She Notices Everything
Brigitta rushed up the stairs and down the narrow hallway. She was just about to knock on the familiar white-painted door when she hesitated, knuckles poised in midair.
Go ahead, she told herself. Just knock. What's the worst that can happen?
But Brigitta knew what the worst thing could be: that there would be no answer, that the room's inhabitant would once again have fled in the middle of the night.
That's what had happened just a week earlier. The morning after the party, the seven of them had sat politely at the breakfast table, waiting for their governess, worrying that Father would arrive first and have yet another chance to complain about her habitual lateness. (Father and Fraulein Maria bickered constantly, but for some reason he hadn't dismissed her, the way he had the others.) Louisa had volunteered to check on Fraulein Maria, and had come back in tears - and you didn't see Louisa in tears very often- "She's gone!"
A few minutes later, Father had joined them and explained, very briefly, that Fraulein Maria had gone back to the Abbey. He looked down at the floor, avoiding their eyes, which was what he always did when delivering bad news. He didn't seem angry, exactly, the way he had when their other governesses had run away, and he didn't interrogate them about what they might have done to upset her, as though he already knew why she'd gone. Did we do something to drive her away? Brigitta asked herself yet again. If I did, I didn't mean to. I love her so much-
Stop it, she told herself fiercely. Just go ahead and knock. There was no point in revisiting everything that had happened since: their unsuccessful trip to the Abbey, Father's announcement that Baroness Schrader was going to become their new mother - it had seemed like a nightmare, except there was no Fraulein Maria to come to your room in the middle of the night and soothe you back to sleep.
Brigitta couldn't remember ever being as happy as she'd been yesterday afternoon when their governess returned. Of course, Fraulein Maria had been quite clear last night that she wouldn't be staying for very long. And she hadn't quite seemed herself, if you asked Brigitta, not that anyone did . But still, it was impossible not to feel better with their Fraulein back at the villa.
Go ahead and knock, she told herself. She promised she wouldn't leave again without telling us! So there's nothing to fear. If you turn back now, you'll never live it down. Her pride was at stake. This was the first time, after all, that Brigitta had been dispatched by the older ones to conduct this kind of reconnaissance.
They were as well-organized as any of the major European powers; it had been this way for as long as Brigitta could remember. Liesl was the diplomat, representing them to their father. She was the best at getting concessions from him, as though she had some kind of authority over him; Brigitta could tell it had something to do with the way he'd left her in charge so often. Friedrich was the master strategist, able to think five steps ahead, Louisa the hotheaded, intrepid ground troops.
For years, the rest of them had been "the little ones." Sometimes she thought the real division between the older and younger children was how many stories they could tell about Mother, how well they remembered her, which wasn't fair. At least the older ones had clear memories of Mother; Brigitta had a few of those too, but she also had a guilty secret, one she hadn't told anyone.
Things had begun to change in the spring. Kurt had earned acceptance by "the big ones," crossing over into their ranks on the basis of a spectacular prank involving fish croquettes played on their last governess, who left the table after lunch on her very first day and never returned. Brigitta also suspected that Kurt had gotten a free pass because he was a boy, and that wasn't fair at all. She vowed to join him in the senior ranks, and when summer came, Brigitta got her chance.
It wasn't only the way Fraulein Maria complimented her – "you notice everything, dear!", although that helped. No, the older ones could longer deny Brigitta's nose for intelligence when she was the first to figure out that Miri the housemaid was romantically involved with Erich the gardener's assistant. "It was obvious," she scowled; "all you had to do was follow the trail of chocolate boxes!"
So this morning, she'd been selected to survey the landscape, as Friedrich put it, when Fraulein Maria failed to appear for breakfast. "Go knock on her door and report back. See what you can find out about how long she'll stay and what they'll do about a replacement," he directed. Their governess hadn't looked very well at dinner last night, which worried Brigitta, though the others thought she was just tired from her journey back from the Abbey.
It was an odd sort of morning, ominously similar to the morning after the party, with Frau Schmidt bustling around in an unusually worried way, and with no adults at the table. Not that Baroness Schrader or Uncle Max ever rose before noon, but Father was almost never late for breakfast.
