ha! Weren't they surprised!"

Marie turned to the woman next to her. "This is my friend, Louise Bourgeois. She insisted on meeting you and Josh. She was the royal midwife for many years and teaches at the school for midwives at the Hotel Dieu across from Notre Dame Cathedral."

Louise smiled. She too seemed to exude the same serenity and confidence exhibited by Lady Marie. "I hope you can tell me something about the medical practices in Grantville. We have heard many rumors here in Paris but very few facts."

Colette shrugged. "I do not know much, but my husband was born in what we call the 'up-time universe'

where Grantville came from. He may be able to help you."

Inside Josh cringed.Oh boy , he thought,I wish I had paid more attention in biology now. "I don't know if I can be of much help, Madame Bourgeois, but I will do what I can. My major at Ohio State University was business history."

Marie de Gournay suddenly poked him with her cane. "And how has this husband of yours been treating you? With the respect due your intelligence and education, I hope!"

Colette laughed. "Oh, yes. He has been an excellent husband!" She patted him on the arm affectionately.

"But he does spend too much time with his business."

The two old women scowled at him.

Great, Josh thought,now they look like two little pit bulls.

"Life is too short, young man!" said Louise Bourgeois. "Your wife is more important than any business!"

Next to him Colette grinned.

"And who is this young lady?" the marquise asked, indicating Regina.

"This is mykammerjungfer , Regina Kniphoff," Colette said. "The nearest translation in French would be that of a young lady-in-waiting. She is also my business a.s.sistant."

The marquise smiled as Regina curtsied.

"I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Marie," Regina said.

"Since I knew you would have a young girl with you, Colette, I asked Louise if she would be willing to have one of her granddaughters act as a guide and companion for Regina. Catherine?" A young girl Regina's age came shyly forward. "Regina? This is Catherine Luynes. Catherine, Regina Kniphoff, Colette's . . .kammerjungfer ?" She looked at Colette, who nodded.

The two girls moved off to the side and began chatting with each other. "I knew you would be tired from your trip," the marquise said, "so I scheduled no lectures until the day after tomorrow. But I must tell you that many people are very jealous of me." She motioned to a corridor and they all began walking down the hallway.

"Why is that?" Colette asked.

"We have had very few people from Grantville come to Paris. Oh, there was the diplomatic delegation recently, but they spent very little time here and did not partic.i.p.ate in any salon meetings. All of Paris was rather disappointed."

"Really? Why?" Josh asked.

"The salons of Paris are where many women learn about new events in science, art, literature and mathematics Josh," said the marquise. "Grantville has been on everyone's lips for months but most of what we hear is outlandish rumor." She smiled. "I am afraid you will be as much in demand as Colette for giving lectures. I hope you don't mind."

Time to be diplomatic, thought Josh. "I would be delighted to a.s.sist you in any way I can, Lady Marie."

This time when the marquise smiled it was as brilliant as the sun. "I hoped you would say that!" She chuckled. "The marquise de Rambouillet will simply die of envy!"

"Marquise de Rambouillet?" Colette asked.

Lady Marie seemed to wave her hand in dismissal. "The marquise de Rambouillet began the tradition of the salons of Paris in the early 1600's. Hers is still the most famous. She tends to focus more on art and literature, while I try to attract those of science and mathematics." She laughed. "But she will try to steal you away soon enough." She stopped in front of a doorway. "This will be your room. The windows look out towards the garden."

The room was huge, with a large bed, fireplace, and elegant furniture stylishly placed. A connecting door led into a smaller room that would be Regina's.

Colette smiled. "This is lovely, Lady Marie. We will be quite happy here."

Lady Marie smiled back. "Dinner will be at eight. My cook is Lorenzo Stornato from Florence and I asked him to prepare something special tonight. I think he is planning either goose or swan. I invited a few guests, so Marie and Louise will be there, and Vincent de Paul. Until then."

She swept out of the room, closing the doors behind her.

Colette flopped on the bed. "Paris!"

Josh laughed and flopped beside her. "I think this is going to be fun. I hope Dirck and Jan can take care of the Maryland business on their own. I'd hate to have to spoil all this by having to get involved in negotiating a business deal."

Then it hit him. Vincent de Paul. Saint Vincent de Paul? "Oh my G.o.d."

Despite Josh's apprehension at meeting a real saint (Josh had to keep reminding himself that Vincent dePaul had not been canonized yet), the dinner was quite enjoyable. Colette and Josh found Vincent de Paul's stories about his time as a slave after being captured by Turkish pirates in 1605 particularly fascinating.

"So you and your master both escaped?" Colette asked.

Vincent de Paul nodded. "Only after I converted him to Catholicism. He was a simple but good man."

It was at that moment that an unexpected guest walked into the room. The marquise hurried over and kissed the man on the cheek. "Theo, I thought you said you couldn't come!"

The man's voice rumbled deep in his chest. "I finished this week's issue of theGazette early just so I could meet your new guests."

The marquise brought the man over and Colette and Josh stood to introduce themselves. As the man came closer Josh tried not to stare.Now if that isn't the perfect description of b.u.t.t-ugly, he thought, I don't know what is.

The man approaching them on the arm of the marquise was not just ugly. He was enormously ugly. He had huge, misshapen hands. His nose was short and squashed and his sunken eyes and narrow mouth made his face into that of a monster. His thin hair revealed and accentuated the ugliness of the face rather than softening it.

But then you looked into the eyes and you forgot the face, for the eyes burned with curiosity and intelligence.Like lasers , thought Josh,they burn right through you. Laser eyes.

"Colette, Josh, this is my good friend Theophraste Renaudot. Theo, Colette and Josh Modi, from Grantville."

Renaudot shook their hands gently. "A pleasure to finally meet people from the mythical town of Grantville. You must tell me all about it."

Renaudot seated himself next to Josh and Colette. "Will you be with us long?"

Josh smiled. "The marquise has us booked for at least two weeks of lectures. We had planned to come in August but things went very well with our business and we were able to come to Paris earlier than we expected. We hope to be able to stay a month."