Dancing with the Viscount (Howertys Prequel Novella)

Chapter 17: Forever

"You did what?" Even Richmond's usually tempered voice raised several octaves as he stood up behind his desk, leaning forward with his hands against the wooden surface. "Please tell me I heard you incorrectly."

Telling Amelia's brothers was going about as well as Preston had imagined. Adrian didn't bother with questions. He was already striding across the room with his hands in tight fists. The contrast in their reactions was as different as the brothers' personalities. One subdued. One volatile.

"You bastard," Adrian growled as he reached him. "I told you to stay away from her!"

The attack he expected didn't come, and as he met his friend's glare, he almost sighed with relief. Adrian packed one hell of a punch, even when sparring. An angry one might knock one unconscious.

"I would have stayed away," he said slowly, squaring his shoulders under the mutual stares of the Warble brothers. "But I love her and I intend to marry her."

"The hell you are!" Adrian snarled.

Richmond cleared his throat on the other side of the room, making his brother turn to him. "Well, in truth, if he compromised her, Adrian... Then they must marry."

"He's not good enough for her. She deserves better than a rake. Leighton and I are the same, and I could never imagine staying faithful to one woman." Adrian dragged a hand through his dark hair, making it stand on end.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Richmond nodded towards Preston. "Amelia seems to think he's good enough. In the end, that's all that should matter to us. Our sister's wishes and her happiness."

"But how happy will she be when he seeks companionship outside the marriage bed?"

"I would never dishonour Amelia like that," Preston snapped, tired of being spoken about as if he wasn't there. "Yes, I've been a rake in the past, but I put that life behind me long before Amelia accepted my suit. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

Adrian shrugged. "I thought you were in a slump," he muttered.

"If Amelia wants to marry him, and he wants to marry her, then I believe that is the best way forward." Richmond levelled Preston with a sharp look. "But know that if you do anything to jeopardise her happiness, you will face not only Adrian but me as well."

Somehow, the idea of Richmond dropping his polite facade in favour of genuine fury was more terrifying than Adrian's instant anger. Preston nodded.

"I will do everything in my power to make her the happiest woman on earth."

Richmond raised a dark eyebrow. "Now, that's maybe taking it too far. Don't promise something you are not capable of. You're still you."

"I did not know you considered yourself a comedian," Preston muttered. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard the other man crack a joke before, and it was rather disconcerting to see the corners of Richmond's mouth twitch.

Adrian looked a lot less amused, with his lips in a thin line. "I cannot believe you are so willing to accept this match, Richmond."

"The decision has been made for us, so why fret about it? Amelia was certain enough of her feelings that she willingly went to his bed. We owe her the courtesy of accepting her decision. Or would you like to be the one telling her 'no'?"

"No." Adrian cursed softly under his breath when he realised his defeat. Preston tried very hard not to look smug, but he wasn't sure he managed.

The door to the study burst open and Amelia swept inside. Dressed in a green walking dress, she was a vision of health and beauty, only just returned from a stroll in Hyde Park with her friends. With her bonnet in her hands, she looked between the three men before she walked into Preston's arms.