The seven of them had debated whether to send someone to investigate Father's whereabouts as well, with Louisa arguing that it would just make him angry to learn that their governess was not downstairs yet, and Liesl contending that his whereabouts were a critical piece of the puzzle. In the end, they decided to send Marta to look for Father, since he tended to go easiest on her, even though she wouldn't bring back intelligence of any real value.
Well, I can't stand here forever, Brigitta told herself. And if I go back downstairs, they'll say I wasn't up to the job.
She raised her hand and knocked.
For a long, anxious moment, there was no response. Brigitta's heart was pounding in her chest, so loud that she barely heard the first, muffled response from within. But then a moment later, she heard it again, more clearly, "Is that you?"
Brigitta almost fainted with relief. She wasn't sure who Fraulein Maria was expecting, but at least she was in there!
"It's me, Fraulein. Brigitta. I – we – wanted to see if you were all right. It's time for breakfast, and…"
A muffled exclamation, and then, "Come on in, darling."
Brigitta opened the door, and stopped short at the sight: Fraulein Maria, lolling in bed in her nightgown, hair disheveled, yawning widely. "Would you look at the time!" she said, nonchalantly.
"Fraulein Maria!" she said frantically. "You're late! We're at breakfast already and Father will be there any minute and you know how he is! Hurry up, please!" She didn't think she could bear it if Father got angry and drove their Fraulein away again.
But the governess just waved her off. "Don't worry about your father, Brigitta. He specifically told me to get a good night's rest. Come," she said, swinging her legs out of bed, "you sit here on the bed and keep me company while I get ready." She disappeared into the bathroom.
Curling up on the bed, Brigitta let herself relax. With six brothers and sisters, it was a rare luxury to get time alone with any adult. And if Fraulein Maria had been terribly subdued last night, well, maybe all she had needed was a good night's sleep after all. Today she was full of smiling good cheer. Brigitta could hear her humming over the sound of splashing water.
Fraulein Maria came out of the bathroom, buttoning her dress up. "How nicely you did your hair today, darling. Are you doing it all yourself now?" she asked.
"I couldn't quite get the back bit done, though," Brigitta murmured, and her eyes squinted closed with pleasure as her Fraulein sat next to her on the bed and smoothed out her braids.
"Brigitta?"
"M-hm?"
"So – I was wondering – have you ever thought about what it will be like for you to have a new mother?"
"All right," shrugged Brigitta. " I guess. Baroness Schrader, well, she's not exactly like a mother, is she? I mean, she means well and everything, but it's not like she's going to…That's why I don't understand why you can't stay with us, Fraulein, I wish-"
"Ah! Right! Baroness Schrader! Of course!" Fraulein Maria seemed momentarily confused. "I suppose I meant – well –does it bother you, about, you know, your mother? "
Brigitta felt her cheeks turning red. It wasn't a new topic, exactly. Fraulein Maria had always been willing to listen to them talk about Mother – which was a relief after years of having to whisper about her behind Father's back, and much better than their other governesses' admonitions that they ought to just try and forget her. But when it came to Mother, Brigitta had a secret, a guilty secret.
"Brigitta?" Fraulein Maria was looking closely at her. "What's the matter? Did I upset you, asking about your mother? I'm so sorry, darling, I thought you children liked talking about her."
That kind voice was Brigitta's undoing; she couldn't bear to keep it to herself any longer. "I – I'm not actually sure what I remember any more, Fraulein. Liesl, and Friedrich, and Louisa, they used to tell so many stories about her, that after a while, I couldn't tell their memories from mine."
"Well, that's only natural," Fraulein Maria said. "You were very young, and…"
"That's not the worst of it," Brigitta confessed, looking down at the floor. "They could remember so much, and I – I really can't – so I made things up. Stories about Mother. Things I pretended she said when we were alone. I lied."
She snuck a look at Fraulein Maria, expecting to find her looking upset or at least disappointed. Nothing. "I was deceitful," Brigitta emphasized.
But Fraulein Maria still had the kindest, most understanding expression on her face as she stroked Brigitta's hair.
