Page 49 of Untaming Lady Violet
“Do you realize you and that creature share almost the exact shade of hair color? Remarkable.” William glanced about the garden as if expecting someone might join them. “Do you often put it on a leash?”
“This is Carrot’s first time outside since I took him from the stables. Perhaps it is a bit overwhelming for him. He seems a tad frightened.”
“That he does,” William agreed. “A weak constitution, I imagine. Certainly not fit for life as a pet.”
Violet bristled at the insult. “Carrot is very brave, Lord Gadley. But this is a new setting for him.”
Staring at the cat, who decided in that moment to both scratch his ear and begin licking his coat in an impressive display of self-grooming, William grimaced in distaste.
“Filthy creature. I can only wonder at the number of fleas he likely harbors this very moment. Did you carry him here? Or does he walk while on that bit of ribbon you are holding?”
Fleas? Carrot had no fleas, of that Violet was certain. He was a fastidiously clean kitten. “I carried him, of course.”
“Then no doubt, you are infested as well. This won’t do at all, my dear. Not at all.”
Before Violet could discern his meaning, William scooped Carrot by the nape of the neck. Held out over the water in the fountain’s lowest basin, the cat issued a squealing roar of protest.
“Best we go ahead and eliminate him, my dear. You’ll only find it more painful should you continue forming an attachment. Do not fear. I’ll dispose of him properly.”
Violet stared at William in open-mouthed horror. Did he intend on drowning her cat right before her very eyes?
“What are you doing? Put him down atonce,Lord Gadley. How can you even think to be so cruel? If you hurt him, I shall never forgive you… never!” She cried in protest. Shaking off her shock, she jumped up from the fountain and attempted stealing the kitten back. William kept Carrot just out of her reach. All the while, Carrot twisted and turned in his captor’s hold, scratching at whoever gripped the back of his neck.
“Give him back to me. Give him back!” Violet grabbed William’s free arm, using it as leverage so she could get closer to Carrot. “Oh, please!”
“I forbid you to keep this animal, and I won’t allow it in my home, no matter how prettily you beg. I’ve heard it said cats do not like water, so I suppose it will not be an easy go of it for the ugly beast. But we’ll be rid of it, anyway.”
Tears trickled down Violet’s cheeks; however, they were not ones born of helplessness. On the contrary, they were the manifestation of some sort of madness overtaking her body. Stomping the crown of William’s foot with the heel of her shoe, she succeeded in bringing his arm down enough that she could wrest the cat from his grip.
Violet glared at William, watching as he hopped in pain. Carrot meowed plaintively, his claws latching in her dress bodice as if he expected to be snatched from her arms at any moment.
“You horrid, horrid man. If you harm Carrot in any way, you shall pay dearly for it. I promise you that.” She dashed tears away with the back of her hand.
Recovering enough that he could bear weight on his injured foot, William grabbed Violet. Eyes glittering with fury, his face darkened to an unflattering shade of mottled red. Holding her arm in a punishing grip, he pulled her so close their noses nearly touched. To an outside observer, it would appear they shared an intimate kiss.
“Why, you little bitch,” William hissed. “Don’t think I won’t make you regret your impudence. Once you are my wife, I’ll do as I please with you and that damned cat. If I choose to drown him or quarter him, you’ll have no say in the matter. Indeed, you won’t have much of a say on anything of note.”
William was the only second man she’d ever dare strike. The imprint of her hand on his skin bloomed redder than the roses surrounding the fountain.
He responded by jerking her closer, squeezing her upper arms until Violet was sure bruises were forming. A fresh surge of tears welled in her eyes, and the cold rage on William’s face was enough that she was frightened into silence.
“Perhaps I should teach you that lesson now—” he snarled.
“Release her, Gadley.”
Tristan’s voice echoed sharp as a gunshot in the serene peacefulness of the garden. Violet gulped in a breath of pure relief, a sob threatening to escape despite her best efforts to remain calm. The viscount looked incredibly tall as he stalked toward them. More than that. He was invincible.
William’s hands tightened cruelly around Violet’s arms, but his features rearranged themselves into a pleasant mask.
“Your concern is unnecessary. Lady Violet and I were simply having a discussion. You see, we cannot agree on the issue of this animal becoming part of the wedding contract negotiations.” His smile, while sharp, remained congenial.
“And I’m telling you to let her go,” Tristan said in the iciest tone Violet had ever heard him use. “Or must I convince you?”
William’s grip loosened as he regarded Tristan with growing suspicion. He finally noticed the easel and the fact the three of them were alone in the garden.
“What’s this about, Longleigh?” Brushing a hand over his elegant coat so any stray cat hairs were removed, William sounded thoroughly disinterested in whatever the answer might be. “A garden tryst of some sort?”
“I have promised Lady Violet a portrait of her pet.”
