The announcement of the dissolution of Parliament had sent shockwaves through the political elite of Tirisano. They had been so certain that they could not be removed from their office, and yet that was exactly what the Crown Princess had done. This exercising of the royal prerogative was no surprise to the aristocracy, however; the dukes and their families who owned the land and worked closely with the people who lived on it. Many of them had returned to their ducal seats as quickly as possible, to deal with the fallout from the announcement. The Duke of Roslae, however, had chosen to remain in the capital, to support his youngest son and the princess, instead sending his eldest son, the Earl, home to their lands. It had been the right decision. The days following the announcement were filled with petitions from the people, from businesses, even some attempts at bribery from the politicians desperate to be re-elected in the new year. Jamie and Keira had their work cut out for them to wade through it all.

At least they had both been more active on the political and public side of things in the past months. The leaders of the various communities that called Roslae home were comfortable enough to come and speak with them personally, and to invite the Earl and Countess to visit their communities in turn. It was no surprise for either of them to find that their mornings were often spent apart in the days following the announcement, soothing fears and offering encouragement. Today was the turn of the local farmers around Roslae itself, and a group of concerned women who were uncertain quite what happened next. Keira was with the women for most of the morning, quite happy to drink tea and talk, letting them vent their fears to her and trying to offer some reassurance to them in return. Certainly she seemed to have had some success by the time the group left - there were more smiles than frowns on the women's faces as they climbed back into their cars and drove away.

Keira had walked them to the door, leaning in the doorframe as they trundled off down the drive. "Next time that happens," she said to the butler, who was standing by with a half smile on his face at her grimace, "make sure I go to the toilet before I go and sit down with them. The next duke in waiting has been making my concentration very patchy this morning."

As for the Earl of Roslae, he had been tied up in his office all morning sorting through correspondence, meeting with worried community leaders, reading and signing documents, and it was only just past noon. Time for a well-deserved break. Time to meet his wife for lunch and refuel for the afternoon ahead of them. Jamie folded his glasses and left them on the desk before pushing his chair back and moving to his feet to stretch his arms about his head.

"Keira!" he called, summoning his wife from another part of the house with his loud bellowing voice. There was nothing quiet and shy about the elder of the Stuart brothers. "Time for lunch, woman!"

The butler's manful attempt to keep his smile hidden died a death as he spluttered with laughter at the sound of the Earl summoning his wife to lunch. Luckily for him, Keira was laughing too, rolling her eyes as she stepped back from the doorway and turned toward the stairs. The more experienced of the servants made spirited attempts to get at least one door closed between them and the main foyer before her voice echoed back to her husband. "Care to rephrase that, man?"

"I'm hungry!" he called back, his voice and his footsteps reverberating through the house as he got closer. Just which one of them was eating for two, again? Catching up with her about halfway to the dining room, he slung an arm around her shoulders to plant a kiss on her lips. "Hello, wife. Did you miss me?"

She laughed, hugging her arm about his back as he kissed her. "Terribly," she promised him with warm affection. "Although your son could do with a talking to. He seems to think that bouncing on my bladder when I'm trying to listen to people's concerns is a fun thing to do."

"Well, he is his father's son," Jamie offered as an excuse, a grin on his father. "Are you listening in there?" he asked, bending over to talk directly to the child growing inside her womb. "Go easy on your mother, or she might withhold the ice cream." He stood back up with that same goofy grin on his face. "Better?"

Keira laughed, squidging his cheek playfully. "You and your father enjoy teasing me and my bump a little bit too much, my lord," she informed him through her grin. "And your son loves it."

"That's my boy," Jamie remarked, offering no apologies for the son that had yet to be born. Besides, she was getting so close to her due date that there wasn't much room left in there for the poor kid to avoid her bladder, even if he knew where it was. "Shall we" I'm starving," he said, with a grin as he kissed her hand before linking his fingers with hers to lead her toward the dining room.

"You are always hungry," his wife chuckled softly, letting herself be tugged along to attack the lunch the cook had been quite happy to try out for once. Jamie complained every now and then about the complexity of the meals that were put in front of him, so every now and then, he was presented with a very simple meal. Today's lunch was one such simple meal - hot dogs and tortilla chips, all homemade, and just enough to take the edge off his appetite until dinner came around.

The only thing missing in that meal was ale, but it was a little too early in the day to break out the booze, as they still have duties to perform. "Guilty as charged," he replied with a chuckle. "What about you? You're eating for two these days."

"As you continually remind me," she laughed, dropping down into a seat at the table with a grateful groan. "I may well be eating for two, but I have no intention of putting on an entire second person's worth of weight while I'm pregnant. No matter how much you want boobs like pillows to play with."

He pulled out a chair for her just in time for her to sit down before claiming one for himself. He smirked at her comment though, guilty as charged once again. "I did not say pillows. I said balloons," he pointed out in his own defense, which wasn't much of a defense at all, as he snagged a couple of hot dogs, practically inhaling one all in one gulp. "So, how was your morning?"

"Because balloons is so much more complimentary than pillows," she laughed, rolling her eyes at him. Her own plate filled with salad and chips before she would let herself have a hot dog or two; her eating habits were the source of a good deal of merriment whenever she was eating with both Jamie and his father. "My morning ....felt very long," she admitted reluctantly. "All their concerns are very understandable, but it only takes a few minutes of simply reading the information to allay those fears. But perhaps all they really wanted was to hear me say it. The farmers are going to be the same this afternoon, I'm sure of it, but I'm not certain how well they'll listen to me. I am, after all, just the countess."

