LITMIR.BIZ

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       Chapter One

      June 1895

      En route to New Haven, Ohio, on the Toledo and Ohio Central Railway

      The train’s wheels clattered in perfect harmony with Ann Cromwell’s racing heart. Each beat brought her closer to her new life, and her hands trembled as she thought of what awaited her at journey’s end.

      “Would you like an apple, miss?”

      Ann had nearly forgotten she had a seatmate. She could pretend she hadn’t heard her, but something told her this woman wouldn’t give up easily. Her voice held the kind of friendliness that was the hallmark of a talkative traveler.

      Ann waited a beat before blinking the sun from her eyes and turning from the window. Silver hair streaked the woman’s temples and deep lines bordered her mouth. Slightly overweight, she carried it well on the tops of her cheeks and across her bosom. Once Ann faced her, the smile lines deepened.

      “Would you like one? They’re perfectly ripe.”

      Her outstretched hand held a large, red apple blushed with gold.

      “No, thank you,” Ann whispered, even as her stomach groaned.

      “Are you sure? I have a whole bag.”

      Though the apple looked delicious, would it stay down? The queasiness in her stomach grew with each station stop. Ever since childhood, nerves always made her belly rebel. She’d last eaten yesterday from a food cart on the Pittsburgh station platform and only managed to force down a few bites before throwing the remainder of her ham sandwich in a rubbish bin.

      “I’m quite sure.” Ann kept her voice as soft as possible while still remaining audible.

      The woman’s eyes widened as she returned the apple to her bag. “My, what a sweet accent you have! Are you English?”

      No one in New York had noticed Ann’s accent. Only when the train boarded passengers in central Pennsylvania did her voice attract attention. Now in Ohio, it seemed impossible to keep from drawing notice—like a scullery maid embarrassingly visible in the parlor. She wasn’t trying to be unfriendly, but conversation was the last thing she wanted.

      The woman’s eyebrows arched higher as she awaited Ann’s response.

      “Yes, ma’am. I’m from London.”

      “London? How exciting! What brings you to America?”

      Before Ann could respond with her usual falsehood about visiting an aunt—the story she had crafted to help draw as little attention and interest from her fellow passengers as possible—something gave her pause. As she drew closer to her final destination, so grew the chance of someone catching this particular lie.

      “If you don’t mind, I think I’ve changed my mind about that apple.”

      The woman smiled broadly and fumbled with her bag to retrieve the fruit.

      “Here, let me clean this up for you.” She buffed the apple against the fabric of her skirt. Ann flashed a cursory smile of thanks and turned back toward the window. The apple lay heavy in her hand and her mouth watered at the heady scent of ripe fruit. Crisp and sweet, it tasted glorious after weeks of ship and train food. She savored each bite to prolong the silence. Each time Ann entered into a conversation, it led to questions she had no desire to answer.

      All too soon only the apple’s sticky core remained. She glanced about for a place to tuck the scrap.

      “Let me take that from you.”

      The woman produced a small paper sack. Ann dropped in the core and wiped her tacky hands briskly against her skirt. Before she could turn away, the woman spoke again.

      “I’m returning from a visit with my sister. She just had her tenth child.” She paused, clearly waiting for a reaction, and Ann humored her by opening her eyes wide in a show of surprise. “Yes! Tenth! Her sixth girl. She needed help, of course, with some of her younger ones, and I was delighted to lend a hand.”

      The woman paused again. Her eyes softened, and she reached out and patted Ann’s hand in a motherly way. “My children are all older now. My oldest daughter is near your age. I so enjoyed being near babies and young children again.”

      “How lovely for you.”

      The woman grinned. “My, your accent really is nice.”

      “Thank you.” Ann had learned long ago how to mimic the melodic upper-class accent of her employers.

      “Are you traveling on from Columbus?”

      “Yes, to New Haven.” Her own words sounded strange. She hadn’t told anyone even a fraction of the truth in days.

      The woman clapped her hands. “Isn’t that wonderful! I’m from New Haven.”

      Ann felt a rush of thankfulness that she hadn’t lied.

      “Are you visiting someone?” the woman continued.

      Ann shook her head. “No, not exactly. I’ll be living there.”

      The woman waited a beat for Ann to continue. Ann smiled weakly.

      “Who will you be living with, dear? I was born and raised in New Haven. I’m sure I must know them.” The woman’s voice grew softer than before, but no less friendly.

      Ann cleared her throat. “James McCann.”

      The woman’s brows knit together and she pursed her lips tight. Ann knew what her next question would be. She saved her the trouble of asking. “He’s to be my husband.”

      Ann dreaded the interrogation sure to follow. But there were no questions—at least not right away. Instead, the woman’s hand found Ann’s again and she squeezed it tight.

      “That is wonderful news. Really wonderful. James McCann is a fine young man. I wish you both much happiness.”

      Ann’s heart jumped, and for a moment her walls dropped. She leaned forward. “You know him?”

      “Yes, of course. Not terribly well, but everyone in town knows James.”

      “Is he a nice man?” Ann’s voice cracked.

      “Yes, he is.” Her head cocked to the side. “But don’t you know that, dear?”

      “I’ve never met him.” Ann’s cheeks burned and she turned her head down, knowing full well the woman would soon guess the nature of their relationship. This reinforced why she’d avoided talking to anyone during her travels. She’d been assured that respectable women became mail-order brides all the time, but the idea still made her blush.

      “Well, James McCann is a fine man. Any young woman would be blessed to have him.”

      Ann’s gaze snapped back to the woman’s face. No judgment or mocking that she could observe. Only a warm smile that creased her cheeks so deep her eyes almost disappeared.

      “You said you didn’t know him well,” Ann murmured.

      “He doesn’t get to town much. His obligations on his farm keep him very busy. He’s also quiet and keeps to himself mostly, but he’s honest and decent. He’s in church every Sunday, he comes from a fine family, and I know for a fact he pays his bill at the store in full each month.” She wagged her finger to punctuate these last two points.

      “And you say that any young woman would be blessed to marry him?” Ann tried to smother feelings of hope. Certainly this woman had no reason to lie? She’d imagined James McCann desired to send away to England for a bride because he had few other choices. She certainly wouldn’t be here if a pretty face and no references could get a servant girl more than a room in a brothel.

      “Oh yes. He is—or rather was—a very eligible bachelor.” She bobbed her head in emphasis, and the

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