“I’m on my way up to her bedchamber now. I can tell her if you’d like,” Adam offered.
“Thank you, sir, but...” Andrew glanced around before adding, “I think I should be the one to tell her.” He was anxious to see her reaction. Curious as to what she would say when hearing his good news. “See you in the morning.”
He left the study and climbed the stairs, curious as to his father’s reaction to his news. Although he hadn’t expected outright elation from the man, he had expected more than the tepid response the earl had exhibited.
Rather than going directly to his bedchamber, he instead stopped at his brother’s.
Afew minutes later
Adam Comber climbed the stairs in a hurry, attempting two at a time. He finally had to slow his pace or risk sounding like a huffing bear at the Tower of London.
When he burst into his wife’s bedchamber, Diana gasped and gripped the edges of her dressing gown together. She blinked before her eyes widened. “Is something wrong? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost!”
Her husband struggled to catch his breath. “Not at all. My plan worked. Completely.”
She gave him a quelling glance. “You mean the one where our sons are forced to marry for blunt?” she asked on a huff.
Adam froze in place, realizing at once his countess was miffed with him. “Andrew has always wanted to marry Lady Danielle, and now that she has accepted his proposal, he will. Probably next week,” he replied defensively. “Now, you have to act surprised when he tells you at breakfast in the morning.” When she didn’t seem any less annoyed at hearing his news, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tears pricked the corners of Diana’s eyes. Before she could answer, Adam rushed to pull her into his arms. He had learned long ago it was far better to keep her close than to keep his distance when she was on the verge of tears. “What is it, my sweet?”
Her head fell against his shoulder, and he was quick to place a hand at the back of it and kiss her temple.
“Will we ever see Andrew again?” she asked, her query broken up by a sob.
His eyes darting to the side, Adam said, “Well, of course. He’ll be at breakfast in the morning. Probably here throughout the day. Tomorrow is Easter. At the ball Tuesday night—” He let out an “oof” when Diana punched him in the gut.
“I meantafterhe marries,” she countered. Tears streamed down her face.
“Oh,” Adam replied, understanding her concern. “It’s true he plans to take his bride to Greece and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies for their wedding trip,” he said quietly. “But they will return to Mayfair after that.”
“And live in their own house,” she murmured, sniffling.
“They will,” he agreed. “Not even a mile from here, though,” he reminded her. “I expect we’ll see our son almost every day.” He pulled a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and dabbed her cheeks with it.
“My boys weren’t supposed to marry so young,” she whispered.
“Your boys weren’t supposed to break the rules when it came to their behavior at university, either,” he said, a bit more forcibly than he intended. From the way she jerked in his arms, Adam knew he had said the wrong thing. “Myboys weren’t supposed to break the rules,” he quickly amended.
“How many rules didyoubreak by the time you were their age?” she countered.
About to respond, Adam inhaled softly. “Uh... are you expecting a numerical answer? Or... just in general? Because I may have lost track by the time I was sixteen or so.”
Diana gave him a quelling glance. “Adam. You expect our sons won’t occasionally break the rules, and yet you did constantly—”
“Notconstantly.”
“All the time—”
“Notallthe time.”
“Most of the time.”
At this point, Adam clamped his mouth shut. When her eyebrows arched, as if she expected a rejoinder, he said, “I agree. It was most of the time.”
She scoffed.
“I expect better of them, though,” Adam whispered. “Just because I was able to get away with behaving badly doesn’t mean I’m going to allow them to.” He sighed. “Besides, they both seem to be looking forward to married life. Andrew is practically chomping at the bit to say his vows. Next week, in fact.”
