Abby fully expected Lord Lyons to be insulted, angered at her stubbornness and dismissal of what was expected, instead she was actually given a choice. A smug, almost prideful grin found its way on her face as the lord turned to address the others.<br/><br/>Matt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t remember much about his parents, but he had spent the majority of his life in service to others, always on the bottom rungs, and now he was being adopted by a lord! Blinking in surprise, Matt did drop the mug then. Thankfully it didn’t break as he bent to scoop it up before looking up to Lord Lyons.<br/><br/>“Gosh, I...well, I...thank you! I don’t know what…” Biting his lip, Matt forced himself to stay seated, not to jump up to hug the man or shake his hand. He shot a grin to Kate, his eyes bright. He settled somewhat as Lord Lyons moved on to Jasper and began speaking of his own past, the tone of the room shifting with it.<br/><br/>Jasper listened, daring to look up once as the lord admitted to having been in a similar position. It was hard to believe that someone like the lord before him could have started off so low. The man’s last question caught Jasper off guard. Respect was not something he had been given, ever. Ridicule, fear, hatred, but never respect.<br/><br/>As Lord Lyons left, Jasper leaned a little against Kate. The whole time he had been tense, keeping up appearances but now that the room was emptying he was exhausted, and a little overwhelmed.<br/><br/>Jon received a grin from Matt at the mention of ‘little brother’ before his attention was drawn to Kate beckoning him over.<br/><br/>“I honestly don’t even know.” He admitted, looking shocked still from the news as he was ushered upstairs to get ready for bed.<br/><br/>Abby had heard the question asked of her by Jon and she quickly busied herself with the hem of her shirt. She knew there was a faint blush on her cheeks but would claim it was from the warmth of the room if questioned. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear she met his gaze with her own.<br/><br/>“We shall see, I...haven’t made a complete decision yet.” She answered, noticing the others leaving the pair alone from the corner of her eye.<br/><br/>Jasper watched Matt climb the stairs, hearing as he muttered to himself about what had just happened before turning to look to Kate. He shifted from one foot to the other, his eyes on the floor.<br/><br/>“Kate…” He started, hesitance in the single syllable. It took a few more seconds before he could lift his gaze to hers, seeming to be searching for something. “No, its...its nothing.” Jasper half turned away, ready to just climb the stairs and get ready for bed, but he paused. The short nails of one hand scratched at his palm before he looked back to Kate.<br/><br/>“I just…” Why was this so hard! Running a hand over his jaw Jasper sighed. He wanted to be able to wrap his arms around her to show his appreciation, to return some of that love she so easily showed him, but getting the words out was hard enough.