Elijah sighed heavily. "You weren't intending to sin the way it happened. You thought you were just showing your love for a man that you thought you'd be with. You had no way of knowing how awful he could be. And had things turned out differently, no one would have batted an eye since I know at least a few in town had perhaps gotten a little to close to their spouse before they were married, and it just hurried things along." He tried to look at her. "Alice, I am sorry that all of this happened. And I don't want you to blame yourself and think you deserved anything bad that happened. Please, let us work together so that you can find a life that you can be happy with in the future. Is there anything you would like to do that you think you can do even with a child?" He knew if he suggested she put it up for adoption, Ben and Tobias would be furious beyond measure.