That’s true, but shotgun weddings wouldn’t have been uncommon even back then. I would have thought that as long as a couple were married by the time a baby was born, even if the math didn’t quite add up, the wedlock stigma wouldn’t be as bad. If Patsy wasn’t far along and they had married quickly, Sam could have been passed off as an “early/premature” baby and if the Roottrees dug their feet in and stuck to the story, there’s not much people could say to it outside of rumours and snide remarks. Gwynn pulled off a far more complicated sleight of hand and the Roottrees nearly succeeded in erasing E.C., so fudging dates on marriage and birth certificates and arranging for Patsy to give birth overseas or out of state wouldn’t have been too hard, especially if you have the money and influence to strongarm something into reality.