"You know, sweetheart, it never occurred to me until this very instant that you were six when your mother died. That's the same exact age I was when I lost my mother! No wonder we understand each other so well."
Fraulein Maria didn't say anything at all about the lies or deception. Instead, she patted Brigitta briskly on the shoulder. "I've got a quick letter I've got to write to Reverend Mother," she told Brigitta. "Go ahead downstairs and tell your brothers and sisters to start breakfast without me. And don't worry about your Father. He's not so fearsome after all!" She laughed out loud, as though she'd told a joke, although Brigitta really didn't see what was so funny.
Brigitta walked slowly back downstairs. She knew she had good news to report to her siblings, but still, somehow, she wanted to hold onto the memory of this private conversation with her Fraulein a little longer. There was something … momentous about it, although Brigitta couldn't say what. So she took her time, practicing noticing things. For example, she'd never noticed that the hallways on this side of the house were much narrower than on the side where Father and the children slept, and they weren't carpeted either.
"What took you so long?" Friedrich asked her, impatiently, as soon as she stepped into the dining room. "Marta got back here ten minutes ago!"
"Fraulein Maria's there, safe and sound," she reported. "She seems just fine, like the old Fraulein Maria. Maybe better. It's funny, she…"
Brigitta didn't get any farther before Marta interrupted.
"Father threw me in the air and caught me," she crowed.
Brigitta saw Louisa and Liesl exchange a look, and she knew why. This had been a sore spot going back to the time they'd driven Fraulein Hilda away. Whenever they were between governesses, and waiting for Father to return, they always took advantage of the opportunity to talk about Mother, and Father, and what they all called "the old days," even Marta and Gretl, who could barely remember them.
Friedrich had been sticking up for Father, the way he always did, reminding them that even back then, he'd been away for long periods, traveling the world on business.
"And when he came home," Liesl added, a dreamy look on her face, "first he'd pick Mother up and spin her around, and then he'd pick each of us up in his strong arms, one after the other …"
And Kurt chimed in, "He'd throw you up the air…"
And Louisa finished, "and you didn't have to be afraid because he never dropped you."
Brigitta could remember that, too, she really could, and they all sat silently for a moment, savoring the memory.
That same night, Father had arrived home just before bedtime, tight-lipped and glowering as he handed Franz his coat. Although they were already in their nightclothes, they'd lined up for inspection, waiting for the usual interrogation about the latest governess' departure. Suddenly, Gretl, who was either extremely brave or dreadfully stupid, broke ranks and ran to his side.
"Please, Father," she asked. "Will you throw me in the air?"
Brigitta still shuddered at the memory of Father's face at that moment. He looked shocked and sad and angry all at once. His face turned red and for one awful moment, she thought he was going to shout at them, but he just shook his head. "No, Gretl. Not now." He'd turned on his heel and left the foyer. The "not ever" was unspoken, but they all heard it.
After that, there was no further discussion of Father throwing anyone in the air. Liesl tactfully explained to Gretl that Father was much older now, far too old to throw anyone in the air, and Gretl accepted that explanation, as she accepted everything Liesl told her. And from then on, they were careful not to talk too much about the old days around Marta and Gretl.
Brigitta pushed away that sad memory. After all, Father had changed quite a bit since then. She still treasured the experience of being the very first one in his arms the afternoon he'd come back from Vienna – that afternoon that had started out so badly, with their swamping the rowboat, but had ended so gloriously. He was still strict, of course, but there was no question anymore that he loved them and wanted them to be happy. He had time now to teach them to ride horseback, and swim, and to read to them at night. Perhaps this was because Baroness Schrader was here with him, and he didn't have to visit her in Vienna?
She shook herself back to the present. Full of importance, she told her siblings, "Fraulein Maria said we should go ahead and eat, and not to worry about Father. It's strange…" she hesitated, trying to put her finger on something about her conversation with their Fraulein, but soon enough, she was distracted by breakfast.
After they finished eating, Friedrich turned to her. "So. She seemed normal enough."
"Oh, yes," Brigitta said, licking jam from her fingers. "She didn't say any more about leaving, but she didn't talk about staying either. She asked me about Mother, although there was something…"
"I thought I heard them arguing in the middle of the night," Gretl observed.
