Page 211 of From Rakes to Riches

Setting her elbow on the arm of the settee, she rested her chin on her palm. “Could you? So the membership committee does more than invite members. They control every aspect of the club?”

“I can’t say because I’m not a member of the committee.”

“Not allowing women to become members until after they wed is a terrible policy, as is not letting them be invited to an assembly unless they are sponsored by a member.”

Tobias ran his hand through his hair, then silently cursed himself for appearing agitated in any way. “It is not a terrible policy to disallow young, unmarried women membership. To do so would ruin the young woman.”

She cocked her head, her hand still supporting her chin. “But it doesn’t ruin older unmarried women?”

“They are already—” He snapped his mouth closed. He wasn’t sure what he’d been about to say, but nothing would be good. He’d yet to determine exactly what made a woman a spinster and found that the idea genuinely intrigued him. “I don’t disagree that the policy is unfair. However, it mirrors Society’s rules, and we must abide by them.” Except wasn’t the point of the club to buck the ton’s conventions and rigidity?

Yes, but they still couldn’t lead young ladies to ruin.

She lowered her arm, keeping the elbow on the settee. “I apologize if I seem rather naïve about these matters. Society is unnecessarily complicated, in my humble opinion.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” he murmured. “And I find your naïvete refreshing.”

She leaned toward him. “Do you?” Her dark eyes met his with unabashed curiosity.

He found himself pitching forward as well so that their faces were only a few inches apart. “Utterly.”

“My lord?”

Tobias and Miss Wingate jumped at precisely the same moment, their noses colliding with such force that they both fell back against their respective pieces of furniture with a collective “Ow!”

He held his face as numbness crawled up his nose. Miss Wingate did the same, her hand cradled over her nose and mouth.

“I beg your pardon,” Carrin said. “Mr. Dyer is here for your scheduled meeting.”

Hell, Tobias had forgotten all about that. And he’d even been thinking about Dyer a few minutes ago.

Tobias was unaccountably disappointed. Glancing toward Carrin, he slowly lowered his hand from his face. “I’ll be there in a moment.” Did he sound as if he had a cold?

Carrin inclined his head and departed.

Tobias instantly turned to Miss Wingate. “Are you all right?”

She nodded as she slowly removed her hand from her face. Wiggling her nose, she said, “I think so.”

He couldn’t stop staring at her reddened nose and the alluring way she was moving it. Because her lips also moved, and now he was fixed on them as well.

Hell.

Carefully, he rose from the chair, lest they suffer some sort of additional mishap. “I’m terribly sorry about that.”

“It was an accident.” She laughed softly. “I’m rather good at those since coming to town. I promise my agility wasn’t this poor before.”

“It’s my influence. I’m making you clumsy.”

“How can it be your fault?” She shook her head briskly. “I haven’t noticed that you are clumsy at all.”

“Given what just happened, I don’t think you can rule it out. Perhaps you should rethink your plans to delay finding a husband so you may get away from me as soon as possible.” He’d meant it as a joke, but the moment he saw the discomfort flit through her gaze, he regretted it. “That was a jest. All of this was a jest. Of course I haven’t affected your agility.”

“Of course,” she murmured.

“I must meet with my secretary now. Keep hammering away on the pianoforte, if you like.” He smiled at her on his way out.

As he made his way to his study, he wondered why, in addition to his still smarting nose, his lips were also tingling.

---