Gregory and I had quite a laugh about it, actually.”
“Lord Gregory?” Tobias asked as if he didn’t know who the man was or that he’d all but delivered him into her orbit.
“We danced. And promenaded, I suppose. I liked him very much.” Her eyes sparkled in the lamplight. “He said he was recently invited to join the Phoenix Club but hadn’t yet decided whether to accept. I convinced him he should.”
“Did you now?”
“What possible reason could there be to decline it?” She stared at him intently. “It’s a coveted invitation. I heard one woman carping about being ignored by the club, but she seemed unpleasant. And since everyone I know who is a member is exceedingly pleasant, it’s easy to deduce that the membership must be of a high quality.”
Enchanted by her reasoning, he curled his mouth into a faint smile. “Which members do you know exactly?”
“Er, you, of course. And I met Lord Lucien this evening.” She looked up at the ceiling of the coach, as if she might find an answer in the brocade. “Very well, I don’t know many, but you are exceedingly pleasant.”
Feeling inordinately flattered, Tobias sat a bit straighter. “Thank you.”
Miss Wingate tipped her head to the side. She brushed at a dark red curl grazing her temple. “What is the Star Chamber?”
Tobias stared at her. “The what?”
“That’s what some call the club’s membership committee.”
“Is that true?” He glanced toward Miss Lancaster.
Her brows rose. “Why would I know?”
“No reason. I’m just…surprised.” He laughed. “And amused. The Star Chamber, really?”
“Because it’s so secretive,” Miss Wingate said, lowering her voice and grinning as she said the last word.
“And because the committee has such power,” Miss Lancaster put in.
“So you did know?” Tobias asked Miss Lancaster.
She shrugged, smiling faintly.
Miss Wingate nodded. “Yes, their power. I’d love to know who’s on this committee. Besides Lord Lucien, of course. And the patronesses.”
“Who said the patronesses are on the committee?” The question leapt from his mouth before he considered how it might sound. But it was silly to think they’d gather he was on the committee from just that.
“No one said,” Miss Wingate answered breezily, not seeming to make any assumptions about his question. “Lord Gregory and I were only musing as to who the members might be. They seemed the most obvious candidates. I have not met Mrs. Renshaw. I understand she oversees the ladies’ side.”
Tobias knew what she was doing. “You’re trying to maneuver your way into an assembly, aren’t you?”
“Is that bad?” Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she pursed her lips. “You’re certainly not helping.”
“That’s not true.” He crossed his arms. “Why are you so bloody interested in going to a Phoenix Club ball anyway?”
She blew out a breath. “Didn’t I just finish explaining how coveted an invitation to the Phoenix Club is? Truly, if you want me to have a successful Season, I must attend a Phoenix Club assembly. Only think of how attractive that will make me to potential suitors.”
Laughter exploded from him then. “Attending a ball as a guest is not the same as being a member. I daresay there will be a number of young ladies who attend a ball who will not find themselves members in the future when they are eligible.”
“So some of the attendees will be beneath the club’s lofty standards, while I won’t even be able to go.” She clasped her hands in her lap and blinked at him.
Hell, he’d walked right into that. “I am working on how you might attend an assembly, all right?”
Unlacing her hands, she rested them on the seat on either side of her lap. “You are?”
“Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t come to fruition.”
“It’s a stupid rule. You’re a member and you’re my guardian. I should be able to go with Prudence as my chaperone.”
Once again, he couldn’t argue with her reasoning. If she knew he was a member of the committee that could change such rules, she would never let the matter alone. “I’ll speak with Lucien.” Perhaps they should allow young ladies with male family members—or guardians—to attend the assemblies. And Lucien wouldn’t have to invite his irritating aunt. Damn, why hadn’t he thought of this earlier?
“Miss Wingate, if I haven’t already marveled at your intelligence, allow me to do so again.”
She inclined her head with a well-earned, smug smile. “Thank you, my lord.”
Very smart. And amusing.
And far too beautiful by half.
“I must say, I did like Lord Gregory,” she murmured, turning her gaze toward the window.
And she just might beat Tobias