Chapter 1

Sarah

"Love will enter cloaked in friendship"s name." ― Ovid

At first, Sarah did not hear the knock at the door, so absorbed was she in reading a most interesting pamphlet by a French chemist named Louis Pasteur, describing a novel theory about microbes causing the decay of organic matter. According to Pasteur, it was tiny organisms in the air, invisible to the eye, that were responsible for spoiling beverages such as beer, wine and milk. He advocated the heating of such liquids to a temperature above 60 °C to kill these microbes and prevent putrefaction. How interesting! She determined at the soonest opportunity to conduct an experiment on this and test the veracity of Pasteur's claims.

There was a second knock and this time, Sarah heard Elsie open the door followed by the sound of a male voice. This was curious. Who could it be? Soon, Elsie was peeping her head timidly around Sarah's private parlour door. "There is a visitor for you, miss," she said. "A Mr Benjamin Stanton. I have showed him to the main parlour."

"Thank you, Elsie," Sarah told her maid. She stood, smoothing the folds of her dress, excitement shooting through her veins. She had not had occasion to speak privately again with Benjamin since their encounter at the Christmas ball. The following day, the Earl of Stanton had taken to his bed and breathed his last breath shortly thereafter. Sarah had attended the funeral two days ago and paid her respects to the grieving Stanton family, but had exchanged little more than a few words with Benjamin.

She hurried to the main parlour where Benjamin stood, hat in hand. "Mr Stanton," she said, walking towards him.

He gave her a reproving look. "I thought we had agreed to dispense with such formality," he told her. "Hello, Sarah, how do you do?"

"I am well, thank you, Benjamin," she breathed, her cheeks a little pink. "Do please take a seat. May I offer you some tea?"

He shook his head as he sat himself down on the nearest chair. "No need, thank you. I have come, Sarah, to invite you out for a walk in the park. The weather is dry and not too chilly today. How about it?"

"Do you mean right now?"

"Of course I mean right now," he laughed. "That is, unless you have something better to do."

Louis Pasteur's germ theory could wait. A walk with her newfound friend was more important at this moment in time. "Let me fetch my coat and bonnet," she said, rising to her feet. A minute later, she was back and ready to go.

With a warm smile, Benjamin escorted her out the front door and gave her his arm. She slipped her hand through it and followed his lead as he headed in the direction of the small lake on the southern part of the estate. They took a pebbled path that cut through grass and woodland, and once they had walked a short distance along it, Sarah spoke: "I am so sorry for your loss, Benjamin. Tell me, how is your family bearing up?"

His expression became serious. "Papa and Uncle Jasper are keeping busy with estate matters, especially now that Grandpa's will has been read. I believe it helps to distract them from their grief. We are being stoic, but of course, our loss is still fresh in all our minds."

"And you, Benjamin? How is it with you?"

He glanced at her in surprise but did not slow his stride. "It is a sad time, of course," he said. "However, I was never very close to Grandpa, not in the same way as Daniel or my cousin, Grace. I liked the old goat well enough, but he never spoke much to me." He gave a short laugh. "I suppose that might explain the terms of the will."

"I heard of it," murmured Sarah. Her brother, Ambrose, had been present at the reading of the will yesterday and had told her all about it when he came home. He had explained how the late earl's substantial fortune was to be split between four of his grandchildren. Daniel, the eldest and now the new Viscount Stanton, had inherited Stanton Hall as well as the London townhouse. Isabella, Grace and Beth Stanton had been granted sizeable estates, but Benjamin and John, the remaining two of the earl's grandchildren, had merely received ￡2,000 each. It was not a sum to sneer at, to be sure, but it paled in comparison with the wealth the others had received. The late earl's reasoning for this, apparently, was that both Benjamin and John would become heirs to the estate their fathers had built in America.

"So, you will have heard that my brother, Daniel, is now an extremely wealthy man, with a great estate to go with his new title," said Benjamin in an even tone.

Sarah examined his profile searchingly, taking in the pleasing symmetry of his nose and the firm line of his jaw. She was not usually very good at reading people, yet she sensed his perturbation. "Yes, I have heard," she said quietly.

"I am happy for him, of course," continued Benjamin. "When you think about it, Stanton Hall could not have been granted to anybody else, apart from Papa."

"Yes," agreed Sarah, "I can see that." She paused then went on, "I can also see that it has created a disparity between yourself and your siblings. They are now wealthy in their own right while you are still dependent on your father for your income. Is that not so?"

He shot her a startled look. "How well you understand," he marvelled. Letting out a deep breath, he added, "It is not that I envy Daniel or Bella, or at least not much, but as you so rightly say, there is now a disparity in our stations which I fear will create an invisible barrier between us. Daniel is now a man of stature, a viscount with a great estate who can do with his life as he pleases, whereas I must still do my father's bidding. I am not yet my own man."

"If you could do as you pleased," probed Sarah gently, "then what is it that you would do?"

He looked out to the distance as he said, "Before coming to England, I had recently completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania. There was not enough time to decide on a course of action with regards to my future, though I had thoughts of finding myself a position as a railroad engineer or something of that ilk."

"A worthy career, with many good prospects I would think," remarked Sarah.

"Well, but that is all over for me, as I shall have to take my place at Papa's side now that I am to be his heir instead of Daniel." Although Benjamin spoke calmly, there was an undertone of bitterness to his words. "I shall have to set my sights on becoming a gentleman farmer just like Papa." He flashed a quick smile. "I will not complain, for I have gone from a landless second son to being the heir to a large estate. Some would say I am extremely fortunate."

"And so you are," reasoned Sarah. "My brother may work for his entire life, but on the wages of an estate manager would never make the kind of wealth which you will be acquiring in due course. That should put your good fortune in better perspective."

