She smiled. “Hopefully I’ll have good news to share with them by then or I might actually consider taking a trip out of the city for a few weeks.”
Edgar returned her smile. “I don’t think you’ll be forced to leave the city, Mother, although I have to say it’s becoming quite clear that society is growing more peculiar by the minute. Why, I can’t imagine what these ladies were thinking, braving the elements in order to learn more about the so-called romance of the season, an event that just happens to be a complete fabrication on the part of what is clearly a delusional columnist. In all honesty, there was absolutely nothing of a romantic nature to be witnessed last night, unless you count the part where I kissed Wilhelmina, but no one was even around to witness that event.”
“You never mentioned a thing about kissing Wilhelmina.”
“And as a gentleman, I shouldn’t have mentioned it now. So in order to maintain my position as a gentleman, while avoiding questions I know you’re about to pose, I’ll bid you good afternoon for now. Hopefully, I’ll have encouraging news to share with you after I’ve spoken with Wilhelmina.”
Mr. Hodges, who’d taken up his usual position by the door, took that moment to clear his throat. “If I may make a suggestion, sir? I would look in Central Park for Miss Radcliff first before traveling on to Gramercy Park. Quite a few of the drivers saw fit to tell me there are plans for society to gather in the park this afternoon, plans that include ice-skating, if I’m not mistaken.”
Edgar frowned as he got to his feet. “Won’t the ice at the lake in Central Park be buried under too much snow for skating?”
Mr. Hodges returned the frown. “Surely, sir, you haven’t forgotten that something as trivial as a blizzard will have little to no impact on society and their pursuit of frivolities.”
“I suppose I have, but I do thank you for the suggestion. It may very well save me some time in tracking her down.”
Giving his mother a kiss on her cheek, Edgar turned and accepted the greatcoat Mr. Hodges was holding out to him. Slipping his arms into the sleeves, he buttoned it up, stepped through the door Mr. Hodges was holding open, and found himself considering a sky that was beginning to look threatening once again. Flipping up his collar, he strode down the snow-covered sidewalk, unable to help but wonder if he might actually be fortunate enough to win Wilhelmina’s hand once and for all before this day was through.
Chapter
Six
“I simply cannot apologize to you enough, Miss Radcliff, for the truly deplorable behavior of my stepsister, Lucy, last night,” Miss Griswold said as she steered the well-appointed sleigh down the surprisingly busy snow-covered street.
Tucking a strand of hair that had escaped its pins back underneath her hat, Wilhelmina smiled as she turned to her new friend. “You really must not consider the matter another minute, Miss Griswold. I’m sure your stepsister didn’t notify Mrs. Travers about seeing me and Mr. Wanamaker disappear through the French doors out of any sense of malice. As I’ve mentioned, the blizzard struck right around the time Edgar and I were foolish enough to venture outside, so I’m sure your stepsister was simply concerned for our welfare.”
Miss Griswold suddenly seemed to forget she was responsible for controlling the magnificent beast that was pulling the sleigh, because she oh-so-casually dropped the reins into her lap even as she turned to catch Wilhelmina’s eye. “I do wish I could agree with you, Miss Radcliff, but my stepsister has been cosseted outrageously throughout her nineteen years on this earth. That cosseting only increased when her father died five years back. While she doesn’t possess a truly vindictive nature, she does possess a self-indulgent one, and that right there is why she alerted Mrs. Travers to your disappearance.”
“I’m afraid I’m not following you,” Wilhelmina admitted, keeping an eye on the horse that, surprisingly enough, didn’t seem to need a guiding hand as it pulled them ever closer to Central Park.
“Mr. Wanamaker is an extremely handsome gentleman, Miss Radcliff. Add in the rumors regarding that respectable fortune he’s apparently in possession of, and I’m afraid he’s just become of great interest to all the eligible society ladies in the city. Lucy, I’m sad to say, is no exception to that and apparently decided she wanted your Mr. Wanamaker for herself. That, my dear, is exactly why you were discovered in the conservatory.”