Whispers Along the Rails (Postcards From Pullman Book #2) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Judith Miller

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162 pages

English

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Olivia Mott finds herself juggling two jobs: her assistant chef position at Hotel Florence and her undercover work for the Pullman Rail Car Company. Olivia thinks the suggestions she relays to Pullman's town manager are being used to improve conditions for workers and save the company money, but is something much more sinister happening behind the scenes?Several months have passed since Lady Charlotte fled to Chicago, leaving her infant son in Olivia's care. Now Charlotte's money has run out. A kindly woman offers her a place to live and secures her a position at Marshall Field's store, but Charlotte's heart can't forget the past. Dare she return to Pullman to find out what happened to her baby?

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 septembre 2007
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441202444
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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W HISPERS A LONG the R AILS
B ooks b y J udith M iller FROM BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS _________________________________
BELLS OF LOWELL* Daughter of the Loom A Fragile Design These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL* A Tapestry of Hope A Love Woven True The Pattern of Her Heart
FREEDOM S PATH First Dawn Morning Sky Daylight Comes
POSTCARDS FROM PULLMAN In the Company of Secrets Whispers Along the Rails
POSTCARDS from PULLMAN * 2 W HISPERS A LONG the R AILS _________________
J UDITH M ILLER
Whispers Along the Rails Copyright 2007 Judith Miller
Cover design by Dan Thornberg, Koechel Peterson Associates
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0277-3 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0277-4 Hardcover: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0441-8 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0441-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Judith, 1944- Whispers along the rails / Judith Miller. p. cm. - (Postcards from Pullman ; 2) ISBN 978-0-7642-0441-8 (alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-7642-0277-3 (pbk.) 1. British-United States-Fiction. 2. Young women-Fiction. 3. Railroads-Employees-Fiction. 4. Industrial relations-Fiction. 5. Depressions-1893-Fiction. 6. Pullman (Chicago, Ill.)-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3613.C3858W49 2007 813 .54-dc22 2007023745
In memory of my mother
GLADYS E. M C COY
(J UNE 16, 1914 -F EBRUARY 8, 2003 ) With a grateful heart for the memories she created, the laughter she shared, the faith she lived, and the love freely given.
JUDITH MILLER is an award-winning author whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her novels, many of which have appeared on the CBA bestseller lists. Judy and her husband make their home in Topeka, Kansas.
He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. -Proverbs 12:17
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Pullman, Illinois March 2, 1893
In the hush of Olivia Mott s third-floor bedroom, the click of the metal latches on her Gladstone traveling bag echoed in the early morning silence. She tugged on the handle and lifted the pebbled leather bag from atop her bed. The travel case, with its double-stitched leather handle and linen lining, had been costly, but if her work for the Pullman Palace Car Company was going to require riding the rails, one good piece of baggage was a necessity. Her heart fluttered at a rapid pace, and she clasped her palm to her chest. Fear? Excitement? Gloom? A mixture of all three, she decided.
With a jab of her moonstone hatpin, Olivia secured her narrow-brimmed felt hat into place. She hoped it would prove substantial enough to hold her coffee-colored curls in place.
Greeting Olivia with a cheery good morning, Mrs. Barnes pointed her toward the kitchen. I ve prepared a breakfast fit for a queen. You don t want to begin your new position on an empty stomach. The older woman waved Olivia onward.
The smell of hearty fried food wafted across the kitchen, and her stomach roiled. I believe a cup of tea and one slice of your nicely browned toast would be the most that I dare eat this morning, Mrs. Barnes. She lightly tapped her fingers on her stomach. I m a bit nervous, and I fear a heavy meal won t sit well.
Mrs. Barnes pushed a wayward strand of graying hair behind one ear. You may be sorry once you depart Pullman and your stomach growls in protest. Her eyes shone with disapproval. You re too thin, dear. No one would ever guess that you re an assistant chef in a fine hotel.
The landlady s reminder that Olivia would soon leave the familiarity of her newfound home in Pullman was enough to send Olivia s spirits plummeting. She d been living in Illinois for only a year now, and though she d had a bumpy beginning, her life had recently settled into a satisfying routine.