Six heads swung around in her direction – this could be important – but then she finished, lamely "…or maybe they were laughing. I wasn't sure."
"If they were laughing together," Kurt said darkly, "you probably dreamed it."
"Ssssh," Friedrich warned, hearing the familiar tap-tap-tap of Father's shoes as he strode across this foyer and into the dining room. But this morning, there was another sound, odd and out of place. Father was whistling. Not using his bosun's whistle, thank heaven those days were gone, but whistling. Like a bird. A happy bird.
"Good morning, children," he offered, standing in the doorway and smiling.
Liesl hastened to explain: "Fraulein Maria said we should go ahead and eat, Father, I'm sorry we didn't wait."
"Fraulein Maria?" he asked. "Is she awake? Where is she?"
Brigitta took a deep breath, waiting for his mood to darken. "She said she'd be down soon."
"Ah. Splendid. Franz," Father asked the butler, who had just entered the room, "set up breakfast for two in my study, will you?" He turned to the children. "Can you try to amuse yourselves outside for an hour or so? Without Fraulein Maria? I believe she had some other business to attend to, and then-"
He was interrupted by the doorbell, and, within moments, Uncle Max appeared. He and Father shook hands.
Father's expression had dimmed. He looked serious and a little sad, somehow, as he asked Uncle Max, "Mission accomplished?"
"Yes, Georg, no worries. Glad to oblige. However, in this case, my need for sleep trumps my need for breakfast. Which I never eat anyway," he said, winking at Liesl. "I'm off to take a nap before lunch," and with that, he vanished.
"I'll see you later this morning, children." Father said. "I'll be in my study if – if anyone's looking for me."
The seven of them filed out onto the terrace.
"Why aren't we in school with Fraulein Maria? I hope she's not packing. Do you think she's going to leave today?" Gretl asked anxiously.
Brigitta shook her head. "It didn't look that way to me."
"But she did say she couldn't stay," Louisa reminded them, "and…oh, rats. I left my hat upstairs. Fraulein Maria made me promise to wear it if we were out in the sun. Go on ahead. I'll catch up with you."
They wandered aimlessly along the lake, squinting through the morning sunlight to survey the house, conjecturing about Fraulein Maria's departure, until they saw Louisa, tearing across the lawn, frantically waving her hat. She could barely breathe by the time she caught up with them.
"I-she's-you're not going to-"
"What? What is it?" They crowded around her.
"Baroness Schrader. She's gone!"
"She probably just went to Vienna for a few days for her trousseau," Liesl said knowledgeably.
"No," Louisa insisted. "Gone. Finished. Cleaned out. Her trunks are all gone, her perfume bottles and makeup too, and Miri and Frau Schmidt are putting dust covers on the furniture."
"Well," said Liesl, "maybe she's just getting ready for – I mean after all, after the wedding she'll be..." her eyes slid toward Marta and Gretl for a moment before she went on, carefully, "she won't be in the guest wing anymore, and maybe…"
Louisa was insistent. "Frau Schmidt told me herself. I mean, she told me the Baroness is gone. Back to Vienna. For good. But she wouldn't answer any questions. Told me to ask Father. As if he's going to tell us!"
"Does this mean that Fraulein Maria can stay?" asked Gretl.
"Not sure, Gretl, not sure," said Friedrich, distracted. "We need some more information. Ideas, anyone?"
Louisa nodded toward the house " I wonder who he's having breakfast with. If it's not Uncle Max and it's not Baroness Schrader. And, uh, he's got the window open in his study, if you haven't noticed. "
They all looked at each other. Listening in on Father's conversations wasn't in their usual bag of tricks; for one thing, it was too cold out several months of the year, and the price to be paid if you got caught was unthinkable. But they had done it, in extreme circumstances – like the time Fraulein Nina had accused Liesl of stealing from her – it had been thrilling to hear Father stick up for their sister that way.
"Brigitta. Kurt. Go ahead and report back. See what you can find out about Fraulein Maria. Or - " Friedrich bit his lip – "a new governess, I guess."
