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.