When Chef Ren , her kind mentor and the executive chef of the Hotel Florence, had suffered a serious heart attack last November, he had adamantly insisted Olivia replace him as executive chef until his health would permit a return to his duties. And though the chef s unexpected affliction had caused Olivia great sorrow and concern, it had also given her four additional months in Pullman before beginning her new work assignment on the rails.
She and Fred DeVault had used that added time to work toward rebuilding their friendship. They still remained on tentative footing but had made slow, steady improvement. Four months ago, they d exchanged no more than terse greetings. Now they enjoyed talking to each other and even shared an occasional hope or dream. They discussed most everything nowadays-everything except their future together. For the last month, Fred had made a point of sitting beside her in church, and he d even invited her ice-skating on two different occasions.
Olivia could only hope that her upcoming absences from Pullman wouldn t destroy the progress they d made. She feared a sense of estrangement would divide them each time she returned, and they might never move beyond this point. If only she didn t have to go out on the rails- if only .
But Chef Ren had now returned to the kitchen, so her reprieve had come to an end. Today she would depart on her first journey riding the rails with Mr. Thornberg, the supervisor who had been assigned to instruct and prepare her for the evaluator position. She prayed Mr. Thornberg would be a patient man. She would feel more comfortable if the company agent, Mr. Howard, had arranged for her to meet Mr. Thornberg prior to their departure. Beginning this new position was frightening enough, but seeking out a stranger in the Chicago train station might be impossible. Though Mr. Howard had given her a sketchy description of him, Olivia thought there would be more than one man with thinning gray hair, a mustache, and a navy blue suit. When she mentioned that fact, Mr. Howard assured her Mr. Thornberg would be waiting by the third ticket counter along the west wall of the station. She doubted it would be so simple.
Downing the last sip of her tea, Olivia pushed away from the table and hoped Mrs. Barnes wouldn t notice she d eaten only a few bites of the toast. I m not certain when I ll return, Mrs. Barnes, but I have my key to the house.
The older woman glanced at the plate. You ve not finished your toast. There s plenty of time before the train arrives. Do sit down.
I must be on my way, Mrs. Barnes. I promised Mrs. De-Vault I d stop for a brief visit to bid her and Fred good-bye. I don t want to disappoint her.
Mrs. Barnes seemed to momentarily weigh Olivia s response. Well, in that case I won t detain you. I m certain she, too, will miss you while you re away.
Olivia detected a hint of jealousy in Mrs. Barnes s remark, but she didn t respond. With a fleeting kiss to the older woman s cheek, she strode down the hallway, picked up her bag, and departed, thankful Mrs. Barnes hadn t followed. The woman suffered frequent attacks of melancholy since her daughter s marriage and subsequent departure, and Olivia couldn t bear a tearful good-bye. Mr. Barnes had likely hoped Olivia s presence in their home would prove a cure for his wife s bouts of loneliness, but that hadn t occurred, for much of Olivia s time was consumed at work or visiting with Martha, as well as with Fred and Mrs. DeVault.
Olivia shifted the heavy bag into her right hand and crossed the street. In all probability, she d packed far more than she would need. Mr. Howard had been unable or unwilling-she remained uncertain which-to tell her exactly how long she d be traveling with Mr. Thornberg on this first journey. She swallowed the lump of fear that was rising in her throat. This will be a good experience with an array of new and exciting events . She repeated the phrase aloud, but it didn t help. Instead, the lump increased in size, and she wondered if she would be able to keep down the toast she d eaten only a few minutes earlier.
It was difficult to believe her life had changed so dramatically in only a year. From a scullery maid in London s Lanshire Hall to assistant chef at the Hotel Florence in Pullman, Illinois, she d made quite a leap for a young woman of twenty-two years. And now this new endeavor had been forced upon her. Unlike her position in the hotel kitchen, she hadn t asked for this latest job. She didn t want to leave her duties in the hotel for even short periods of time. The mere thought of spending days on the rails, sleeping and dining in the Pullman railroad cars and evaluating services for possible improvement, boggled Olivia s mind. She was completely unqualified for such work, yet she d had no say in the matter. Mr. Howard and Mr. Pullman had selected her for this job, so she couldn t refuse-not if she wanted to remain employed in Pullman-and she did . Fred lived in Pullman. And where else would she, a woman with only one year of training, be hired to work as an assistant chef?
This will be a good experience, and Mr. Thornbe