Distant Dreams (39 page)

Joseph was walking away with Philip, intent on discussing some last-minute matter, when Carolina looked up and noticed that James was staring at her with a strange expression on his face. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn it was regret.

“Have you been keeping up your studies?” he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.

She nodded, realizing he was trying to put her at ease. “I just finished
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper.”

“A great book. I’ve read it several times.”

“I’ve read it twice myself,” she admitted.

“What did you like best about it?”

“Are you two coming?” Joseph called from up ahead.

Carolina put a hand to her loose bonnet ribbons and gave them a tug. “We’d best hurry or Papa will grow impatient.”

James took her elbow. It was only a polite gesture, but Carolina jumped as though he’d touched her with hot coals. “I can manage,” she said and struck out ahead of him.

Rushing up beside her, James was undaunted. “Have I somehow offended you? You’ve hardly spoken to me since the night of your birthday party. You surely aren’t still embarrassed about your outspokenness to Milford, are you?”

Carolina stopped dead. “Say nothing of it, I beg you. No one has risen up to accuse me, and I’d just as soon keep it that way. York has been kind enough to say nothing of my participation, and I’d appreciate the same courtesy from you.”

“So it
is
the party,” he said. “I wondered why you managed to make yourself conveniently absent whenever I was around. I assure you, Carolina, you have no reason to be embarrassed. Of course, I’ll say nothing. Don’t let it come between our friendship any longer.”

Carolina pushed past him with an exasperated sigh. He couldn’t possibly know how difficult this was for her or he’d not even broach the subject. She climbed into a passenger car that greatly resembled a stagecoach. If he wanted to believe her to be troubled over the party, then let him. At least she needn’t explain her emotions and further embarrass herself.

Joseph received her with a questioning glance. “Are you all right? Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m just anxious to be off,” she said, knowing it was only partially a lie. Plenty was wrong, but how could she explain it to her father?

James spoke briefly with one of the workmen, then joined them and closed the door of the railcar. He looked rather pale as he leaned out the window and called down to Philip Thomas. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Within moments the small engine strained and jerked forward in spasmodic little moves.
Clang. Clang. Clang
. The bell sounded and then a warning blast errupted from the whistle. Carolina moved next to James so she could get a better view out the window. James was gripping the handrail so tightly his knuckles were white.

“James, is everything all right?” she asked.

“Yes, of course.”

“We are quite safe?”

He blinked at her, then let his lips relax into a smile. “Completely.”

“You looked worried there for a moment.”

“No . . . I was just thinking of another matter entirely. Now, you mustn’t waste your time worrying about me. Enjoy your ride, Carolina. I know what it means to you.”

And she did just that. In a few moments she had all but forgotten about James as she became caught up in the train’s departure from Mt. Clare Station. But she did hear him chuckle as they left the station behind.

“That’s more like it. Let’s just hope you don’t get a reputation for being unable to contain yourself,” James teased.

Joseph laughed. “I doubt she’d mind so very much. You know her passion for these things.”

“Indeed.”

Carolina turned back around with a mock attempt at ire. She couldn’t possibly be truly angry on a day like this. “I won’t be made sport of. I simply wanted to view the Carrollton Viaduct when we pass over.”

“Ah yes. The Carrollton. It’s a fine bridge, but nothing compared to the Thomas,” James said.

“Carolina was quite taken with the Thomas, weren’t you, my dear?”

She smiled indulgently at her father. He had made this entire trip possible, and she loved him completely for his devotion to her dreams. Leaning over, she kissed his muttonchop whiskers and quickly returned her attention to the view. “I am quite taken with everything about the railroad. I can’t believe we’re actually going out on the line. It’s so positively common, and I’m sure I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

“You’re not becoming a snob, are you, Carolina?” asked James. “I mean, in saying the railroad is common.”

