“I couldn’t! I honestly didn’t know what I was going to do, but I wasn’t going to just leave you there.” She squeezed Fiona’s fingers. “Though we only recently met, I have never had a friend as dear as you.”
“I haven’t either, which is why I won’t mention you at all. Overton won’t even know you were there. And Mrs. Renshaw is going to keep your secret too.”
Cassandra blew out a breath. “I don’t deserve any of that. I maintain this is my fault.”
They stared at each other a moment before collapsing into a hug against the seat until they were both laughing.
They separated, and Fiona flopped back against the squab. “I don’t know how I can find amusement in this. I’m quite anxious to see Lord Overton.”
“If he tries to send you back to Shropshire, you must allow me, or better yet, Lu, to intervene. I won’t let you go. How can I possibly survive this Season without you?”
Fiona appreciated her friend’s support, but it was more than that. She didn’t want to return to Bitterley either, and she would do whatever necessary to prevent it—whatever her guardian insisted.
What if that included kissing? It would never, of course, but she might dream that it did.
Chapter 12
Tobias stood stoic as he watched Evie Renshaw lead his ward away through the Ladies’ Phoenix Club garden. Inside, however, he was raging. Not in anger—well, not entirely in anger—but with a wholly unexpected, unwanted, and unsuitable desire.
“Overton, I must insist you cease that sort of interaction with our maids at once.” Lady Hargrove stood with one hand on her hip as she glowered at him from perhaps five feet away.
“It was just one maid,” he muttered. Who wasn’t even a maid. But he couldn’t make that clarification without answering questions as to who she really was. Better for everyone to just think she was a maid.
And he was a lecher.
“One maid, five maids—it should be no maids!” Lady Hargrove turned to Lucien, who was staring at Tobias with a mix of pity and disbelief. “Lord Lucien, if you can’t keep a rein on your friend, we may need to consider expulsion.”
Tobias’s eyes widened briefly. In over a year of the club’s existence, they’d never expelled anyone. There was no process. Yet. Hell, Tobias refused to be the first. Could they even toss someone who was on the bloody membership committee? As if he could hear Tobias’s question, Lucien gave him the tiniest shake of his head. It did little to improve Tobias’s mood.
“Let us continue with our discussions for the upcoming assemblies, beginning with next week.” Smiling blandly, Lucien gestured for those who’d come into the garden to return to the ballroom.
As Tobias walked past his friend, he said nothing. Lucien, however, murmured, “We’ll discuss this after.”
Tobias could hardly wait.
Inside the ballroom, Mrs. Holland-Ward, one of the ladies’ club patronesses, announced the plan to have a series of themed balls, beginning with the first of the Season on the second of March. Though it wasn’t yet spring, it would be a celebration of the new season and of beginnings. Those gathered, which included the other patronesses, the membership committee—which the patronesses did not realize was the membership committee—as well as a few other chosen members from each side of the club. The latter group had been invited so as to not only include the membership committee in order to keep their identity secret.
Tobias thought about how Fiona wanted to come to the balls. Could he allow that now? Would someone here recognize her from today? He’d tried to keep her hidden from everyone, and no one realized she was his ward. However, Evie would know. What was Evie doing with her now?
And what was Tobias going to do with her?
Anger—solely directed at himself—rose inside him, and he worked to keep the scowl from his face. In one moment, he’d completely ruined all the good he’d done the past fortnight. For a kiss. But what a kiss… He could still feel the sweet softness of her lips, the eager clasp of her hands on his shoulders, the delicious press of her body against his.
She was his goddamned ward.
She was also a massive pain in his arse. What the hell had she been thinking coming here dressed as a maid? Clearly, this had been a well thought out, premeditated scheme. No, it hadn’t been well thought out. It had been utter madness. She’d come horribly close to being seen by everyone. If he hadn’t been the first person out of the room upstairs and seen her before anyone else… It didn’t bear thinking about.
He ought to send her back to Shropshire tomorrow. Or ensure she was wed with the utmost haste—before she could ruin herself. She’d come damned close today. He realized she didn’t want to marry right away, but she’d quite forfeited her wishes with her impudent behavior.
“Did you hear any of that?” Lucien asked quietly from his right.
Blinking, Tobias realized people had broken off into groups and some were leaving. The men—Wexford, MacNair, and a few other fellows—walked into the men’s side of the ballroom, presumably to go upstairs.
“You can tell me what I missed,” Tobias said, eager to be on his way and…what? Find Fiona? Was she even still here? Evie hadn’t yet returned.
Lucien moved to stand directly in front of Tobias and narrowed his eyes. “You missed the bloody issue you raised earlier—whether to allow unmarried relatives of members into the assemblies.”
“Hell, I missed that? I’m rather, ah, distracted.”
“I should think so.” Lucien shook his head. “Yes, you missed it. Three of the four patronesses were in support, so it passed. Young ladies with relatives who are members may attend, but they must have a chaperone.”
“Let me guess, Lady Hargrove was not in favor.” Tobias slid a glance toward the woman. In her late forties, she was his least favorite of the patronesses, so, of course, it was her who’d seen him kissing Fiona. Lady Hargrove
