When Clara Kelley arrives in the United States, she hears her name being called on the dock. When she goes to see who is looking for her, she’s mistaken for another Clara Kelley who is to be a lady’s maid in Philadelphia. The other Clara sadly passed away on the way to America.
Clara decides to go with it, though she is a farmer’s daughter, she is educated so she hopes she can get away with it. As a farmer’s daughter the best she can hope for is becoming a scullery maid. Clara relies on her quick wit and intelligence to navigate her new position.
The lady she works for is Scottish emigre Mrs Carnegie, a widow with two grown sons. They are part of the nouveau riche because the elder son, Andrew, has invested wisely. Andrew notices Clara immediately and the two have long conversations until he declares his love for her…
Yet another excellent read by Marie Benedict, she has a way to bring real people from the past to life again. Though Clara was a figment of her imagination, Andrew Carnegie certainly wasn’t. He was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist.
Read for the ShelfReflection Reading Challenge 2024.
Prompt 26: A book with a title that has a possessive noun (‘s).
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
