—Caleb—

I stayed in the dining room long after Eloise disappeared upstairs.

Something was wrong.

She had been different since the night she spent in my room. Tonight was worse. The moment she came back from tea with Nathaniel, she'd been unusually quiet. Distracted.

At first, I thought it was because I was respecting her boundaries, even though more than anything, I craved being near her. I'd thought maybe making dinner would somehow ease the tension between us tonight.

It ...