“Is everything all right?” Mama looked at her in concern.
“It’s fine. I . . . need to see Stuart.” She was already making her way toward the door.
“Right now? Norah, it’s hardly seemly for a woman to go chasing after a man—”
“Mama!” Norah whirled around. “I am notchasingafter him. I’m simply paying him a visit.”
“Yes, but he’ll think you too interested, and that always lessens a man’s attraction to a lady.”
Norah’s impatience threatened to bubble over into her words. She took a deep breath and tamped it down. Mama only wanted the best for her, and this was her way of showing it. Norah wouldn’t let her annoyance get the best of her and hurt Mama’s feelings. “This is not about courting, I promise. Stuart is an old friend, and there is something I must tell him right away.”
“Are you certain it can’t wait?” Mama still looked concerned as she twisted her hands in front of her.
“I am. I’ll be home in time to help you with supper.” Norah didn’t wait for a response. She shut the door firmly behind her, glanced down the road to ensure Mr. Maddox wasn’t lingering, and retied the ribbons of her hat while she raced down the steps.
She made it to Stuart’s office so quickly she was nearly out of breath. Catching hold of the doorknob, she gave herself a moment to breathe and smooth down her skirts before pushing the door open.
If Mr. Joliet was surprised to see her, he had the manners not to show it. Standing near the desk of a clerk, he pointed her toward Stuart’s office. As she moved down the hallway, which smelled of wood and importance, she realized she hadn’t been in here in years. The last time, she’d been tagging along with Jeremy.
Stuart’s door was open, and she found him staring at nothing with his head between his hands. He jerked when he saw her and jumped up.
“Norah,” he said curtly.
Norah stopped herself from rolling her eyes at his obvious irritation. She might as well get immediately to the point. “Please don’t act as if you’re jealous. I merely had the opportunity to learn more about Mr. Maddox, and so I took it.”
Stuart clenched his jaw. He’d come around the side of his desk, and now his hand gripped the edge of it. “I amnotjealous. I’m frustrated that I told you to stay away from him because of the danger, and yet you threw that back in my face by openly placing yourself right in the lion’s den.”
Norah pressed her lips together. Guilt licked at her insides. He really did only want the best for her. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”
“But not for choosing to endanger both yourself and your family? What if you said something that led Maddox to believe Jeremy’s spoken to you?”
Norah straightened her shoulders. “You can trust me to do better than that. In fact, he asked me if I’d visited Jeremy, and he believed me when I told him my family didn’t speak to my brother.”
Now it was Stuart’s turn to look chagrined. “I do trust you,” he said quietly. “But I worry about you. If anything happened, Norah, I . . .”
He stepped forward then, his eyes holding her gaze.
“Yes?” she prodded. She gripped her skirts to hide her shaking hands. Surely he wouldn’t try to kiss her again now, not in this office when anyone—even his own father—could come strolling down the hallway.
As if he read her mind, Stuart looked toward the empty hallway before turning his attention back to her. “I would blame myself entirely. And I would never be able to forgive myself.”
Norah swallowed as he gazed at her with such an intensity in his eyes.Kiss me now, she thought.
But it wasn’t to be, as Mr. Joliet called Stuart’s name from somewhere down the hall. Heaving a sigh, Stuart stepped back. “I didn’t tell you that I searched through our old receipts, trying to determine what was on the train that night. I found nothing, but it may have been something one of the other companies has record of.”
Norah nodded, trying to force her thoughts back from the precipice. “Mr. Maddox asked to meet Charles. He was clearly annoyed when I indicated that might be difficult.”
Stuart nodded. “He’s very interested in Guelph’s. Do you suppose we could ask Charles to look through their receipts?”
“It would be difficult to do so without giving away that we’ve visited Jeremy.” She paused. “Let me think about it. There may be a way we can get in there to see them ourselves.”
“Stuart!” Mr. Joliet’s voice bellowed down the hallway again.
“Come, I’ll walk you out.”
Norah took Stuart’s arm, grateful for the distraction of a problem to solve.
Else she’d be among the clouds the rest of the evening, imagining the kiss that still had yet to come.