Carolina, momentarily forgetting her past concerns, shook her head firmly. “I only meant I’ve led a very sheltered life, and my mother has always sought to see me prim and proper in all manners and speech. She would have no part of a trip like this, and furthermore, would have no part of it for one of her daughters, either. I’m so looking forward to it.”

“I can see that,” James replied. He sat across from Joseph. Joseph chuckled and eased back against the leather upholstery. “This car is far more comfortable than the one we rode in on.”

“This is Mr. Thomas’s private car. He uses this to travel about. Other dignitaries have them as well. It’s just a matter of how much you want to spend. I’ve even heard it told that many of these private cars are being expanded to include beds.”

“How wonderful!” Carolina exclaimed before her father could respond. “Can you imagine it, Father? One day you could simply hitch up your private railcar and ride across the country without stopping for so much as a bed to sleep in overnight.”

“You might get a bit hungry,” Joseph said with a wink. “But I think you have the right idea. Maybe you could just expand the heat stove to fix meals on as well, and then you truly would be able to stay aboard.”

The pitch of wheels beneath them changed, and returning her gaze to the window, Carolina gasped aloud and pulled back startled as the land fell away. Embarrassed by her actions, she had no choice but to laugh at herself and the surprised expression on James’ face.

“Sorry,” she said. “I do that every time. We come to those bridges, and for just a moment it seems as though we’ve gone right off the end of the world.”

“Gives me a queer feeling right here,” Joseph remarked and rubbed his stomach. “So I’ve stopped paying attention to the scenery and deemed myself content to simply enjoy the ride.”

“There will always be bridges where there are rails. The railroad and the river must go hand in hand in order to provide water for the steam engine.” Sitting opposite Carolina, James stretched his long legs out until they nearly touched her skirt. He was seemingly unaware of their closeness, however, and continued to speak. “Therein lies the concern of every railroad pioneer. In order to keep an engine running, one must have fuel and water. Fuel is being argued at every turn. Some feel that wood is by far and away the better of the choices. But wood creates terrible sparking problems, whereas coal is less a problem. However, coal doesn’t seem to offer the same degree of fire, and most say it never burns fast enough. Anthracite, or stone coal as most call it, is a difficult, slow-burning fuel. A locomotive needs rapid combustion.”

Carolina noted that as James discussed these things he not only relaxed, but there was also an enthusiastic glint in his eyes. He seemed quite content to speak on and on about it, as was she to listen. Perhaps it was the one true way she could avoid personal matters.

“They are making changes to the fireboxes,” James continued, and Carolina eased back in her seat to enjoy his discussion. “They’ve experimented with the dimensions of the box and have come to realize that the larger boxes are the most successful.”

“I read that coal was far more expensive than wood,” Carolina offered. “Wouldn’t it be more prudent, what with the abundance of forests and woodlands in this country, to resort to wood fuels alone?”

James nodded. “It will probably go that way. Coal isn’t all that abundant. Pennsylvania has some good deposits, but industry questions whether coal will ever be a cost-efficient method of fuel.”

“The B&O burns only coal,” Joseph said, as though a thought had come suddenly to him. “What savings could they hope to attain if they were to switch to wood for their fuels?”

James shrugged. “It would be difficult to say. Wood is bulkier than coal, so you’d have to haul twice as much or stop more often. You’re probably looking at, say, not quite two cords of wood to a ton of coal.”

“How does that figure in dollars?” Joseph queried.

James sat thoughtfully silent for a moment. “Coal is costing between seven and ten dollars per ton. I know for a fact the B&O paid at least that much last year. Whereas wood runs maybe two dollars a cord. The pricing seems to be coming down as coal becomes more available in the area. Maryland is starting to mine its own, but not enough to make it truly cost efficient for the B&O.”

“This seems to be an area worth checking into with regard to saving the company money.”

“It could be,” James agreed. “Trees are readily available, so they would provide an ample supply of fuel. If anthracite proves to be in short supply in this country, I’ve no doubt the B&O will adapt to wood.”

