When her father's political activities threaten their small tenant farm in Ireland, Clara Kelley is sent to America to find a job and send whatever money she can back home. Upon her arrival in Philadelphia and without a job, she answers a call for "Clara Kelley" only to find that she has mistakenly taken the place of another woman from Ireland with the same name. Determined to help her family, Clara jumps at the opportunity that presents itself to her. And ends up in Pittsburgh as a lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, the mother of famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie.Thrust into a world that is completely foreign to her, Clara becomes the perfect lady's maid. She must keep the secret of her real origins in order to earn money and help her family. Always with her is the constant fear that her lie will be discovered. In spite of her efforts, Clara is drawn to Andrew Carnegie and finds they have much in common. But can she reconcile her sympathy with immigrants and the working poor with the ambition of Carnegie?
This book lays the groundwork for Andrew Carnegie's future philanthropy. In a note from the author, she explains that history has not provided a clear reason for why, by the time he died, Carnegie had given away his entire fortune - to the building of free public libraries, for one. Whether it was because of a forbidden relationship, as this book portrays, is unclear. But why not?
Clara is a likable character and I felt for both her ambition and her worry about her family. Andrew Carnegie and his rise to wealth, along with his personal ambition, are also well drawn. I enjoyed the book for a (fictional) look at man whose name I've known all my life but about whom I knew very little.
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