"I might have a few hours I can clear. Do you want me to accompany you?" he asked, as he worked on a few chips. Salad was healthy, but it wasn't very filling. "I could use a change of scenery from my stuffy office. I have a meeting at three, but I'm free before that." A meeting with a minister of something or other that he wasn't really looking forward to, but would survive. Though it might not always seem like it, he did take his role as the next in line for the duchy seriously. It was what he'd been born to do.

"I'm sure they would appreciate it," she nodded with a relieved smile. "And I would definitely appreciate it. They just want to be reassured that that jobs and small businesses are protected, and perhaps a little guidance on how to field a candidate for the elections." She reached over, teasing a strand of hair back off his face tenderly. "And the sooner that's done, the sooner I can nap," she added with a faint laugh. "I can't believe we still have another couple of months before this one makes his appearance."

"What sort of thing?" he countered, looking a little defensive. "Birth control or vitamins?" He sobered again as she kissed him, hoping she wasn't just humoring him. "Mm, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. My father taught me that."

"He's right. And this is worth doing. It may have come to a crisis point sooner than any of us might have expected, but Josh and Dru have risen to the challenge, and in doing so, have shown the politicians in our realm that they will not be passive rulers. They will bring Tirisano into the modern age, and we will help them." Her hand gently skimmed his cheek as she smiled gently. "So yes, it will be hard, and there will be danger, and we should worry a little, but we won't let that worry become inaction. Will we?"

"No, we're not cowards, and neither are Dru and Josh," he replied, turning his head to touch a kiss to her wrist before taking her hand in his own. "I'm proud of them, and I'm proud of you," he told her, his voice and expression gentling.

Her own smile warmed as she edged her chair closer to his, curling her fingers through his own. "Well, you're the one who told me I should get involved in this fight," she reminded him. "You may have forgotten that; we did break a bed and get pregnant on the same day." She kissed the tip of his nose. "The people of Roslae trust you, Jamie. They're proud to know that you will be their next Duke, and so am I."

"How could I forget that?" he asked, chuckling as she kissed his nose. "I have nothing else planned until my meeting with the minister later this afternoon. We could go take a nap for a few hours, if you like," he suggested, waggling his brows, probably causing her to wonder just how much sleeping would actually go on.

"We have to meet with the farmers," she reminded him gently. "They'll be here within the hour, and keeping them waiting because we're cavorting in bed together is not an option, my lord." She kissed him, giggling softly. "But I'll make it up to you later."

"Damn," he muttered, though now that she mentioned it, he remembered that meeting. "I am going to hold you to that, my lady," he replied with a grin, touching a kiss to the back of her hand. Their love life rarely suffered, despite how busy their professional lives might become, as evidenced by her baby bump.

"Something to look forward to while you're working," she teased, glancing up as a gentle knock was placed on the dining room door. Her eyes returned to Jamie as she smiled. "They're early, it would seem."

"They can wait," he replied with a smile, though they both knew it was back to work for at least a few more hours. "I will see you in a few hours, wife," he promised her before touching a kiss to her lips. No matter what he did or where he went, he would always return to her in the end.

"I look forward to it, husband," she answered him fondly, curling her arms about his neck as she answered his kiss tenderly. "But first ....work is calling." She sighed, rising to her feet and straightening her shoulders. It was more work than most people expected, to run a duchy, but they always made time for one another. They always would make time for one another, no matter what pressures were on them. They'd been through too much not to, after all.

He smiled as she curled her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. The best part of running a duchy was being able to do it with her. He laid a hand against the swell of her belly and leaned close to whisper a warning to their son. "Remember what I said, and be good for your mother." The best part of the day was yet to come, when the two of them could relax in each other's company in the privacy of their own rooms, but until then, work awaited.

She chuckled as their son kicked against his father's hand. "Cheeky little devil," she murmured, dropping a last kiss to Jamie's cheek. "I'll see you later, love. Try not to have too much fun without me." With a final smile, she slipped out of the dining room, moving with her assistant to find the delegation of farmers who were waiting for her.

"Like father, like son," Jamie remarked with a chuckle before moving to his feet. "I save all my fun for you, Keira," he assured her, though it wasn't really necessary. He watched as she slipped out of the room, before turning back to gobble down a third hot dog.

He had work of his own to get to, but no pressing matters until his meeting later in the afternoon. Keira had no doubt he was going to make a healthy dent in what was left of the food while she was gone. At least he wouldn't be able to complain about the casserole Cook was preparing for the evening now he'd been given junk food. She chuckled to herself, her amusement setting a warm smile on her face as she entered her own office to meet the farmers. It might be a long afternoon, but the promise of time alone with Jamie always made it worth it.

While to those who lived in the duchy, they might be the Earl and Countess of Roslae, to those who were close to them and to each other, they were just Jamie and Keira, husband and wife, and that was the title Jamie treasured most.

So, while Keira was meeting with the farmers, Jamie went off to meet with the minister, work separating them for a few hours, but not forever. They had been separated from each other for too many years, and now that they were together, there would be no separating them again. For better or for worse, they were together now, and together, they could face just about anything the world had to throw at them.