“Oh God, you’re right!” Madame Brighthall nodded in realization. “Blasted sickness has turned my brain into mush! Bren is at a critical moment when everything he does and says is under scrutiny. If you two marry now, you’ll be dragged into the storm too, Dee!”

She smiled. “Ah, I should check if the soup’s done.”

Brendan waited until his mother had left before stating hesitantly, “Dee, about the thing between us… Can you please hide the truth from her at the moment? She hasn’t been feeling well, but all she cares about is… well, us being happy together. If you tell her you’re going to leave after our child is born, it might hurt her a little too much.”

Deirdre finally understood why Brendan interrupted her. He was worried she might accidentally let the cat out of the bag and crush Madame Brighthall’s hopes.

“Don’t worry about that. She’s more than just your mother. She’s also one of the kindest people to me in this entire world. I wouldn’t say anything that could break her heart ev