And that was how Brigitta found herself on her second mission of the day, huddled next to Kurt, hidden beneath a large bush that grew under Father's window. Things got interesting very quickly when they heard a muffled sound and their father responded "Come in!"
"Ah. Fraulein Maria. Here you are at last! Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning, Captain! You're looking well rested today."
Brigitta was baffled. Why all this sudden concern over how everyone had slept? Still, he apparently didn't care that Fraulein Maria had missed breakfast entirely. So far so good, she signaled Kurt, raising both hands to show him she had her fingers crossed. Maybe he will ask her to stay. Maybe she will ask him if she can.
Both adults had sounded perfectly pleasant, although the teasing tone in his voice – and hers too, come to think of it - was worrisome. Sometimes their teasing could escalate into bickering, Brigitta knew, so they weren't out of the woods yet.
"Come over here and join me for breakfast, will you?" Father urged. "There's a more comfortable chair right here next to me."
"No, thank you. Sir," Fraulein Maria added tartly. " I think it's best for me to stay right here in my usual spot. We have some important matters to discuss, and I don't want to get sidetracked. By breakfast or, well, anything else."
Father laughed out loud - he seemed in an awfully good mood today. Does he know that Baroness Schrader has gone? Brigitta heard the clink of silver on china, and coffee being poured. After a brief silence, he spoke again. "All right, which important matters shall we discuss first? You aren't having second thoughts, are you?"
"Oh, no. Never." Fraulein Maria said, so forcefully that Brigitta jumped. "I mean, er - well, it's just that we need to decide, right away, what to tell the children and when."
So it was true. She's leaving. Brigitta's heart sank, and she saw her distress reflected in Kurt's face. There were only a few details left for the adults to decide. And their father, despite his apparent good mood, was in no mood to delay.
"Yes, I suppose we ought to put that behind us, " he observed. "Are you sure you don't want to come over here and have a cup of coffee?"
"No. Absolutely not. Sir." Why was she being so contrary? Brigitta wondered. She hadn't heard Fraulein Maria call him "Sir" this many times over the entire summer!
"Would you prefer I talk to them alone?" Father asked.
"Oh, no," she replied, spiritedly. "This involves both of us, and we're going to talk to them together."
"Very well," he declared. "We'll tell them right away. I don't think the older ones will be that surprised, really, and the younger ones - you know perfectly well they adapt to anything. The sooner we tell them, the sooner they'll adjust."
"You know, I was thinking," Fraulein Maria said, sounding a little sad, "they've been through so much. And the way I ran away, and came back - they hardly know what to believe. Maybe you should give me some time with them, just the way it's always been. Let them have their old governess back, the way things were, and then-"
Father broke in. "We both know that's not going to happen."
"Yes," Fraulein Maria agreed, "but I was thinking that after a few days, when things are calmer, we can break the news gently..."
Brigitta shook her head in silent, vehement denial. There was never going to be a good time for bad news like this.
"I-I'm just worried that they're angry at me," their Fraulein went on. "Even though they wouldn't say so to my face last night. I don't think I could bear it if they reacted to this news, well, the wrong way."
Could she possibly believe we'd be happy to see her go? Brigitta wondered.
Father wasn't yielding an inch. "You have nothing to apologize for, not to them, not to anyone. Moreover, you did not see their faces yesterday when I told them…" he stopped to clear his throat. "Anyhow, Maria, you make it sound like there is no good news in it for them. True, things are turning out very differently than they expected. A very different future. A different family life. But they'll have two parents again. They'll be fine. Better than fine!"
"I'm not so sure," Fraulein Maria contended.
Oh, Fraulein, please, please don't argue with him this way, you know how annoyed he gets, Brigitta thought.
But Father didn't seem irritated at all, in fact, he seemed amused - it was very puzzling. "Will we ever have an argument that I can win? I assure you that I'm correct about this. You're just out of sorts because you haven't eaten your usual enormous breakfast. Come and eat something. And that's an order, Fraulein."
There was a long silence, a very long silence, presumably while they returned to their breakfast, although Brigitta strained to hear any sound of teacup on saucer, or fork on plate.
