Oppose by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online Page B

day, and we get to listen.”
    “You are that interested in listening to her feeding schedule?” Laliette smiled shyly.
    Rimash was watching them, and he concentrated on his very large meal.
    “I am aware that I will probably be with a client on the day she takes her first steps, says her first word and laughs the first time. I am keeping her because her mother wanted her to have a good life and asked me to make that happen. Because I am a woman of honour and Imjay is named after me, I will do it. She is my daughter, and the price I pay to keep her is my work. The price you pay for me taking over the fees for your education is to witness those moments and tell me about them.”
    Laliette nodded and straightened her shoulders. “I will reward the trust you place in me.”
    Jill chuckled. “Nothing so serious. Just keep her from choking on the necklaces or the beads of my costume when she starts crawling.”
    Rimash cocked his head. “You are truly embracing the burden of motherhood.”
    She winked at him. “You can’t do it, though you would have made an excellent nanny.”
    Everyone laughed, and the meal continued on through dessert until they were all at ease with each other and Jill was holding Imjay with one hand while eating her iced dessert with the other.
    Imjay was sleeping soundly in her arms when she rose from the discussion of her schedule and carried her into the baby’s room. Stately trims of blue and grey surrounded the room. Even the thin blanket on the baby’s bed was in those shades.
    The temperature in the room and the bed was monitored and would sound an alarm in both her room and Laliette’s if there were any problem. Laliette was on the hook for the nightly feedings. She appeared fine with it, so Jill took a wait-and-see attitude.
    As Laliette and Rimash had discussed her schedule, Jill had looked up the Driar and was a little surprised to see that it was a designed social structure. When Laliette said that there was no place for her as a middle child, she hadn’t been kidding. Folk in her situation were unable to have children. She was stuck in a position of servitude. Her older siblings would find partners and be breeders; the younger would be in support positions, as she was. Laliette was lucky to have been allowed to study at the Great Archive.
    Jill had thought that her options were limited growing up; she was learning that she had more options than others were afforded. Her luck might have been different, but it was still luck.
    Smiling, she settled Imjay in bed and covered her to her ribcage. A small stuffed toy was wedged in the corner of the bed and a little investigation showed that it was a small, cuddly dragon.
    Imjay sighed and sucked one of her fists.
    Jill backed out of the room, and the moment she eased the door closed, she yawned mightily.
    She wandered back into the dining room where the dishes were done and her escort and the nanny were in a deep and serious conversation.
    Jill cleared her throat. “Laliette, can you go on duty?”
    She nodded. “Call me Lali. Of course, I will, Archive Jill. We will see you in the morning.”
    Jill nodded, “Good night, Rimash, night, Lali.”
    She headed back to her room and stripped off the headgear, the hand flowers and the gown with a few short moves. The bed had never looked so welcome. After she was in her nightdress, she settled into bed with her gaze on the door to the baby’s room.
    Knowing that she could hear Imjay if she needed to, she went to sleep with a smile on her lips.
     
    Imjay woke up twice, but Laliette was on the ball, the squalling quieted and Jill went back to sleep.
     
    When she sat down for breakfast with Imjay in her arms, Lali came out with a surprised look on her face.
    “Good morning, Archive Jill.”
    “Good morning, Lali. You were up during the night, so we decided that we could get up, changed and fed while you got some much-needed rest.”
    Rimash came in and leaned over Jill’s shoulder, stroking his