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"Ay!" Elona cut her off "No need to throw barbs! Ent talking about age Quarter century ago Hag Bruna--your sainted teacher--told me you were my womb’s last chance Ent had a lick of po in the warain?"

"Anything’s possible," Leesha said, "but if I had to guess, I’d say it was the greatward"

"Ay?" Elona said

"Everyone in Cutter’s Hollow has been living for nearly a year on a ward that charges the very land witha bit of the feedback, er--"

"--and ed and put it back on her saucer "Ent all bad, I suppose Your sibling and your child can crap the saarden"

Leesha tried to iine that, but it was just too much "Mother, I have to ask …"

"Who’s the da?" Elona asked "Core if I know Gared was sticking ular the last few years …"

"Creator, Mother!" Leesha cried

Elona ignored her and went on "But the boy’s gotten all religious since he stood up for the Warded Man Hasn’t touched hed "Could be your father’s, I suppose, but Erny’s not the man he used to be You’d be ah to …"

"Augh!" Leesha covered her ears

"What?" Elona said "Ent you the town Gatherer? Ent it your job to listen to this kind of talk and help folk figure things out?"

"Well, yes …" Leesha began

"So everyone else is good enough, but not your own mum?" Elona demanded

Leesha rolled her eyes "Mother, no one else comes to ht to know the child hed "If that ent the night callin’ it dark, I don’t knohat is"

Leesha pressed her lips together It was true enough

"He knows, in any event," Elona said

Leesha blinked "He knows?"

"Course he knows!" Elona snapped "Your da has s, Leesha, but he ent dumb Knows he can’t plow the field well as it needs, and looks the other hen I get it done proper"

She winked "Though I caught hi stiff those nights"

Leesha put her face in her hands "Creator, just takeas no one rubs his nose in it"

"Like you do every chance you get?" Leesha asked

"I do no such thing!" Elona snapped "I may talk that way around you, but you’re fa the prissy wives at the Holy House that your da likes to--"

"Fine!" Leesha would rather give her er "So we don’t knoho the father of your baby is We can be run out of town together"