November, 1919
Faith woke up feeling queasy. This happened frequently, and Faith was now sure why. She was pregnant – it was the only explanation. She had all the symptoms. And she was overjoyed at the prospect of finally having a baby!
Faith had suspected that she was pregnant for several weeks. Anxious to find out for sure, she had briefly considered seeing Dr. Blythe. However, if she did, she would have to tell him she and Jem were married, and that was an announcement they should make together. So she decided instead to wait and hope. If she missed three monthly cycles, she would arrange to see a doctor in Charlottetown before telling Jem that he would become a father shortly after he graduated from medical school.
As those weeks passed, leading Faith to the conclusion her suspicions were correct, she became more and more elated. She and Jem had dreamed of returning to the Glen and starting a family for so long, always fearing they might never have the opportunity. But now, even though she and Jem weren't together, he was safe in Kingsport attending medical school, where no harm was likely to come to him. When he returned home in June, they could move into their new house and they would finally be a family! Faith could think of nothing else.
Although she confided in no one, Faith's family and friends could not help but notice how delighted she seemed to be.
"Is there any particular reason you're so happy?" Jerry asked one day as they worked together at the newspaper office.
"Why shouldn't I be happy?" Faith asked. "I'm finally home after spending two and a half years in London. The war is over, so I no longer have to worry about receiving a telegram telling me that you, or Jem, or anyone else I love is wounded or dead. And Jem will graduate from medical school in June, which means he and I will be able to start the life we've been planning for years."
"Is that all?" Jerry asked, sensing that there was more.
"What more could there be?" Faith asked, avoiding his question. She hated being evasive. She and Jerry never kept secrets from each other, but she couldn't tell him, at least for now. Jem should be the first to know.
Jerry wasn't the only one who noticed Faith's bliss.
"Faith, you look wonderful," Anne Blythe commented several days later when Faith stopped by Ingleside on an errand. "You're positively beaming!"
However, John Meredith turned out to be more astute than anyone.
"So, Faith," he said to his daughter one evening as the two of them sat in parlor, "what's your big secret?"
"Secret?" Faith said, trying to hide her astonishment. How could he know?
"Yes. When you were a little girl, nothing made you happier than having a secret. And you are very happy these days."
"Can't a girl just be happy to be home?" Faith asked, trying to sound innocent. Keeping this secret from her family wasn't going to be easy. And surprisingly, it wasn't her morning sickness that was giving her away.