Jared was very quiet for the rest of time we were in town and all the way back to the estate. I could not help but cast glances his way to see what he was feeling, but his expression remained stoic all the while. Even upon arriving, he was silent. During dinner, he was very talkative, just not to me. It was only if I asked him a direct question that he even looked at me and then, his eyes seemed to wonder why I had spoken at all.

The twins noticed, both of them looking between Jared and I curiously, but they said nothing. I blushed, embarrassed that a member of the family was shunning me so blatantly and I couldn’t even recall what I’d done to deserve it. I excused myself from the table early, claiming a headache. In truth, I couldn’t stand to listen to my own thoughts. I closed myself in the guest room I had been staying in and stoked the fire. Staring into the flames, I thought of Jared. Why would he be so angry? I began to hum sadly to myself and soon, without meaning to, my humming turned to singing.