That all felt like so long ago now. Everything that had happened before Jeremy’s arrest felt like another life, a brightly lit, amusing life. And now . . .
Norah pressed her lips together and forced herself not to squirm in her chair. At least Papa had rescued the conversation and turned it toward dull matters of business.
“Another freight company opened just the other day, I heard,” Papa was saying.
“Indeed. We’re lucky there is plenty of business to go around,” Stuart replied.
Norah could practically hear her mother’s mind spinning as she tried to find a way to turn the talk back toward Norah and all her many talents and virtues.
“I’d wondered just that. You don’t fear losing business to any of these other companies? I imagine the competition is strong,” Papa said, sitting back comfortably in his chair.
Norah watched her father with envy, wishing she could lean back like that. Why was it that men got all the comforts in life?
“It’s certainly competitive, but my father isn’t worried, and I suppose that means I’m not either.” Stuart replaced his napkin on the table and glanced at Norah.
She fought the urge to squirm again. Not because of his gaze, she told herself, but because she hadn’t had an opportunity yet to learn what he might have discovered during his visit to the prison today.
“If it’s agreeable to you, Mrs. Parker, I’d like to take Norah out for a short stroll.” Stuart gave Mama a smile that no mother in her right mind would ever say no to.
Not that it took much at all for Mama to clap her hands together and agree enthusiastically. “That sounds quite lovely. It’s a beautiful evening. It feels as if autumn has arrived. Norah, take a wrap, or else you might be chilled.”
Norah would have taken six winter coats, a pair of heavy boots, and a fur muff if it meant she could leave this table and finally speak to Stuart alone.
Guarded against any potential autumn chill and with Stuart’s arm securely wrapped around hers, Norah could barely wait until they were away from the house before bursting out with, “And? Did you learn anything new? How was Jeremy? Did he say something useful?”
Stuart smiled at her, his blue eyes lit up in amusement at her barrage of questions. “He’s well. He was glad to see Nate.” He paused, his expression turning more serious. “We discovered why he refused to say more on the topic of his innocence.”
Norah stopped. “Please tell me. What did he say?”
Stuart glanced around them, as if searching for listening ears. The growing shadows of night had begun to blot out the last remaining light of dusk and the windows of the homes nearby flickered with lamps. “He reiterated that he’d done nothing wrong, but that certain men had threatened his family should he fight the charges laid out against him. He also asked me not to tell you.” Stuart gave her a wry grin.
Norah’s heart beat faster, both at the news and at the way Stuart was looking at her. Her hand tightened instinctively around his arm as she pondered what Jeremy’s words meant. “Did he say who had made these threats?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“He didn’t. But we can be sure it’s the true guilty party. And I have a strong feeling I know who those men might be.” He frowned at that.
Norah swallowed past the lump of fear that had risen in her throat. As glad as she was to have more information about Jeremy, she hadn’t expected something so . . . unsettling. “Who? Are they still in town?”
“Jeremy’s old ‘friends.’” He spoke the last word with a curl of distaste. “I’ve seen one or two from time to time. They’re laying low, but they’re around.”
Norah’s stomach turned. She’d tried hard not to think about those months before Jeremy had been put in jail and tried for murder and robbery. But now they all came rushing back. He’d changed then. Her sweet, funny, carefree brother had been pensive and withdrawn, never home, and when she did see him, he smelled of cigars and whiskey. And those men he must have been spending time with then . . .
They were the ones responsible—for everything.
She pressed a hand against her stomach, trying to hold in the fear and awful memories.
“Norah? Are you all right? I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Her eyes found Stuart’s as his hand gently pried hers away from her stomach and wrapped it safely between his fingers. He extracted his arm from where it had still been wrapped around hers and took her other hand.
She squeezed her eyes shut and let the gentle pressure of Stuart’s fingers against her own soothe away the fears of the past.
“It’s all right. They don’t know he said anything to Nate and me,” he said, his voice low and strong. The sound of it eased the worry in her mind, and Norah opened her eyes to find him watching her, his jaw tight with concern.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound emerged. Instead, she nodded.
“I promised Jeremy I would keep you safe, and I intend to do that.” His eyes held hers with such an intense seriousness that all thought in her head seemed to vanish. She couldn’t look away—not that she wanted to. Her body felt pinned to this spot, unable to do anything but accept that look Stuart was giving her.
One thought flickered in her mind, sparking, fading away, and then coming back to life again and forcing its way out into the open. “I won’t sit idly by while you do all the work to help Jeremy.”
