Mail Order Miriam (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 27) by Jenna Brandt

Author:Jenna Brandt [Brandt, Jenna]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Jenna Brandt Books
Published: 2020-09-10T16:00:00+00:00

11

The following Sunday, Miriam attended church with Mark. He deferred to her judgment as to when she would be ready to tell people about the baby and explain the situation. She knew it was a time-sensitive issue and she didn’t want people to start speculating when her stomach grew to a point where it couldn’t be hidden any longer. The reason she held back, however, was because she worried about Mark’s family. She was fairly certain Becca and Julia, along with their husbands, would welcome the baby after they got used to the idea. Aunt Claire would be kind about the situation, no matter how she felt. It was Mark’s uncle she feared would blow up over the matter. He would want Mark’s first child to be a blood-born Bennett, not the offspring of another man. If he couldn’t accept Mark’s choice to raise the baby as his own, would he try to force Mark to end their marriage? Would he make Mark’s work at the mine difficult since he owned the other half?

“What are you thinking about?” Becca probed from beside her on the family pew. “You’ve been quiet all morning.”

“I’m just thinking about my future with Mark.”

“And children? I haven’t wanted to say anything, but my servants came with me from my brother’s house, and they often talk to yours. I don’t think they meant to let anything slip on purpose, but there was mention of you being with child.”

Miriam sucked in her breath and held it. Did she suspect something about the paternity of the baby? If Becca was good at arithmetic, she’d know soon enough that the baby couldn’t possibly be her brother’s child.

“You aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?”

“My dear sister, you won’t be able to keep this baby a secret for much longer—and besides, a baby is a cause to celebrate, not something you should have to hide.”

“It is when you’re in my situation,” Miriam grumbled under her breath. “No one is going to understand.”

“I suppose you mean because the baby belongs to your deceased husband,” Becca confirmed that she knew the truth. “If Mark is willing to accept the baby, nothing else matters. You two get to decide how you want to make a home and who the family consists of. It isn’t anyone else’s business. For the record though, I plan to treat this baby just as I would any other nieces or nephews you should provide me with down the road. There should be enough room in all our hearts to love them all equally.”

Becca’s response to the baby filled Miriam’s heart with warmth. Perhaps she had misjudged Mark’s family, and they would take to the news better than she anticipated.

“If I can, let me make one suggestion. Tell the rest of the family before they find out some other way. They’ll need time to adjust to the news.”

There it was. Becca knew as well as she did that the rest of the family wasn’t going to be as receptive as Becca was.

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