Drawing in a sharp breath over that revelation, she then completely forgot all about releasing the breath when truth reared up and smacked her firmly over the head.
Edgar Wanamaker—no matter that she’d rejected him out of hand and hadn’t set eyes on him for years—was a gentleman she could easily picture herself growing old with, sharing children with, and . . . loving . . . forever.
That she hadn’t even realized any of that until this very moment, with him sitting right beside her no less, had her feeling distinctly light-headed, although that might have been because she’d been holding her breath and . . .
“On my word, Willie, you’ve taken to looking rather queasy—what with your face turning that somewhat disturbing shade of green. Are you all right?”
Having no idea how to respond to that since she was certainly not all right—especially since the world as she knew it had suddenly taken a turn for the concerning—Wilhelmina pulled her hand from Edgar’s and rose to her feet. “I’m afraid the heat in this conservatory has begun taking a toll on me, which means we really should return to the ball.”
Rising to his feet as well, Edgar took hold of her arm, pulled her directly over to a door that led to the back of the conservatory, pushed it open, and pulled her outside with him.
A blast of freezing air settled over her, followed by snow. Blinking flakes out of her lashes and feeling anything but overly warm, she lifted her head and caught his eye. “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said the heat had gotten to me.”
Edgar smiled. “But I imagine it did the trick, though, didn’t it? You’re looking far less queasy now, and . . . we’ll be able to finish our conversation without being surrounded by curious guests.”
Not caring to hear more about his marriage plans, Wilhelmina lifted her chin. “I’m not certain we have much more to discuss.”
Taking hold of her hand, Edgar pulled her back inside the conservatory and hustled her straight back to their bench. Lowering himself down beside her, he pulled her hand back into his.
“Now then, where were we?” he asked pleasantly.
“How is it possible that I’d forgotten how stubborn you can be?” she asked.
“I’m sure I have no idea, since I’ve been told that stubbornness is part of my charm.”
“I’m not certain I’d call it charming, but . . .” She felt her lips begin to curve. “I have, curiously enough, missed your incredibly stubborn self over the last few years.”
“And I’ve missed your incredibly delightful habit of contradicting me at every turn.”
“I’m sure I don’t contradict you at every turn,” she said as he quirked a brow her way.
“I’m sure you do, but before we find ourselves at sixes and sevens with each other, tell me what you’ve been doing over the years I’ve been gone.”
Having no wish to speak about the mundane path her life had traveled of late, she shook her head. “I’d much rather hear about you, specifically about that stint in a steel mill you mentioned.”
“I still work in the steel industry,” Edgar began. “Although I work in my own mills instead of working for someone else these days.”
“Which does explain why someone mentioned you’ve returned to town with a respectable fortune at your disposal.”
“I don’t know if I’d consider my fortune as being at the respectable level as of yet, but I do have high hopes for the future if my Pittsburgh mills keep performing as well as they have been of late.”
Wilhelmina wrinkled her nose. “You live in Pittsburgh?”
“Why do I get the distinct feeling that I’ve just said something that’s gotten me into trouble?”
“Because Pittsburgh isn’t that far away from New York City, and yet, you’ve stayed remarkably absent from New York these past seven years.”
Edgar’s brows drew together. “Who said I haven’t visited New York over the past seven years?”
For a second, she found herself speechless, but only for a second. “Are you saying that you’ve come home often but have never, as in ever, stopped in to see me?”
“Surely, given that you were once very familiar with my mother, you couldn’t have thought that she’d be willing to accept the idea that I’d not visit her for occasions such as her birthday and other holidays, could you?”
“You’ve been back numerous times?”
Edgar had the audacity to laugh. “I must admit that your indignation is doing wonders for that wounded pride I’ve been living with for years.”
“I highly doubt your pride was wounded for years,” she said with her best attempt at a sniff, an attempt she obviously didn’t pull off well since he laughed again.
Giving her hand a bit of a pat, Edgar leaned closer. “My pride was wounded long enough, thank you very much, especially since I’d never considered the idea that you’d turn down my marriage proposal.”
“Your proposal took me by complete surprise.”