I felt so bad about locking Sioni in the tower that when she stopped eating, well, my heart broke.

“I can’t take this anymore, Harry! She won’t even speak to me.”

My husband was cleaning out our fireplace. He stopped what he was doing and came over to me, pulling me into his arms.

“Milady wife, isn’t it time we brought her back into the house? Our home is so empty without her.”

I nestled into his arms, savoring the warmth of his closeness. I thought about what he’d said, and it made sense to me.

“You’re right, Harry. Let’s go get her now. I’m worried she’s going to make herself ill by not eating.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Five minutes later, we were walking over to the tower, my husband carrying the ladder behind me. As we reached the garden, I saw that the casement was open.

“Harry, look!”

The padlock lay on the grass below, broken.

My husband wordlessly placed the ladder against the wall and climbed up into Sioni’s room.

A minute later he climbed down again. In his hands was a long strand of red hair.