She swallowed and gave Lydia her full attention.Any paranoia must be shoved aside.She could not,wouldnot, become like Mum and start seeing enemies where there were none.
Mrs.Pelton nodded to the spot Nora occupied.“Would you allow me that seat, please?I prefer to be directly in front of Pastor Evans so I am not distracted.”
As Nora and Lydia shifted into the aisle, Lydia waggled her brows behind her mum’s back.Mrs.Pelton’s need to see and, more importantly, be seen at church had long been a joke amongst the Guardians.For her, a godly reputation started by punctual, consistent, and demonstrative participation in church services.Her adherence to the belief was almost comical.Nora could only imagine what the woman thought of her and Father’s lack of punctuality.
Dr.Pelton and Abraham strolled up the aisle side by side with acloseness and silence that were telling of something wrong.The fact that Abraham, who only had eyes for his fiancée, directed his attention toward Nora was doubly unsettling.
When they reached her, neither man stepped aside.
True concern climbed aboard the wagon of her unwieldy paranoia.“Is something wrong?You both look as if you have something terrible to tell me.”
“The only thing terrible is I got dragged into this.”Dr.Pelton cast a sidelong glance at Abraham, then Lydia.
Some of her fear eased at his grumble.“Dragged into what?”
“Into helping this poor fool surprise you.”Abraham stepped aside and revealed a hunched Mr.Beaumont.
With that exuberant smile of his, he stretched to his full height and held his arms out to his sides.“Surprise!”
The rest of her tension evaporated.Mr.Beaumont was persistent and a bit daft, but the combination was oddly appealing.“Good gracious, I thought something was really wrong.Although”—Nora shot Lydia a glare—“I suppose my best friend playing matchmakerisvery wrong.”
Lydia waved her hand.“It wasn’t me.I had no knowledge of Mr.Beaumont’s coming until I spotted him in the foyer.This is all Abraham’s fault.”
Abraham crossed his arms.“You’re the one who told me to look into the man’s character.”
“A character that I am eager to prove, m’lady.”Mr.Beaumont bent over Nora’s hand and kissed the air above it.
She wanted to be irritated by his behavior, but all she could do was feign annoyance.No other man had ever gone to such trouble to pursue her yet remained respectful despite her obvious rebuffs.Of course, that could change the longer she made him give chase, but she’d enjoy the attention for now.He’d give up eventually.And she had no plans of marriage.Not now that she suspected she was losing her mind.
Mr.Beaumont released her hand and continued speaking with amore serious tone.“Detective Hall made a convicting point about church attendance that I could not dismiss; therefore, I accepted his invitation to attend here today.”
“I’m glad you came, but I told you not to allow Nora’s presence to be your motivation.”Abraham’s stern look must have been perfected on the criminals he brought in.
“Can’t I have dual intentions?Fellowship with believers and an opportunity to prove to Miss Davis I’m deserving of a chance if she will give it?”
“Deservingis a strong word, Mr.Beaumont.”Beggingwas more apt, but her answer only encouraged his pleasure.Maybe the best way to cope with him would be to sit alone in the back pew and sneak out during the dismissal prayer.
Dr.Pelton ushered Madelyn, his younger daughter, to slide into the pew next to Mrs.Pelton.“May I suggest we take our seats and prepare our hearts and minds for service?You can discuss Mr.Beaumont’s suitability afterward.”
Properly chastised, Nora and Mr.Beaumont silently followed Abraham and Lydia around the front to enter the family pew from the other end.Although Nora encouraged Mr.Beaumont to take the inner seat—as she intended to escape to the back pew—he refused to behave as anything but a gentleman and insisted she precede him.Now she was trapped between Lydia and the charmer.So much for an enjoyable, carefree service.She’d never focus with him next to her.
As if to prove her point, when the music minister gave instructions on where to turn in their hymnals, Mr.Beaumont leaned toward her.“I look forward to hearing you sing something other than scales.”
Nora concentrated on finding the right page.
“Do you mind if we share?I’m afraid there aren’t enough hymnals for each person, and I’m not familiar with ‘For the Lord’s Day Morning.’”
She wasn’t either, so she had no choice but to angle the book so they could both see the words.No musical notations accompanied the song, so Nora studied how the words fit into what the organistplayed and anticipated the next notes as she sang.It distracted her enough that when Mr.Beaumont’s deep bass joined her mezzo-soprano on the second verse, she dropped the hymnal.He caught it, cast her one of those charming smiles, and then held it for them both without missing one word of the song.The little liar knew the hymn well enough to not need the book, and Nora would call him to account as soon as service was over.
She returned her attention to the music and words, relishing the chance to see how well she could sing a piece without any preparation.Perhaps it was prideful, but part of her delighted in offering God the best of herself.When they shifted to a hymn she knew by heart, she closed her eyes and stopped singing for a few measures so she could hear the earthly choir of voices.Keys and pitches were as varied as the instruments of a full piece orchestra, and some sang off rhythm, but it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard.Was this how they would sound in heaven?When Mr.Beaumont stopped singing to inquire if she were unwell, she began again, and he followed suit.She hated how harmonious they sounded together because it encouraged her to enjoy his presence far more than she should.They perfectly complemented each other, and it wasn’t hard to imagine a future with a man who loved singing as much as she.
All too soon, Pastor Evans took to the podium and led everyone in prayer.He continued his exposition on the book of Matthew, and halfway through the sermon, Nora again felt that persistent sensation of someone watching her.She ignored it, but not knowing destroyed her focus.Under the pretense of readjusting her position, she checked over her shoulder.
Winston nodded at her.
She whipped her attention forward.He couldn’t be there.He wasn’t real.Unless he was and he’d hidden when Lydia drew her attention away.The uncertainty of her own mind churned her stomach.Was she going mad, or was she in real danger?
Mr.Beaumont leaned close and whispered, “Is everything all right?”
