"Of course," Marceline said.
A brief silence settled over the kitchen. Mara had resumed her peeling.
The sounds of early morning continued their patient work outside.
Then Marceline set her cup down on the counter, and something in the way she set it down—with the deliberateness of someone who was preparing to say something they had been carrying for a while—made Elizabeth look at her.
"I should probably tell you something," Marceline said. "Since you're going to be staying for a while here."
"You don't have to tell me anything," Elizabeth said.
"No," Marceline agreed. "But I think it's the sort of thing that's better to hear from us directly, rather than to notice on your own and have questions about it."
"Helena isn't back yet, right?"
"Yeah, she's still with Leonidas, probably," Elizabeth tilts her head. "What's wrong?"
"I was about to tell this to Helena, but I think you deserve to know too." She paused. "I'm pregnant."
Elizabeth looked at her. "R-really? Wow!"