The ride passed pleasantly in this manner for Carolina. She listened with avid interest as the discussion continued, but every now and then, her mind wandered and she allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to be in her sister’s shoes, preparing to spend the rest of her life with this highly knowledgeable man. She pictured them sitting before a fire, congenially discussing the affairs of the B&O Railroad. She tried to conjure up visions of retiring with James at the end of the day while he entrusted to her some problem he was facing on the design of one of his engines. Without thinking of the consequence of this dangerous ground, Carolina took the scene even further and imagined herself nestled safely in James’ arms, falling asleep to the rhythm of his breathing and the beat of his heart. She ached inside at the thought of it and turned away quickly to stare out the window, lest her two companions note something amiss.

I simply cannot be in love with my sister’s fiancé, she thought and fought the tears that threatened to spill. I can’t love James Baldwin.

43

Change in Plans

The unexpected slowing of the train brought James to the window of their car. Peering out, he saw no reason for the unplanned stop, and when the locomotive was finally brought to a full stop, he jumped down from the car to investigate.

With hands shoved deep into his gray trouser pockets and his frock coat of navy blue open and flapping back from the light breeze, James knew he appeared the picture of relaxed consideration. But inside, in the depths of his soul, James Baldwin was anything but relaxed. He had made a concerted and, he thought, successful effort to hide his anxiety earlier. He never let on for an instant that this was his first journey by train since the accident. He had ridden up to Baltimore last week on horseback telling himself that he wanted the exertion and fresh air.

He had begun to relax after the train pulled out of the station. The company of Carolina and her father had helped considerably, in spite of the fact that Carolina’s presence had produced other tensions within him. He had hoped that by sharing time with Carolina he would be able to put her at ease about the night of her party and his words and especially his actions. He had worried that her avoidance of him since then had been because she had felt insulted. And she had every right, considering that very evening he had become engaged to her sister. What a confused mess he had made of everything!

And if that wasn’t enough, he was deeply concerned about their tutoring sessions being put to an end and what ill effects she had suffered because of it. At least she’d made no mention of her missing gloves, so she must not suspect him of being the thief. Often he’d taken them in hand and contemplated how he might return them to their mistress. But how could he ever explain why they’d come to be in his possession in the first place? So, they remained tucked away in Washington while he was here in Baltimore sharing the railroad with Carolina.

It was almost a relief to focus on the stoppage of the train—that is until he walked ahead of the still-hissing engine and immediately noted the problem on the rail up ahead.

“Snakehead!” the engineer called back, his face pale and sweat soaked. “I pert near didn’t notice it.”

James went forward to investigate the loose strap-iron rail.

Perspiration beaded on his own forehead as he viewed the detached piece of rail. He stuffed his hands in his pockets once more, this time to hide their trembling. It wasn’t a snakehead that had caused the wreck that injured him and killed Phineas. Rather, it was an iron chair, a deep-notched socket securing the rail to the sleeper, which had come loose, allowing the rail to pull out of alignment. But the similarities were too much the same for James to ignore.

He returned to the passenger car, which Joseph and Carolina were already about to exit. His voice was amazingly calm as he explained the problem to them. “Snakeheads are responsible for a great number of derailments, and if they should happen to break through the floor of a moving passenger train, they could cause severe injury and . . . even death. It’s most fortunate the engineer spied it and was able to bring the locomotive to a halt before hitting it.”

He was about to insist that Carolina remain on board, then thought better of it. No, better that Carolina get this taste of the line to balance her rather romanticized view of the railroad. He put his arms up to help Carolina from the car. She hesitated a moment, then obviously seeing no other recourse, allowed James’ assistance. This caused James a moment of confusion.

She cannot bear to be near me, he thought and released her as soon as her boots touched the ground. Joseph followed his daughter to the ground. James watched Carolina as she drew closer to the damaged rail and studied the piece from first one view and then another. He was glad she didn’t barrage him with questions. Nevertheless, Joseph had several.

“How frequently do these things occur?” Joseph asked.