Ben was honestly a little affronted by her joke. It seemed that despite his attempt to prove he hadn't been entirely tamed by his exile to Canada, that must have been exactly what she thought. Whether she said it in a light tone or not, she apparently thought that his brothers were so involved in his life that they might read his mail, which seemed like the ultimate violation of privacy and his rights as a grown adult to Ben — nevermind that older siblings reading her mail was exactly what had gotten him exiled to Canada in the first place.

"My siblings don't read my letters," he said rather brusquely. He was not, of course, angry at her, but rather at the implication that he had somehow obtained a reputation for being so thoroughly whipped by his two older brothers. "Sign them however you like."