"I understand! I don't mean for you to rush out and announce it to the world or anything," Abby replied with a laugh. "I only mean that you don't have to treat it like a secret." Abby had no idea what people in town thought of her, though she was sure that at least a few recognized her from her days at the brothel. Men, mostly, and maybe some of the shopkeepers who she met at the market from time to time. She didn't expect everybody to like her, but she at least hoped that they wouldn't be cruel to her child.
"Strange?" Abby paused to consider the question, looking down toward her lap. "A little. It always makes me terribly sick the first few months- nauseous and unsteady. And it- well, to me, at least- feels a bit..surreal, almost. The baby doesn't move and there aren't very many changes in the first few weeks so you can't quite believe that there's a little one inside of you. And then your belly starts to grow and it feels a bit like the skin's stretching, making room for the baby to grow..."