not a question Fiona expected. She jolted, her mind going right back to that moment and the pleasure of his embrace. “Yes.” The word was a bare whisper, an almost silent affirmation of what she dared not admit and yet couldn’t seem to withhold.
Fiona rushed to say something else, to distract from what she’d revealed. “He’s going to send me back to Shropshire immediately.”
“Is that what he said?”
“No, but why wouldn’t he? I deserve nothing less.”
“How did you ruin him? If you were seen kissing, you’d be the one ruined, not him.”
“Because no one recognized me. They assumed, based on my costume, that I was a maid and that Lord Overton was having his way with me.”
Cassandra grimaced, her brow creasing as her jaw tensed. “Now I understand. And he’s been working so hard to improve his reputation.”
Fiona stiffened. “You knew about that?”
“Vaguely.” Cassandra waved her hand. “He has a reputation as a rake, as do a good number of gentlemen, including my brother. I mean Lu, of course. Con is the most staid gentleman you’ll ever meet. Poor Sabrina.”
“Sabrina?”
“His wife. She’s lovely. Hopefully she’ll come to town so you can meet her.” Cassandra frowned and then touched Fiona’s arm. “This is all my fault. I never should have suggested this endeavor. You must lay the blame entirely upon me.”
“I can’t do that. We were in this together.”
“I don’t want Overton to send you back to Shropshire. Please say whatever you must.”
Fiona smiled and took her friend’s hand. “I would never make you the scapegoat, just as you didn’t abandon me at the club.”
“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,