Page 13 of A Wallflower to Win the Viscount

With as much composure as he could maintain, he bent down, picked up the nearest rabbit, tucked it under his arm and went in search of another. When he had a precarious grip on four rabbits he headed for the gate, which was blocked by the goat.

‘Get out of the way,’ he ordered, resisting the temptation to push the animal in case it once again resulted in a reprimand from Miss Fairburn, followed by more incessant honking.

Despite his lowered voice, the annoying goat bleated loudly and stamped its foot, which caused even louder honking to erupt, along with much flapping of wings.

‘I didn’t kick it,’ he called pre-emptively to Miss Fairburn. ‘Oh, dear God, no,’ he added under his breath, his jaw clenching at the disastrous sight that befell him.

The estate agent, the butler and two horrified strangers were standing at the French doors looking out at the garden. From the couple’s expressions it was obvious he had lost his sale. Of course he had. No person in their right mind would want this house after seeing a goose pecking at the French doors, an irate goat blocking the gate, and a frustrated and dishevelled viscount standing at the bottom of the garden with four squirming rabbits in his arms.

The only person who looked entirely composed was Miss Fairburn, who was smiling at the people behind the glass doors as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about a chaotic barnyard scene in the middle of Kensington.

Lucian released the rabbits. Three of them hopped off up the garden, but one of them sat at his feet, twitching its black nose, as if asking him what he was going to do now.

‘I have absolutely no idea,’ he said, admitting defeat to the small ball of fur.

Primrose continued smiling apologetically at the people standing at the glass doors until they moved away. Then she had no choice but to turn to the enraged viscount at the bottom of the yard.

‘I’m sorry. Really, really sorry,’ she repeated as he approached her, his face as dark as the sky before a thunderstorm.

She continued smiling, trying to lighten his mood. ‘But maybe it’s all for the best,’ she said soothingly. ‘If that couple doesn’t like animals, then they won’t make very good neighbours, so it’s probably better if they don’t buy this house.’

He stepped closer and glared down at her. ‘And it might be better if you did what you’re told and kept those damned animals on your own property or, better still, got rid of them,’ he said through clenched teeth. ‘Turn them into rabbit stew or goose pie or something.’

Primrose gasped, hardly able to believe what she had just heard. She knew he didn’t particularly like animals, but how could he possibly speak like that, and within hearing of the bunnies and the geese? And to think she’d thought him a handsome man. She was so wrong. Whether he meant it or not, there was nothing attractive about a man who would say such a thing. He was an abomination.

‘How dare you?’ she said seething, explosive rage boiling up inside her.

‘I dare quite easily. You and your animals just lost me a prospective sale. If that couple had bought this house, which the agent assured me was all but guaranteed, I could be rid of this property and on my way back to America.’

‘It’s all your own fault.’ She placed her hands firmly on her hips so he would know she was not the slightest bit intimidated by him. When it came to her animals, nothing and nobody intimidated her, including angry viscounts.

‘How on earth can any of this be my fault?’ He threw his arm in a wide circle to take in the animals who were still making themselves at home in his garden.

‘Well, you left my gate open. If you hadn’t dragged me down the path, causing me to scatter corn everywhere, which the geese quite naturally decided to eat, along with all those ducks from the nearby park, and if you hadn’t left your own gate open as well, then none of this would have happened.’

His disapproving expression wavered, which she took as an acknowledgement that she was right, but then the frown returned. ‘I’d already told you to keep that one on your side of the wall,’ he said, pointing at Hamish. ‘In fact, you shouldn’t be keeping farm animals in a residential area, anyway. I’m sure there are rules about such things. Perhaps I’ll consult my solicitor and see if something can be done about it.’

‘No,’ she protested, as once again he caused her heart to pound loudly in her chest, her legs to feel weak and her face to burn, but this time it was all in shock and outrage and had nothing to do with how manly or good-looking she once might have thought the viscount to be.

‘It’s not normal,’ he continued hotly. ‘Normal women do not spend all their time with animals. They have friends.’

‘I’ve got friends,’ Primrose said, blinking away the tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Very good friends. Human friends.’

‘And normal women your age are married with children. They are not spending all their time with geese and goats.’

She placed her hands back on her hips, still fighting back tears. ‘Well, I don’t see any Viscountess Westhaven. You don’t have children. Maybe you’re not normal either.’

‘I’m a man.’

That was something Primrose was, unfortunately, well aware of. An arrogant, unfeeling man, just like so many others.

‘So that excuses your cruelty, does it?’

‘I have not been cruel to any of your animals. I just don’t want them in my garden. I don’t want them in my neighbourhood. I don’t want them ruining my chance of getting rid of this wretched house that I hate so much.’

Hate? Why would he hate such a lovely house? But that did not matter right now, and Primrose would not let her curiosity undermine her justifiable rage.

‘So in future, keep that stupid goose out of my garden,’ he demanded, glaring at Hamish who had wandered over to join them.