Edgar nodded. “I realized that almost as soon as it popped out of my mouth and you turned a concerning shade of white. But, in my defense, it never crossed my mind that you hadn’t come to the same conclusion I had—that conclusion being that we’d spend our lives together. We were the closest of friends.”
Her shoulders took to drooping. “I know we were, but in my defense, I was young, selfish, and somewhat self-absorbed the night of my debut.” She released a tiny sigh. “Quite honestly, it wasn’t as if the thought had never crossed my mind that you and I might very well see ourselves married at some point in the future—the very distant future. However, on that particular evening, my only clear objective was to be admired and fawned over as I made what I hoped was going to be a most spectacular debut.”
Edgar brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a quick kiss on it. “You were absolutely beautiful that night, deserved to bask in all the attention you were receiving, and . . .” He smiled and lowered her hand. “If it makes you feel less guilty, do know that I’ve come to believe that your rejection was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me.”
Chapter
Four
“You’re thankful I rejected your offer?” Wilhelmina all but sputtered.
To her extreme annoyance, Edgar didn’t hesitate to nod. “But of course. To refresh your memory, I was quite aimless before you rejected me. My older brother, if you’ll recall, was responsible for taking over the family business while I was left to do whatever I pleased.” His smile dimmed. “While you and I know many second sons who embrace a frivolous lifestyle, I was beginning to find that frivolous life quite boring, and was counting on my marriage to you to change that.”
“May I assume you decided that you would have grown bored with me as well?” The indignation bubbling up inside her was making it a little difficult to think.
He winced. “That didn’t come out nearly the way I intended, and I fear I may very well be making a muddle of this.”
“Too right you are.”
He sent her one of his most charming of smiles, the one he’d always brought out whenever he’d done something to annoy her in the past. The sight of it had her stomach feeling as if an entire flock of butterflies had begun fluttering through it, a feeling she didn’t appreciate in the least—especially considering how annoyed she was with the gentleman at the moment.
“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” he continued, although Wilhelmina wasn’t exactly certain what they’d gotten out of the way, “I’d like to offer you a sincere apology for the distress I caused you all those years ago.”
She waved his apology aside. “You’ve already apologized, Edgar. And again, I was more at fault than you that night.”
“I ruined what should have been one of your most memorable nights.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
“You weren’t upset that I called you a brat and told you that you’d be sorry for years and years to come that I’d never again be in your life?”
“Well, when you remind of those particular memories, yes, I was upset with you, but . . .” She smiled. “After you stormed away from my father’s house, there were quite a few gentlemen who seemed very keen to try and cheer me up.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re still a bit of a brat, aren’t you.”
Getting up from the bench, she sent him a grin before she began wandering down one of the aisles, not surprised when he joined her. Stopping beside an unusual purple flower, she leaned forward to give it a sniff. “While I freely admit that I once fit the description of a brat to perfection, I’m afraid I have far too many responsibilities these days to indulge myself with that particular attitude.”
Edgar reached out and traced a finger down the curve of her cheek, his touch lodging the breath in her throat. “I’ve heard from my mother that your father does not seem to be well these days. In fact, according to her, he’s not seen out and about in the city at all.”
Resisting the urge to sigh when he stopped touching her cheek, Wilhelmina took hold of the arm Edgar offered her and started down the path. “He never leaves the house,” she admitted. “And what I’m about to tell you is not well-known information. You see, when Father learned he’d lost the majority of his fortune in a shipping deal gone bad two years ago, he became embroiled in an argument with Mr. Jonathon Melville, the man he’d trusted to see the deal through. While Father was engaged in that heated argument, he, unfortunately, suffered an apoplectic fit. He lost his ability to speak for three months, and while he has made some improvements recovering his speech and mobility, he’s turned morose over losing his fortune, and quite honestly, I believe he’s given up all interest in living.”
Edgar pulled her to a stop. “Your father lost everything?”
Wilhelmina nodded. “I’m afraid he did, or almost everything. He’d overextended himself you see, or so the bankers have told me, to cover the shipping investment. When the entire fleet of ships went down while crossing the ocean, most of my father’s money went down with them.”
“The entire fleet went down?”
“I’m afraid so.”