He laughed. "By Jove, Sarah, it is good to talk to you. I am certainly put in my place. The world we live in is not a very fair one, is it?"

"No indeed, but we must make the best of what we are given. That is what my brother always says."

He sobered instantly. "Your brother is right, and so I shall make the best of things. Now, enough talk about me. Let us talk about you."

"There is very little to talk about," said Sarah modestly. "I live a quiet life in a small village and am well on my way to becoming a spinster maid. There is not much of interest to discuss that concerns me."

"I disagree!" cried Benjamin. "For one, your interest in scientific pursuits promises that you will have something of note to say on such matters. For another, there is the story behind this attachment you have formed for this unnamed person, which I should like to hear about. When and how did this attachment begin?"

They had by now reached the lake, and Benjamin guided Sarah towards a wooden bench positioned to take advantage of the view. He gallantly swept it with his handkerchief before inviting her to sit. This she did while thinking of an appropriate response to his question. Strangely, she felt an urge to be forthright in her answer, even though her friendship with Benjamin was still so very new. "It happened three years ago, not long after we came to live here, Ambrose and I," she said finally. "I made the acquaintance of the gentleman in question at a reception hosted by the late earl. He was so handsome, so witty and charming. It was all I could do not to stare. I had never in all my years come across a gentleman such as he."

"So, you were bedazzled by his good looks and charm."

"Yes, I suppose so," replied Sarah. "And then, each time I subsequently met him, which was not often as we do not mix in quite the same circles, he had the identical effect on me. It is like coming across a rare breed of a rose amongst a sea of ordinary dandelions."

"And in that time, have you also come to know his character?" asked Benjamin. "It would not do to form a long-lasting attachment based solely on someone's looks and charming manners." He disguised the rebuke with a grin. "Now I am all for good looks and charm. Many have been the females that have hooked me with a coquettish bat of their eyes, but none of that interest lasted very long. For an attachment to endure over the years, I would think more would be needed, a meeting of like minds perhaps."

"I have had the opportunity to study his character over the years," replied Sarah, a little uncertainly. "While he is something of a flirt with the ladies, I have also come to know that he is generous and kind. Also, Ambrose tells me the gentleman has always been fair and honest whenever he has had business dealings with him."

Benjamin studied her curiously. "And in all that time, this gentleman has never shown any sign that he reciprocates your interest in him?"

"I am not sure. He has charming words to say, but he is that way with other ladies too, so I do not know that it means anything."

Benjamin stared at her, his brown eyes glinting with an unknown emotion—was it amusement, or something else? "Sarah," he said in an almost gruff voice. "If a man is interested in a lady, then it is usually evident in his marked attentions or warm looks. I had thought that females have an intuition about this sort of thing."

Sarah looked down at her lap. "I am sure most do, but that is the one area where I am lacking. No doubt it is to do with the life I lead and my own unusual disposition, that I find it hard to deduce what others might be thinking."

She glanced up and caught what she thought was a sympathetic gaze. She decided it was time to change the subject matter. "Let us talk instead about scientific things," she said quickly. "I have been wondering. Do you have any experience of working with steam engines, given what you said earlier about wanting a career as a railroad engineer?"

"Yes," he said agreeably, ready to change the subject too. "It was during my time at the University of Pennsylvania. One of my fellow students there had an uncle who owned an engineering works that manufactured steam-powered locomotives, and in my spare time, I would go there, observing all with great curiosity." He smiled beguilingly. "It was not long before I managed to wheedle my way towards being allowed to assist one of the engineers in his work."

"How lucky you are!" blurted Sarah, then felt herself blush. "What I meant to say," she continued in a more measured tone, "is that you were most fortunate to gain such an apprenticeship if you mean to work in this field."

He regarded her steadily. "Yes, I have been fortunate. Is this something that interests you too, Sarah?"

She looked away, her face still pink. "It is not the kind of work considered appropriate for females," she mumbled. "Had I been born a man though, I would have liked nothing more than to do the same as you."

He stood then and held out his arm to Sarah, indicating they should start walking again. She rose to her feet and slipped her hand through his arm as they began their slow journey back towards Ivy Cottage. After a while, he mused, "No, the world we live in is not a fair one." He thought some more. "There is something of a similar nature that you could do though."

"What is that?" wondered Sarah, intrigued.

"Have you ever thought of building yourself your own small railway at home?"

"I have heard of such novelties for children, but I am not sure how I would go about it—and in any case, I would be much more interested in creating the real thing in miniature than a mere toy," replied Sarah, her interest aroused despite herself.

"I agree! I could work on it with you. First, do you have a room at home that you could use for such a venture?"

Sarah did not need to think about it. "I have my own private parlour at the back of the house. It is where I read and conduct my experiments."

"Perfect," beamed Benjamin. "Now, onto other matters. Broad or the standardised gauge?"

After a moment's consideration, she replied, "I rather like that at Oxford, they have both gauges. If I were to follow suit with a mixed gauge for my project, then I would be less restricted in what I choose to represent."

Benjamin nodded pensively. "That makes sense. Next, we shall need to think about the track design of your miniature railway and what scene you might want to depict."

"How about the approach to Hanborough station?"

"Good thinking," said Benjamin approvingly. The rest of their walk was devoted to discussing this proposed miniature railway. By the time they arrived at Ivy Cottage, Sarah was in the grip of a strange new set of emotions. There was, of course, excitement about this project she was about to embark on with Benjamin and also joy at the discovery of a like-minded friend, but above all that was a sinking feeling of sorrow that this wonderful new friend would soon be leaving for America, likely never to return.