“Evening, Aldington,” Tobias greeted him pleasantly. “Mind if I join you?”
The earl’s hazel eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up at Tobias. “You’re here again?”
“Yes. I am a member.” Tobias sat down, and a footman immediately offered him a glass of port, which Tobias accepted.
“Who hasn’t visited White’s in years until a few nights ago.” He sipped his port, peering dubiously at Tobias over the rim of his glass. “And you sought me out then too.”
“Because I intended to. Did I not tell you at the Edgemont ball that I would meet you for a drink here?”
Aldington set his glass down. “You did. What’s your reason tonight?” Though he didn’t bear a strong resemblance to his younger brother, they shared the same hooded eye shape and thick brows, which could work in concert to make them appear both devilishly handsome and uncomfortably intimidating. Aldington was currently the latter.
The truth was not only boring; it wasn’t something Tobias wanted to admit, particularly since others were wagering on his behavior. Instead, he broached a topic that was also important. “I wanted to speak with you about Lady Cassandra. She took my ward into the ladies’ gaming room this evening.”
“Yes, I did learn my sister was in there. While I don’t personally find that to be an acceptable activity for an unwed lady, it is not my place to instruct her. Our aunt is managing such things.”
“Yes, well, she even funded my ward’s participation. Miss Wingate is not the daughter of a duke whose debut has been anticipated for several years. She’s a...” Tobias stumbled over his words. He’d been about to say she was a provincial miss from the middle of nowhere, but that was grossly inadequate, as well as unfair. She didn’t deserve to be described in a way that would demand certain expectations of her. “Miss Wingate is new to London and is trying to make her very best impression.”
“I understand. However, entering a gaming room is probably not the best impression.”
Tobias nearly scowled but schooled his features into a serene expression. “No, which is why I’d like your sister—my ward’s newest and apparently dearest friend—to guide her more appropriately.”
“You can’t expect Cassandra to act in the manner of companion or chaperone, let alone sponsor. Isn’t Lady Pickering managing your ward? I should think she’d be more than up to the challenge of bringing a country miss to heel.”
Gritting his teeth, Tobias curled his hand around the stem of his glass. “She’s not a dog, Aldington.”
“Of course not. My apologies.” Aldington exhaled and took another drink of port. “The musicale gave me a headache, I’m afraid. I would not have bothered to go if Cassandra wasn’t having her Season. Deuced annoying to shepherd these young women, but it’s our duty, alas.” He fixed his gaze on Tobias. “I imagine it must be even more frustrating for you since your ward isn’t even a relation. How did she come to be your ward anyway?”
Tobias had been frustrated upon learning he had a ward, but he wasn’t anymore. He liked Miss Wingate, even if she had…frustrated him this evening. “She was my father’s ward. Her father was a dear friend of his.”
“I will speak with Cassandra and encourage her to be mindful of her new friend and their differences as to how Society might view them and their behavior.”
“I do appreciate that, thank you.” Tobias lifted his glass in a toast before taking a drink.
Aldington laid his palm flat atop the table, his fingertips on the base of his glass. “I’d thought you were coming here to demonstrate you’d settled down and were ready to take on the responsibilities of your title.”
“That is certainly an added benefit,” Tobias said with a smile.
“And are you?” One of Aldington’s thick brows rose. “Settling down?”
“Since I have inherited, I fear it’s time.”
Aldington glanced down at his glass as he traced his finger around the base. “Have you given up your mistress?”
Tobias was momentarily confounded. That wasn’t a question he would have expected from the man. “Er, yes.”
“I was only curious. Many do not.”
“Have you kept yours?” Tobias doubted the man had even had one but couldn’t help asking. If Aldington was going to be curious about such matters, he would have to expect the same in return.
“I have never kept a mistress.” His tone was cool, but his eyes didn’t meet Tobias’s.
Tobias didn’t know what to make of that. He didn’t know much about Aldington or his marital situation beyond the fact that he and his wife seemed to spend little time together. That fact and Aldington’s query about Barbara was why Tobias had considered that perhaps Lucien’s brother was not as staid as they believed him to be.
Aldington finished his port. “You must excuse me. I’m afraid this pain in my head insists I retire.” He stood. “Will I see you here in another few days?”
“Perhaps sooner,” Tobias said, wondering if he could bring himself to suffer another visit so quickly. It wasn’t that White’s was terrible, but the Phoenix Club was so much more than a club where men gathered to drink, gamble, and converse. And not just because Lucien had included women in the entire plan, though that was a large part of it. The purpose of the Phoenix Club was to include those who were often excluded, to offer a haven to those who had nowhere else to find comfort and camaraderie.
When Tobias had been at the butt of a scandal two years ago, many people he knew, including some he’d thought were friends, had turned their backs on him because it was the fashionable thing to do. Lucien, on the other hand, had founded the Phoenix Club and made sure that Tobias was one of the first members, along with Wexford and MacNair, who were also treated as outcasts from time to time. Since then, inviting people who were often on the outside looking in had been one
