Curiously enough, he found her sitting smack-dab in the middle of the entranceway with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. The chair she was sitting in was one that normally resided in the drawing room, as was the small table that was right beside the chair, and the fact that her slipper-clad feet were resting on a small pouf of a footstool had him struggling to swallow a laugh.
“I do beg your pardon, Mother,” he began, wiping his feet on the entranceway mat before walking in her direction. “I’m afraid the weather is beyond dreadful today, so it took me longer than expected to take care of business around the city this morning. However, foul weather aside, you haven’t been sitting here long, have you?” he asked, leaning down to place a kiss on his mother’s upturned cheek.
After he straightened, Nora immediately took to consulting a small watch pinned to the underside of her sleeve. “I’ve been waiting here for exactly two hours and forty-seven minutes.”
“Why in the world wouldn’t you have simply waited for me in the drawing room, where I’m sure there’s a roaring fire in the fireplace and a lovely view of the snow-covered trees from the windows?”
“And chance missing you again?” Nora folded her hands primly in her lap. “I think not. After returning home from the ball, you, my dear boy, were unsatisfactorily vague about where matters stood with Wilhelmina. Because of that, I’m sorry to say that I eventually came to the conclusion that you might very well try your hand at avoidance tactics—your goal with that being, of course, to avoid me.”
A scraping noise distracted Edgar from the slightly concerning conversation he was sharing with his mother. Turning, he discovered Mr. Hodges dragging a chair—one that matched the chair his mother was sitting in—across the entranceway. Angling it exactly so, Mr. Hodges gestured Edgar toward it.
Not caring to disappoint the butler who’d taken to moping his brow with a handkerchief—the exertion from the dragging apparently having been a bit much for the man—Edgar settled into the chair and accepted the cup of tea his mother poured for him from a silver pot resting on her small table. Taking a sip, he regarded his mother and Mr. Hodges, refusing to sigh when they took to watching him in what could only be described as an anticipatory way.
“What do you think?” Nora asked when he lowered the cup.
“About your suspicious nature, or . . . something else?”
“The tea, dear,” she said with a sniff. “I don’t possess a suspicious nature.”
“Of course you don’t, especially given the unusual occurrence of you taking up a position in the entranceway.”
He thought he heard his mother mutter something about “Daunting circumstances call for unusual methods” before she tugged the shawl more snuggly around herself. “The entranceway suits me this morning.” She lifted her nose in the air. “But returning to the tea . . . ?”
Taking another sip of tea, he smiled. “It’s excellent as I’m certain you already know.”
Nora picked up her own cup and saluted him with it. “Your friend Mr. Asher Rutherford sent the tea to me the other day, seeking my opinion about the blend before he makes a firm decision on whether or not to stock it in his charming shop.” Her eyes turned rather distant. “Asher is such a dear, sweet boy, one whom I have to imagine never gives his mother a second of trouble.”
It took a concerted effort to avoid releasing the snort he longed to release. “I’ve known Asher Rutherford since my school days, Mother, and believe me, he is no angel—no matter that he seems especially proficient at convincing the mothers of his closest friends he is.”
Nora pursed her lips. “Any gentleman who has been able to create such an inviting atmosphere for ladies to shop in has to be possessed of a most considerate nature, darling. Why, he has actually decorated the designer room in shades of pale pink, giving clear testimony to what I can only describe as his sensitive side.”
Seeing little point in arguing with his mother, or disappointing her by explaining that Asher had only chosen the pink because he’d discovered that particular color seemed to increase spending in his store, Edgar crossed one ankle over the other and sent his mother a smile. “I’ll be sure to tell Asher that you’re impressed with how sensitive he is. But really, Mother, I must admit I take issue with the direction of this conversation. I have rarely caused you any trouble, something your earlier statement seems to suggest you’ve forgotten.”
“You don’t think the current state of affairs with Wilhelmina constitutes a troubling situation?”
“Since I haven’t seen Wilhelmina since we parted ways at the ball last night, I can’t say with any certainty just yet if she and I are involved in anything that could be considered troubling.”
Nora leaned toward Edgar. “She did actually agree to marry you this time, though, didn’t she? I’m afraid that is something you didn’t explain to satisfaction last night.”
“When you say agree, do you mean verbally agree?” Edgar asked slowly.
Nora took a hefty gulp of her tea, set down the cup, and exchanged a rather meaningful look with Mr. Hodges. “Didn’t I tell you, Mr. Hodges, that I had a feeling Edgar hadn’t settled matters properly with Wilhelmina?”