As ingrained as his manners were, it didn't even occur to Marcus to not take the basket out of Bryony hands, especially since he didn't want her standing there with it any longer than need be. Since his hands were full, he couldn't return the gesture to kiss her cheek, but offered her a small smile instead. "Well, you know I'm not ever going to complain about being given food," he stated, amused.
It was difficult not to let his frustration with the Capper family as a whole show - he'd never understood how Iris seemed unable to see how wonderful Bryony was, and of course, he and Allegra had never been able to get along. Still, he understood that it was her family, and all the obligations that came with that, so he limited his response to an understanding nod of his head.
Marcus sighed, running a hand absentmindedly though his hair as he answered. "It was... strange. They've changed her potions regimen again, and she was extremely talkative. She still didn't recognize me, which was rather expected, but..." He paused, considering how to broach what he wanted to say. "Do you remember that patch of flowers along the eastern wall of the manor, the one with the statue, that we were never allowed near?" He honestly didn't know if Bryony would recall exactly what he was talking about, though it was possible, what with the amount of time she's spent there during their childhoods.