The sudden shift in their travel arrangements sent the Bartok nobles and their household scurrying for a bit before they managed to get everyone sorted--they needed at least two people in the carriage with Leif in order to even things out, and, well...
"You lads will have a roaring time together, I'm sure," Jaren assured his son his son's almost-brother-in-law, clapping both Mikhail and Andreas on the shoulder. "The duke seems..." He trailed off into a "coughing fit" as he clearly struggled to come up with something flattering to say about Reina's surly guest, then finally settled on, "He seems a very upright sort of gentleman! I'm sure the lot of you will get on famously."
"Of course, my lord." Andreas dipped into the perfect little half bow that Misha was hating more and more each time he saw it. He gave his father a droll wave before climbing into the carriage with the aforementioned duke, eyeing him warily.
"The others may not know how you and Reina met, but I do," he said in a low, quick whisper before Andreas joined them in the carriage. "I've got an eye on you, your grace."
He quickly such up when Andreas climbed into carriage and seemed to face a sudden, unenviable choice: to sit beside Reina's duke, or Mikhail himself.