“Knew wha—oh.” Mortification turned her cheeks hot; she only barely stopped her hands from flying up to cover her face. “Oh no. No, no, no. Moore. Ohio. The Moore family.”

Of course she knew who the Moores were—they were practically the first family of American science. Why she hadn’t made the connection sooner … she was an idiot. It was the only explanation. “You’re Samuel Moore.”

“Now you definitely knew that,” Sam said, staring at her like she had taken leave of her senses. “I remember very clearly. I said I was Professor Samuel Moore, and you asked me what I was a professor of, and I told you, and then you told me you weren’t interested in going to bed with me.”

“I—” Oh, if her cheeks got any hotter they’d burn her face off. Maybe she could fling herself off the side of the buggy. Sure, she might break a bone or two, but actual physical pain might overwhelm her embarrassment. She took a deep breath and decided she could simply ignore his last sentence. “I’ve been in Europe for the last twelve years,” she said. “I read American news while I was there, but it’s not always in the front of my mind. You’re the Samuel Moore. The Moore Conduit. The Moore Rail System. The Moore lantern.”

“Actually, I only invented two of the Moore lanterns,” Sam said. “There are four. My parents have one apiece.”

“And your parents! I met them! John Moore!”

Sam grimaced. “Yes, it’s a shame he’s so much more famous than she is. It’s a travesty, actually—she’s every bit as important, but no one seems to care. Does this mean you’ll let me look at your house?”

“Oh, I—” Alva looked down at her hands, the question bringing her back to herself. Did it change anything? She still didn’t have the time. She still didn’t believe in ghosts—couldn’t afford to believe in ghosts. And getting even closer to Sam still seemed like a very, very bad idea. “No,” she said. “I’m sorry, but my answer hasn’t changed.”

She stiffened her spine and grimaced, waiting for his anger to come. She’d refused him before, but never after he’d come several hours to see her, and never without a crowd of people around her.

“Why are you looking like that?”

She glanced at him from under her lashes. His voice hadn’t seemed angry, but she barely knew the man. She reminded herself she was no longer in the habit of bowing to other people’s fury. “I’m sorry if that frustrates you,” she said, testing the waters.