“He can’t do without you, more like it,” Emma said with a soft laugh. “We can all see the way he looks at you.”

A faint blush tinged Ada’s cheeks. “I am very fortunate.”

“If you’re going to converse, move away,” Lord Dungannon grumped.

Emma put her hand on his shoulder. “Yes, dear.” She bussed his cheek, then wished him good luck before leading Evie and Ada from the gaming room.

They moved into a vestibule behind the staircase hall. “My apologies for Lord Dungannon,” the viscountess said. “He becomes awfully fixated on his gaming.”

Evie waved her hand. “No need to apologize. We are well acquainted with his brusqueness and don’t take it personally.”

Emma’s brow puckered. “Evie, I’ve been wanting to speak with you outside our next patroness meeting.” That was scheduled for later in the week. “Millie has been carping about her membership recommendations being ignored. She is particularly annoyed about her most recent suggestion—Lord and Lady Witney.”

“I can imagine,” Evie said. “Millie’s recommendations do not often lead to invitations. I do wonder sometimes if she’s happy being a patroness here.”

Emma nodded slowly. “I’ve wondered the same. But she’ll never resign—even if we install a fifth patroness whom she doesn’t like. She has no hope of becoming a patroness at Almack’s, and this is the next best thing.”

“Is it?” Evie hadn’t realized. The Phoenix Club was nothing like Almack’s.

“It’s the exclusivity,” Emma said.

“But we aren’t that exclusive,” Ada argued. “Indeed, we include those who aren’t invited to Almack’s and other places.”

“We also exclude those who are invited everywhere,” Emma pointed out kindly.

Ada frowned slightly. “I hadn’t thought of it as being exclusive. I didn’t think those people wanted to be members.”

“Lady Witney does,” Evie said flatly. “I encountered her over the holidays, and to say she was persistent with her expressions of desire for an invitation would be an understatement.”

Perhaps, in the interest of the club’s mission, the membership committee should invite the Witneys. Lucien could be clear about the club’s purpose as well as the sort of condescending conduct that wouldn’t be tolerated. Then, if they exhibited such behavior, they would be expelled. No, if they did that, they’d have to invite practically everyone, regardless of their attitude and treatment of others, and that wasn’t the community Lucien had built.

Emma wrinkled her nose. “So, she turned to Millie. I do dislike when someone launches a campaign to be invited.”

Evie looked earnestly to Emma. “I have a proposition that may help matters. What if we add a patroness? Specifically, I was thinking of Lady Edgemont.”

“Oh!” Emma’s eyes widened briefly before she smiled. “Aren’t you clever. Do you think she would accept?”