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“My nose itches,” Norah said, only to grimace at yet another lie.
Lena frowned, seeming to suspect her answer wasn’t exactly truthful.
Norah debated whether she dared to turn around and look at the entrance again when someone took the chair next to her.
Simon. Her entire being settled at his presence. No, that wasn’t quite true, for immediately after, her spirits soared as if on wings. Oh dear. She was in serious trouble.
“Good evening, my lord,” she managed, hoping her voice didn’t reveal the tumult of her emotions.
“Good evening.” He greeted her sisters and Lady Havenby, too, then turned to study Norah, those green eyes searching her face. “You greeted me with surprise. As if you weren’t expecting me.”
“I wasn’t.” Her face heated when several of the other guests turned to stare at Simon.
“But you sent a message requesting that I attend.”
Lena nudged Norah’s side. “Is that true? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I didn’t think he’d be able to on such short notice.”
“I nearly didn’t,” Simon muttered.
Norah turned from Lena to look at Simon, certain she’d have a sore neck by the end of the evening at this rate. “I’m so pleased you did.”
His slow smile was its own reward. “You managed to save me once again.”
Norah’s heart flipped over at his whispered admission. “I did?”
“Just when I decided never to leave my study again, you reached out and pulled me from the brink.”
“The brink of what?” Lena asked, leaning forward to look at Simon, her expression curious.
Norah glared at her. “This is a private conversation.” It was difficult to put the proper anger in her tone when she was whispering.
“Would you rather I pretend I can’t hear? Because I’m right next to you.” Lena scowled as she sat back in her chair. “Perhaps the two of you should step outside.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Norah agreed.
“No, it’s not.” Now Ella leaned forward to glare at Norah, ignoring the guests nearby who watched them closely. “The musical is about to begin.”
Exasperated, Norah heaved a beleaguered sigh, giving up on the notion of privacy, at least from her sisters. The best she could do was ignore them. “What chased you into your study?”
“I visited several other museums with the hope of finding out if they knew anything about the thefts.”
“Did they?”
“Difficult to say. It’s surprising how adept people can be at hiding their emotions.”
“Isn’t it, though?” She found his words ironic, given that she was trying to do that exact thing. Did he have any idea how much she was coming to care for him?
“There is one person who raises my suspicions, but I wonder if that’s because I don’t like him.”
“It’s difficult to remove personal opinions when investigating. We encountered that while searching for our father’s journal last year.” Norah watched as the twins and their cousins moved to the front of the room, signaling the performance was about to begin. “Where is the line between listening to one’s instincts and allowing biases to interfere?”
“Excellent question.” He glanced at her with surprise. “I hadn’t considered instincts.”
“Perhaps you should. Your bias against this man might be there for a reason.” She need only think of Lena to know how helpful listening to one’s internal voice could be.
“Interesting idea. I shall give it further thought.” He leaned closer as the ladies warmed up their instruments, making it more difficult to converse. The warm press of his arm against hers sent tingles along her skin. “What did you wish to speak with me about?”
