The Railway Man and His Children

"The Railway Man and His Children" by Mrs. Oliphant is a story about a woman from a good family and an engineer working in India, focusing on the societal buzz around their unexpected engagement in the late 1800s. Miss Ferrars comes from higher society than Mr. Rowland, and the book dives into the whispers and opinions of their community regarding their coming marriage, especially looking at Miss Ferrars' history with the Stanhope family and her own doubts about marrying "beneath" her. The story also looks at Mr. Rowland's children from past relationships, raised separately from him and their stepmom-to-be, adding layers to the family relationships and hinting at problems that the new, combined family will need to deal with as they plan to join their lives.