Somersby,

I hope most ardently that this letter finds you, and that you are safe and return home swiftly to us. How jarring it is, to have you return home from your travels only to vanish into the ether! I hope, too, that you have not ruined Miss Ruskin's chances of completing her education by eloping, and that there is a more innocent reason for your absence from Christmas with your family.

Though he is trying to remain Jolly, I can tell that Papa is worried about your disappearance—I am not even trying to hide my own concern, save for when Paxton and Sunday are about.

Please write soon and let us know you are alright—or better still, return home!

With equal measures affection and worry,