Now came the hard part: telling Lady Dandridge about what she wanted.
"Lady Dandridge? I... I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Vivian had been the one to bring up Mae's tea today: she had volunteered to do so to have the opportunity to talk to the lady about her pregnancy. Vivian's voice was uncharacteristically small as she spoke, but if the lady noticed something was particularly off she didn't let on about it; she didn't didn't even look up from what she was working on at her desk. The only eyes on Vivian were those of the constant companion at the lady's side: Teru. It was... More than a little unnerving and Vivian could see why the lady might find him beneficial to have at meetings.
The silence stretched out in the room between them, long enough for Vivian to struggle with the urge to fidget with her dress. She felt like she was turning into Kyrie the longer she stood here, and she wondered if Mae was just expecting her to continue speaking. The lady wasn't telling her to leave, in any case, and there couldn't be any way that the other woman hadn't heard her, so Vivian swallowed her nervousness and opened her mouth once more.
"I... I would like to have a child."
The words came out in a bit of a rush, and the only response that she really got was a slight nod of acknowledgment. Vivian had to admit that she wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Was that an indicator that she should leave...? Was that an acceptance of her statement? But... but that couldn't be the case... surely the lady didn't have any complaints at all about Vivian having a child? Most masters would kick out a pregnant maid just because it was unsightly and the pregnant maid wasn't able to work as well. Vivian knew that Mae wasn't like most masters, but did she really have no objections at all? If Mae didn't have any complaints then at the very least Vivian felt like the lady should express a curiosity as to when she'd be due! Yet even that was remarkably absent... The lady seemed to have no opinion at all on the matter.
As Vivian debated whether she should ask about it, Mae shifted. To be honest, the motion made Vivian flinch but the lady was just reaching out to gently scratch Teru's chin. The bird made an appreciative noise and here Mae finally spoke, though she still wasn't particularly looking at Vivian.
"Is that all?"
Vivian practically blanched at the older woman. She just couldn't seem to help it: the response that the lady had given her was one that she hadn't expected in the least! It was true that Mae appeared to be apathetic about anything and everything, but surely she would care if one of her slaves got pregnant? It would mean adding another person to the household: it'd be an extra mouth to feed, it would mean that more space would be needed for the child, and it would mean that Vivian's attention would have to be on her baby a lot in the beginning... It wasn't an unobtrusive thing that Vivian was requesting, so she hadn't expected the lady to be so uncaring.
Before Vivian could really formulate what she was trying to say, Mae continued on.
"Since you've informed me that you're going to be having a child I can start making the proper preparations for that. Is there anything else you had to tell me?"
Seeing that Vivian was still struggling with this, Mae let out the softest of sighs before leaning back in her chair, her eyes fixing on Vivian now instead of on her work. This just made Vivian more nervous and she tensed up to be directly under Mae's scrutiny. Not that she could stand up that much straighter than she already was.
"Is the work still going to get done around the house?"
"Yes! Yes of course!"
This question was able to gain a snap response from Vivian, who was eager to do everything in her power to make it so that the lady would have absolutely no reservations about her having a child. That had been the one thing she'd determined before stepping into this room so she felt more prepared to answer that question.
"Is there enough room for a child in the slave bedrooms?"
"Well, yes--"
"Do you think I'm particularly wanting for money?"
"No, of course not!"
"Have your fellow slaves expressed that they won't abide by having a baby in the house?"
"What? No they... They've been really supportive of the idea..."
"Is anyone else planning to have a child while you're recovering?"
"I don't think so..."
"Then what's the problem?"
Here Vivian paused for a moment, wondering if there really was a problem. This series of rapid-fire questions had momentarily caused her to forget her discomfort, yet now that they'd paused it was creeping back. There was just... One last thing that she was a little concerned about.
"It's just... You give us the draught every week—"
"Have I ever ordered you to use it?"
"... No..."
As Mae's question really began to sink in, Vivian realized that the draught really was a courtesy... Vivian had always just assumed that it was something the lady expected them to take after what had happened with Dessi. Vivian knew that Dessi had wanted her child gone at the time but she had mistakenly thought that the lady had also wanted it gone. It would seem that the only thing their lady was against was her slaves having children against their wishes.
Finding herself quickly becoming overwhelmed with emotion as she thought on this, Vivian blinked rather furiously to keep the moisture from escaping her eyes. She had expected this to be way more of a fight than it actually was, but once again Vivian was finding that their lady truly was one of the best masters she could ever ask for.
As if to enhance this idea, the lady had taken the time during Vivian's silence to pull a few books off her shelves. Placing them on her desk in a neat pile, it wasn't long at all before Mae was sliding them towards Vivian.
"You might find these useful. I read them when I was pregnant: they're books written by midwives about pregnancy."
Once again barely managing to keep from crying from the sheer generosity of her lady, Vivian cradled the books in her arms before bowing deeply to the lady. Her eyes clenched shut as she did so in an attempt to keep herself together until she made it out of the room.
"I... Thank you, Lady Dandridge. I don't know how I can possibly express to you how grateful I am to be a part of your house."
For a brief moment, Mae's features softened a little to hear this said from Vivian.
"The best way you can express that to me is to continue doing your job well, and to raise your child to be an asset to the Dandridge house just as you have been."
"Of course, my lady."
There was a brief pause here, and at first Vivian thought that would be the end of the conversation, but Mae spoke up just once more with an almost softer note to her voice.
"And congratulations, Vivian: I'm sure you'll make a fine mother."
Looking up now, she could see that the lady had again fixed her with a stare, and while Mae's eyes were perfectly calm, Vivian's glistened with unshed tears. These were happy tears though, and Vivian gave Mae a truly heartfelt smile.
"Thank you, my lady. All of this... It means the world to me."
Mae gave Vivian a nod before waving her hand to indicate that she was done with the conversation. With yet another bow, Vivian then turned to leave the room, and the moment she closed the door the tears she'd been holding back finally fell. It was official: she was going to have a baby. The lady had effectively signed off on it and even given her some things to help her out!
Now... Now she just had to tell Renard. Her stomach swam with both excitement and nervousness, but either way, she was eager to share this news with him. With that she scurried away from the lady's study, her mind simply abuzz with emotion.