Saff had a point, about how many people would be keeping the secret – but Tess trusted that the rest of them would be able to take the story and stick to it. Even Declan, even the boys in the printshop – they were as good as family. And there was nothing for any of them to gain by telling the truth.
No, the biggest loser in this was Sage – who had a point as well. Lying to her daughter was dreadful, but even a rumoured bastard, a child of slightly suspect parentage, was perhaps easier for Maggie to bear in the long run than the brazen truth. Tess chewed on the inside of her cheek, hating it, hating all of it. Not Maggie, but her suffering, and Sage’s, and society for making this an issue where it ought not to be. If Maggie was looked after and loved, there shouldn’t be any shame in it.
Tess let out a breath, casting a look around the room. “We can do that,” she agreed, firmly, for everyone. Aunties it was – the poor orphaned daughter of a Whitby cousin. “We’ll manage just fine. And hashing out all the finer details can wait until tomorrow,” Tess suggested, softening, because everyone looked a little emotional and a little exhausted. “Unless there’s something else we ought to sort tonight?” They had their story straight, and Maggie was sleeping, so – that felt like enough of a start to her on this uphill climb.
No, the biggest loser in this was Sage – who had a point as well. Lying to her daughter was dreadful, but even a rumoured bastard, a child of slightly suspect parentage, was perhaps easier for Maggie to bear in the long run than the brazen truth. Tess chewed on the inside of her cheek, hating it, hating all of it. Not Maggie, but her suffering, and Sage’s, and society for making this an issue where it ought not to be. If Maggie was looked after and loved, there shouldn’t be any shame in it.
Tess let out a breath, casting a look around the room. “We can do that,” she agreed, firmly, for everyone. Aunties it was – the poor orphaned daughter of a Whitby cousin. “We’ll manage just fine. And hashing out all the finer details can wait until tomorrow,” Tess suggested, softening, because everyone looked a little emotional and a little exhausted. “Unless there’s something else we ought to sort tonight?” They had their story straight, and Maggie was sleeping, so – that felt like enough of a start to her on this uphill climb.
