Pregnancy was a grueling ordeal, a fact Shalma Hughes now understood intimately. Aside from the morning sickness, she also struggled to get a good night's sleep. Approaching the six-month mark, her belly had grown quite large. It was pointed at the front, shaped somewhat like an olive. Yet, other than her growing bump, she hadn't gained an ounce of fat anywhere else. From behind, one couldn't tell she was heavily pregnant at all.
Perhaps due to the geographical location of Winslow Garden, it felt completely isolated from the rest of Aethelgard. Even though it was mid-July and the city was scorching like a furnace, the temperature here remained pleasant. Occasionally, Shalma would take a stroll in the garden, accompanied by Faye Fordham.
