Love's Fortune by Laura Frantz Page B

that had little to do with the weather snuck over her. The man before her was young, likely unmarried. No more than thirty, she guessed. Yet the faint lines about his eyes bespoke a burden or two.
    “But I’m afraid the railroad takes all my time,” he finished ruefully.
    She eyed his suit, wondering if all railroad workers dressedso well. “I’ve never before seen a train. I’ve only just set foot on a steamboat.”
    “And how did you find it?”
    She wrinkled her nose in answer and struck a discordant string that echoed her dislike.
    He laughed, a low rumble in his chest. “Big. Smoky. Noisy. I’m afraid trains are no better.”
    “Is there one in Pittsburgh?” Perhaps a train could carry her home.
    “One day there will be. Soon there’ll be rails from coast to coast once we find a sure way to manufacture steel and span the Mississippi.” He looked west as if envisioning something she couldn’t see. “I’ve been away from Pittsburgh for a long time, studying steel mills in the East and abroad, trying to find a way to get that done.”
    “Did you?”
    “Not yet,” he replied, his mood confident, unconcerned. “But I will.”
    She couldn’t imagine it. She wasn’t even sure how far away the Mississippi was, but she was all too aware they were nearing New Hope’s imposing gates. As they turned down the tree-lined drive, she felt a hitch of regret as she tucked her fiddle away. She wanted to ask him to let her walk the remainder, but the driver, obviously familiar with the Ballantynes, was lumbering down a side lane . . . to the servants’ quarters.
    A little well of delight bubbled up inside her. They thought she was the help. Not a Ballantyne. Not the granddaughter of one of the wealthiest men in Allegheny County, if not all Pennsylvania. The simplicity of it made her smile.
    What would Aunt Andra think of that?

    Mim met her near the stables, a look of astonishment on her freckled face. “ Losh , Miss Wren! If yer aunt spies you coming down the servants’ lane borne along by a gentleman and his driver, there’ll be no sunrise tomorrow!”
    Stepping into the shadows, Wren glanced at the big house. “I misdoubt Andra saw me, shut up in her room like she’s been.”
    “Well, glad I am of that,” Mim breathed, hurrying her in a side entrance. “D’ye have any notion who was in that braw coach with ye?”
    “He didn’t say.”
    “ Och , he doesna have to say! Everybody knows who Malachi Cameron is!”
    Wren rolled the unfamiliar name over in her mind, offering up the paltry tidbit she was sure of. “I believe he works for the railroad.”
    “ Wheest! He owns the railroad—and more besides. His coming back to Pittsburgh is a bit o’ a surprise. He’s to be here for the social season, the servants at Cameron House say, in hopes to take a bride.”
    Wren’s hold on her fiddle tightened. “Well, he’s handsome. And kind. He likes music. It shouldn’t take long.”
    “It shouldna, nay.” Mim chuckled. “He’s also rich as cream cake. And downright canny. Malachi Cameron always gets what he wants. Simply put, he’s the best catch from here to Edinburgh.” Looking over her shoulder, she trod down the hall, whispering all the way. “Ye put me in quite a fangle running to town like ye did. I went and hid all the notes ye left for yer da and grandparents. Nae need to stir the pot ahead of time. I could have told ye James Sackett wouldna let ye aboard any packet.”
    “I wish you would have.” And spared me the trouble . “I thought I could sway him.”
    “There’s few who can sway Mr. Sackett. He doesna own the line, but he owns who sails and who stays. Runs a tight ship, which is why he’s the lead pilot to begin with.”
    “I’ll have to find another way home then.”
    “Well, ye’d best delay. Word’s come from River Hill that yer needed there to help yer aunt Ellie. A groom’s readied the carriage with side lights, and I’ve finished packing yer bags.” She sighed upon