Page 16 of A Wallflower to Win the Viscount

Lucian was not a bit surprised. ‘What did she do? Did she try to bring her rabbits to the palace? Did she insist that her goat and the geese be given invitations to the débutantes’ ball?’

Beatrice laughed as if he was joking.

‘No, nothing quite that outlandish. Countess Stonely apparently had to all but drag her to the palace, but when Miss Fairburn got there, she refused point-blank to wear ostrich feathers in her hair. Everybody could hear their argument. If the queen wasn’t so hard of hearing, I’m sure she would have heard it as well.’

Beatrice was obviously impressed by this aberrant behaviour. ‘The countess kept telling her she had no choice, and how every débutante had to wear the feathers or they could not be presented to the queen, while Miss Primrose kept saying she would not countenance the murder of all those ostriches just for pointless decoration. It wasn’t the best way to start the Season, and quite a few of the young ladies treated her unkindly from then onwards, but I thought it admirable of her to stick to her principles.’

‘Or eccentric,’ Lucian said, although he could well imagine Miss Fairburn digging in her heels for the sake of an ostrich. He’d seen that fierce, defiant side when she’d told him she had refused to eat animals as a child, even if it meant going hungry.

‘Well, she is…unique,’ Beatrice said diplomatically. ‘And I suppose she did have a point. It is unfortunate that a herd of ostriches has to die every year just so young ladies can keep up that silly tradition. Or is it a flock of ostriches?’

She looked at her husband, who lifted his hands, palms up to indicate he did not know.

‘Anyway,’ Beatrice continued, ‘she is a lovely young woman, if a bit reserved. Although no one would describe her as being reserved on the day of her presentation. Anything but, and it did take courage to stand up to the formidable Countess Stonely.’

Beatrice gave a small laugh as if Miss Fairburn’s antics were a joy to behold, but Lucian had not found her intransigence particularly amusing when she had been standing up to him yesterday.

‘Despite her unique character, I was surprised she did not find a husband during the Season,’ Beatrice concluded.

‘Hmph’ was all Lucian was prepared to say on that subject, not wanting to be reminded of how yesterday he had also alluded to her lack of marital status, albeit in a more offensive manner.

‘She’s certainly pretty enough to catch a man’s eye,’ Beatrice added, something Lucian had unfortunately noticed. ‘Some men prefer a wife who challenges them, rather than some wishy-washy débutante who always says what she thinks the man wants to hear.’

‘Hmph,’ Lucian repeated. There was certainly no danger of Miss Fairburn ever doing or saying anything just to please a man.

‘And she’s such a sunny person, even though I believe she has not always had the easiest of lives.’

Lucian was about to harrumph again but caught himself, not wanting to be so dismissive of what even he could not deny was a surprisingly admirable characteristic.

‘Yes, I’m sure she’d make the perfect wife for the right man, and her compassion for animals suggests she’d make a wonderful, loving mother.’ Beatrice tilted her head in thought. ‘Perhaps that’s your answer. Marriage.’

‘What?’ Lucian exclaimed, shocked at his cousin’s wife’s suggestion. ‘I am not marrying Miss Fairburn.’

Beatrice laughed. ‘I didn’t mean you, Lucian. What I am suggesting is if you want Miss Fairburn out of this neighbourhood because you believe her animals are stopping you from finding a buyer for your house, then you should find her a husband. Once she’s married she, along with her animals, will move out and into her husband’s home, and you wouldn’t have to worry about geese or goats or anything else upsetting potential buyers.’

‘If she couldn’t find a husband during her Season, what makes you think I’ll be able to find her one?’ Lucian said, trying to ignore the constricting tightness that had inexplicably wrapped itself around his chest.

‘Maybe she just hasn’t met the right man.’

The band tightened slightly. ‘Does such a man even exist?’ he said with a forced snort of derision.

‘I’m sure he does. She didn’t meet anyone during the Season, but that’s hardly a surprise. All those aristocratic men spend much of their time talking about shooting and hunting. It must have been torture for someone as sensitive as Miss Fairburn. But not all men are like that. Are they, dear?’

Reginald shrugged, and once again raised his hands to signal he knew as much about men as he did about ostriches.

‘Oh, come on, Reggie. You must know someone who will make a suitable husband for Miss Fairburn. Men who care about animals as much as she does, perhaps?’ his wife pressed.

‘Well, I suppose there’s the Earl of Ashcombe,’ Reginald said with some uncertainty. ‘He’s a bit of an odd fish. He’s obsessed with birds and hardly mixes with Society. He’d prefer to be on his Norfolk estate birdwatching.’

He smiled in response to his wife’s look of enthusiasm. ‘And I do believe he’s presently in London. Someone was joking about him at the club. He’s planning to give a talk at the Ornithological Society.’

Lucian smirked at the thought of this odd fish who was obsessed with birds. He sounded even more eccentric than Miss Fairburn.

‘Oh, that’s perfect,’ Beatrice said, clapping her hands together, causing Lucian to stop smirking.

‘What?’ he blurted out.

‘We should all go along to the earl’s talk and invite Miss Fairburn to join us. If you already know him, Reggie, you can introduce them, and then we can let nature take its course, as it were.’