"Let's go!" Kurt whispered. "This is boring!"
Brigitta shook her head impatiently and shushed him.
Almost immediately, they heard Fraulein Maria laugh abruptly . "Hang on just one minute, would you? There's something I have to take care of."
And then, without warning, her blond head appeared over the windowsill, grinning at them and not seeming a bit annoyed. "Good morning again, Brigitta! And hello, Kurt! What are the two of you doing down there? Looking for something you lost?"
Shamefaced, their eyes on the ground, Brigitta and Kurt struggled to their feet.
"Look, you two. It's not very polite to spy on people, can you try to remember that in the future? Now go find the others and come into the house. There's something we need to talk about. As I'm sure you could tell me." And with that , Fraulein Maria emphatically shut the window and, for good measure, pulled the drapes shut.
Ten minutes later, the seven of them were gathered in the salon, waiting for Father and their governess to join them and deliver the bad news about her departure. Everyone was too nervous to sit down, so they just wandered around. They didn't say much – what was there to say, really – but there were sad looks exchanged, and pats on the back, and even a hug or two.
Even though they fought viciously, like all brothers and sisters, Brigitta knew that, with everything they'd been through, the other six understood her better than anyone. She would love them forever. She found that thought so comforting, facing a future with no Fraulein Maria and with a new mother…
"Have you ever thought about what it will be like for you to have a new mother?"
Fraulein Maria bounded into the room, smiling, her hair tousled, her eyes gleaming as though she was about to unveil yet another one of her wonderful plans to them. Brigitta had to remind herself that if her governess was so happy, it was because she was going back to the Abbey. That's what she wanted, after all.
"Your father will be here in a moment," Fraulein Maria told them. "I want to wait for him."
"He's not so fearsome after all."
And now here was Father, patting Gretl on the head, greeting Fraulein Maria with a little mocking bow.
"Fraulein Maria? Is she awake? Where is she?"
"Come on, all of you, don't you want to sit down?" Fraulein Maria asked, curiously. But they all stood rooted to their spots.
"This involves both of us, and we're going to talk to them together."
Father cleared his throat and then, very deliberately, he looked around the room, as though checking to make sure all of them were there, even Fraulein Maria. Only then did he give a satisfied nod and begin to speak, and he wasn't looking at the floor, not at all.
"Anyhow, Maria, you make it sound like there is no good news in it for them."
"Children," he began. "Something has happened…"
At that moment, Brigitta knew.
"Father." She repeated herself, just to be sure she had his attention. "Father."
"Yes, Brigitta?" he turned toward her, startled by the interruption. No one ever interrupted Father.
For a moment, she hesitated. If she was wrong she would be dreadfully embarrassed. But the words flew from her mouth like an arrow, straight and true.
"You're going to marry Fraulein Maria. And you, Fraulein. You're going to be our new mother."
It was one of those times when everything seems to happen in slow motion. Brigitta could only dimly hear her siblings in the background: outraged gasps, and delighted squeals, and Kurt saying, "Brigitta, you mustn't say such a thing!"
Mostly, she watched her parents – for that's how she was already thinking of them. Fraulein Maria grinned at Father with a happy little shrug. A slow smile spread over Father's face and then – Brigitta thought she would faint at the sight – he reached for Fraulein Maria's hand.
"Very good, Brigitta! You are correct. I have asked your Fraulein to marry me, and she has accepted."
Several minutes of pandemonium ensued, with dozens of hugs and kisses, and a million questions. Friedrich even asked about Baroness Schrader, but Brigitta didn't hear Father's answer to that one. After a while, everyone noticed that Marta was sitting at their governess' feet, stunned, not saying a word.
"Marta, darling. What is the matter? ," Father asked. "And don't tell me 'nothing'!"
"No, I – I wanted it to be this way. But Liesl told me…"
Brigitta knew what Marta was going to say. Before the party, before everything, Marta was always asking why Fraulein Maria couldn't marry Father and be their new mother. Liesl had explained it, patiently, time and time again. "He's way too old for her. And he's an aristocrat! And anyway, she wants to be a nun, which means she doesn't want to fall in love, or even get married."
