Low came down the stairs with unsteady and slow movements four hours later. His valet was rather shocked at his slow awakening. He was so concerned for the health of the boy, that he failed to notice the missing linens nor window open a crack.

If the lad didn't insist he was fine multiple times, then he would not have been allowed out of the room. The staff were determined not to see him as ill as he had been after coming from the lake. He was determined not to sit idle in his room again though.

So it was that he walked into the breakfast room looking like he was more tired than he had gone to bed the night before, and Marge asked him immediately with a concerned face if he was okay. Of course this made the poor lad blush, even as the elder brother grinned.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just didn't sleep so well." He muttered with a shy face. He grabbed his food and sat to eat with a grimace. Derry tried to suppress his smile, but it only made him want to smile wider. There was a sort of pride that came with making your lover unable to walk straight or sit the next day.

"Have a cup of coffee to help you wake up." Derry said kindly, pouring the hot cup and sliding it to the boy. Low smiled in gratitude and added a bunch of sugar.

"You should be at your ease today. It was not so long since you were ill, so you must be careful not to sicken yourself again." Marge warned with an admonishing shake of her finger. Low nodded dutifully.

"Yes, of course. I will just hang about inside. It is too cold this morning to go riding anyways." He replied thoughtlessly.

"Oh? How do you know? Did you not just come downstairs?" She pried with a raised brow. He fought the urge to blush again. Rationally, opening a window was nothing to blush about. However, this morning it had been done with a purpose to dispel the aroma of sexual intercourse.

"I... just had the window opened to watch the sunrise. The sky was lovely shades of red and purples." He rejoined after swallowing a bite of his eggs. Derry nodded.

"Yes, it was a beautiful morning." His voice was soft and deep, echoed with meaning for Low. Especially as their eyes met with a clash of remembrance and passion. Marge was too interested in the fresh fruits that had just arrived at the table to notice, thankfully.

"Lord Hart, there are guests arrived in the drive. They say they are here to see you." The butler lowered a tray just beside him and presented the card.

"Thank you, you may see them into the front parlour and tell them I will be with them in a moment." Derry's face was relaxed and he smiled, taking the card to tuck in his pocket.

"Who is here?" Margery asked with a curious look at him. He grinned at her.

"You will know shortly if you like. I will introduce them to you if it pleases you. We will have to cut our breakfast short though." He replied before taking a gulp of the last of his coffee.

"No matter. Let's take the fruit into the parlour with us to munch away at with our guests." She waved her hand at the serving staff and one of the footmen leaned forward to pickup the tray.

"May I come too, Derry?" Low asked quietly after finishing a bite of his muffin. Derry looked at him in surprise.

"Of course. It's a given, is it not?" He smiled at the boy. Low blushed and surreptitiously grabbed his hand under the table for a quick squeeze. They all got up from the table, with Lord Hart in the lead of course, and walked to the parlour.

An older couple sat in the room, looking about in curiosity. The woman's hair was salt and pepper ringlets that framed her wrinkled but still lovely features. The gentleman's hair was still inky and the look of his face was startlingly similar to Lord Hart's.

"Deda and Bako, welcome to the estate. Thank you for coming. This is my father's new wife, Duchess Margery. And this is Lord Lowell, from his second wife." He bowed to the two as they stood to meet everyone, gesturing to the two people who followed him.

"I am very pleased to meet you." Margery said to them with a big smile.

"As am I." Lord Lowell bowed to them slightly with a smile.

"These are my grandparents on my mother's side, Bojan Dragovic, Voivode of Kreljevo, and his wife Danica. They are like a Duke and Duchess from another country." Lord Hart explained to them.

"It is a great pleasure to meet you both as well." The older man said to them with a faint smile. His accent was unusual, and Margery was utterly charmed by it.

"Oh, just listen to you speak. It is so wonderful!" She clapped her hands together and bounced a little in place. The older woman chuckled a little.

"So a Voivode is a Duke?" Low tilted his head curiously. The old man shook his head.

"Not exactly. It is... like war-lord. Perhaps nobility, but that is debateable if you speak to the English lords. Our family met the Duke when he was travelling Italy before." His face darkened and his wife clasped his arm.

"I see. I have never been to Italy before." Margery said wistfully, smoothing over the tension with her enthusiasm.

"It is very beautiful. We go every few years." The older woman said with a thick accent.

"Derry, will you take me there sometime?" Low tugged the edge of the man's coat and gave him a pleading look. Lord Hart smiled down at him.

"Certainly, if you wish. Shall we all sit and have a nice talk?" He gestured to the furniture and they all situated themselves around a low table where the fruit was placed. Low grabbed a few pieces and just listened as the older man and Derry spoke about the coast of Italy, where they ran into each other.

"It was so strange to see a younger version of myself. Very pleasing to find family that we did not expect." He smiled at Lord Hart and the others kept silent about his ignorance of his own grandson's existence. There were many things that were off about the Duke these days, and this was just one more.

"You do look a great deal alike. What do you think, Derry, will you look like him when you are older?" Low bumped his shoulder lightly, more for the excuse to touch him than anything.

"I hope so. Deda Bojan has aged very well. He is still quite handsome." He bowed slightly to the old man who laughed at his words.

"Yes, so has your grandmother. I hope I am half as elegant as you are when I am older, Duchess." Marge broke in with a kind smile in the older woman's direction.

"Thank you my dear. You may call me Danika." She replied equally kindly.

"And you must call me Marge. Will you be staying for awhile? I can have extra settings for lunch if you want a tour of the estate." She offered with a hopeful smile.

"Certainly, just give us a moment with Lord Hart and we would be pleased to join you." The man said. He got up and the three of them left, Derry throwing a wink to Low before he slipped out the door.

"I wonder what they need to talk about..." Marge said as she grabbed a fresh berry from the tray. Low didn't say a word, but watched through the crack in the door. He could see a packet of papers being passed from the old man to Derry.

They looked very thick and official, and the man's face was serious. Lord Hart was listening intently, then passed the papers to his personal valet. The man hurried upstairs and the group came back to the room, all smiles.

"All done. Let's have a walk about the estate, shall we?" Derry said with a twinkle in his eye.