Opening her mouth to apologize once again, she immediately swallowed the apology when she noticed that his lips had taken to twitching at the corners. Tugging her arm free of his, she moved over to a stone bench flanked by some exotic-looking red flowers and took a seat.
She was not amused when he took a seat right beside her, crowding her in the process.
“When did you get so large?” she asked, scooting as casually as she could away from him, not allowing herself to dwell on why his nearness was bothering her.
“When I began working in a steel mill.”
Wilhelmina blinked. “You worked in a steel mill?”
Nodding, Edgar smiled. “Surprising, I know, but I’d studied up on the improvements being made in the steel industry while I was attending the university. When I left New York directly after your debut, I decided I needed a distraction. Since steel was becoming in high demand, what with all the bridges and buildings being built in the city, it was the perfect time for me to get some real-life experience within the steel industry.”
The casual manner in which Edgar mentioned his need for a distraction didn’t fool Wilhelmina in the least. She’d hurt him by rejecting his offer of marriage, and now seemed to be the perfect time to make amends for the hurt she’d dealt him.
Reaching out, she oh-so-casually poked his upper arm, impressed when she felt the hardness underneath his shirt. “While it’s obvious you benefited quite notably from your stint in the steel mills, I do want you to know that I’m truly sorry for the pain I put you through when I refused to marry you.” She sighed. “It was not well done of me to have treated you in such a cavalier manner, and I have wanted to apologize to you for years.”
She caught his gaze. “I did ask your mother about you whenever our paths crossed, but . . . she refused to divulge your whereabouts, and truth be told, I believe she has yet to forgive me for rejecting your proposal.”
“Of course she hasn’t forgiven you, Wilhelmina. In her mind, you hurt the feelings of her adorable—and need I remind you, charming—son. Which is why she still takes to muttering less-than-pleasant mutters about you under her breath whenever I try to bring you into the conversation.”
Edgar gave a sad shake of his head. “She’s especially put out with you over the idea that you proclaimed—in front of witnesses, no less—that the very last thing you’d ever want in life was to be known as Wilhelmina Wanamaker for the rest of your days.”
Wilhelmina winced. “I completely forgot about that. Do know that I will apologize to your mother about that nasty business, if she ever condescends to speak to me again, that is.”
“As you should, since Mother always proclaimed that Wilhelmina Wanamaker had a very nice ring to it, a proclamation she’s certain you remembered, which has allowed her to believe you were insulting not only me the night of your debut, but her as well.”
“Oh . . . dear.”
“Oh dear, indeed,” Edgar agreed quite cheerfully.
Wilhelmina blew out a breath. “I do hope you know that I didn’t deliberately set out to hurt your feelings that particular night, or hurt the feelings of your mother by my careless words. I was simply taken by surprise when you dropped to one knee and proposed to me, in the middle of the ballroom. And because of that, I fear my response was not what anyone could consider kind.”
Edgar reached out and took her hand in his. “And that right there, my dear Wilhelmina, is one of the reasons I needed to speak with you. You seem to be under the misimpression that you wronged me the night of your debut, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I was the one in the wrong. For that, I am truly sorry, and I hope you’ll find it within your heart to accept that apology.”
“You returned to the city to apologize to me?” she asked. “I thought you mentioned something about marriage.”
“I can’t very well move forward with my life while I still have so many issues left unresolved with you.”
“So you are intending on getting married?”
Edgar frowned. “I’m twenty-eight years old. I certainly can’t make the claim that the thought of marriage hasn’t flashed to mind more and more often as time goes ticking on by at a remarkable faster and faster clip.”
Wilhelmina’s brows drew together. “And you have a specific lady in mind to do this settling down with?”
With his brows drawing together as well, Edgar took to considering her for a long moment, something interesting taking up residence in his eyes. “I would imagine that I do have a lady in mind, although . . . I’m not certain she returns my interest.” The look in his eyes intensified. “Tell me this, Wilhelmina. . . . Why do you sound so disgruntled by the idea of me settling down?”
Swallowing the denial that had been on the very tip of her tongue, Wilhelmina considered the question, realizing a mere second later that she was disgruntled. The reasoning behind that disgruntlement, curiously enough, seemed to revolve around the idea that the very thought of him marrying another woman set her teeth on edge.