Well, there was no need to humiliate Liesl in front of everyone. She should have seen it before I did, being sixteen with a boyfriend and everything. But on this happy day, and riding a wave of triumph, Brigitta felt generous toward her sister, toward the whole world in fact. She interrupted to change the subject before anyone could ask Marta for details.
"When? When is the wedding?"
"Well," Fraulein Maria explained, her face pink, and looking unusually shy, "probably next month. At the Abbey. And that's another thing – well, I am going to have to stay at the Abbey until the, ah, wedding."
"What? That's not fair? Why?" they all asked at once.
"I can't – I can't stay here. It's not proper. I will come every day to teach you, just like always, and play with you, and put you little ones to bed. But I can't live here anymore, not until…"
"But you lived here before," Gretl pointed out.
Fraulein Maria gave Father a pleading look, and he stepped in to change the subject, which was too bad, really, because Brigitta wanted to hear the explanation too. The air was charged with something she didn't quite understand.
"You will have to get used to managing without her, anyway," Father explained, "because after the wedding, of course, we will go away, just Frau- er, your mother and me."
"A honeymoon?" Liesl sighed.
"Well, just for a few days," Fraulein Maria added.
"A month." Father said, firmly.
"A month?" Fraulein Maria exclaimed, turning to him, her eyes widening in surprise. Her face turned a remarkable shade of red – even redder than it had been that night at the party.
"A month," he confirmed, giving her an odd little smile. It was so funny, the way Father could say just two words and change everything. It must have something to do with his being a naval hero, Brigitta thought. Although this morning she was arguing with him about everything, and now she's not saying a word.
"Fraulein Maria?"
"Yes, Gretl darling."
"Can we call you Mother now?"
"Hm. Well, we'll have to talk about that one. But if that's what you want, I don't see why not. Your brothers and sisters may feel differently.."
"Mother," Gretl interrupted, impatiently. "I just wanted to ask a question. Are you going to sleep on our side of the house now?"
Even Brigitta knew why Liesl smothered her laughter in the curtains, why Fraulein Maria couldn't stop blushing, and why Father once again changed the subject.
"Brigitta," he said, in his best interrogation voice. "What gave it away?"
"Well," she said slowly, thinking out loud and relishing the spotlight all the while, "it wasn't any single thing, you know. It never is. Baroness Schrader left, of course, that was one thing."
She turned to Fraulein Maria. "You were so happy to see us yesterday, but as soon as we told you about Father getting married, it was like the sun went behind the clouds." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Father look down at the floor.
"And this morning, you didn't seem to remember who Father was marrying. And the way you talked about him was different. Like you weren't scared of him anymore."
Father laughed at that, and Brigitta turned toward him.
"You didn't seem angry at her when she ran away, the way you did with the others. You were in such a good mood this morning! And when Kurt and I were listening-"
"Eavesdropping, you mean," said their new mother, helpfully.
"All right, eavesdropping. You called her Maria, Father. I didn't notice that at first, but then I remembered. And when you came in here, just now, you didn't look at the floor, like you always do when it's bad news."
"And the two of you must have been up late talking about something last night, because this morning, you kept talking about how you both had slept. It's not very romantic," Brigitta finished. "No chocolate boxes."
She thought she heard her father mutter something under his breath about Paris, but Fraulein Maria said some chocolate sounded like just the thing, and then the rest of the day was a blur of celebrating and planning.
And from that day on, Brigitta's position in the ranks of "the big ones" was firmly cemented. Of course, over time, she really was one of the big ones, with three new brothers and sisters coming along behind Gretl, while first Liesl and then the others finished school and went out into the world.
For the rest of her life, Brigitta was the first to notice happy things, like when her mother and, later, her sisters, were expecting children of their own, and sad things, like Father's cough that wouldn't go away. Even when the seven of them, well, all ten of them, were old themselves, and their parents were long gone, they would still say it to each other:
"Brigitta? She notices everything."
:::::::::::::::
A/N: Thanks for reading my story. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary for me, and I've never found a "telling the children" story that quite hit the spot. Please leave me a review and let me know how I did! I don't own TSOM or anything about it.