Author's Note: Hi everyone and welcome to "A New Life in Stowe"! I hope you all enjoy reading this fic as muh as I know I'm going to enjoy writing it for you all, and I hope that you will all leave a review to let me know what you think of it! Happy reading x
Georg couldn't wipe the smile from his lips as he watched his wife sleep in his embrace late one morning, her head resting on his shoulder as her arm was draped over his stomach and he ran the palm of his hand up and down the length of her back in a soothing manner. The two of them - along with their seven children - had arrived in Stowe just three days ago after their flee from Salzburg on the evening of the music festival, and now they were just trying to leave the past in the past and settle into their new life as a proper family.
There was nothing but pride for Maria sparkling in his eyes as he held her, his heart fit to burst with the passionate love that he possessed for her as he gave her forehead a delicate kiss. Ever since the two of them had left Paris she had been nothing but supportive and patient with him. There had been times when he had been unintentionally sharp with her due to worrying about their children when they had been on the long train-ride home, but she hadn't scolded him and hadn't snapped back because she had realised that he hadn't meant to use such a tone with her.
He knew that he wouldn't have been able to get them all out of Austria and to America safely if he hadn't had had her support; if she hadn't been there to take his hand in hers or press her lips to his cheek whenever he had started to doubt himself. She had been the one to keep everyone's spirits up; had been the one to comfort the children whenever they woke through the night due to a nightmare they had had over the last few weeks, and he knew in his heart that he and the children would be so lost without her. She was the one who held their beautiful family together.
It was a short time later when she began to stir in his embrace, frown-lines appearing between her brows as she tightened the arm that was draped across his middle before she snuggled into him with a quiet sigh and settled once more. He ran the back of his palm down her warm cheek after she had draped her leg over his hip under the covers, a smile forming on his lips when her piercing blue eyes flickered open and she cast her gaze up at him. 'Good morning, beautiful.' He said softly while continuing to stroke her cheek, Maria stretching up to brush his lips with hers.
'Mmph…' She sighed as their kiss lingered for a moment before breaking, '...good morning.' She lay her head back down on his shoulder then, letting her fingertips lose themselves in the thick dark hairs that layered his chest. The two of them slipped into a comfortable silence as they lay together, Georg pressing kisses onto her forehead and hairline every so often while she traced the curve of his calve through his pyjama bottoms with her foot. 'Well, I can't hear any arguing so the children must still be in bed.' She said with a giggle, tilting her head back on his shoulder.
'I'm not surprised.' He chuckled. 'They must be exhausted after all of the travelling we've done.'
'Maybe we should make the most of it.' She told him before pressing her lips against his neck in a languid kiss, her heart racing when he rolled her onto her back before shifting over her. Their lips then met in a kiss that was both soft and slow and passionate all at once, his hands resting on her waist through her nightgown as one of her hands were settled on his chest and the other on the side of his neck. He stopped kissing her lips after a time, Maria gazing up at him when he pushed himself up onto his forearms and drank in her natural beauty. 'What?' She asked softly.
'It's just that sometimes I - sometimes it's still hard for me to believe that I'm not dreaming.' He told her. 'It's still hard for me to believe that you're mine - that you're my wife - and that I never have to worry about losing you again.' He revelled in the exquisite smile that lit up her features at his words, his love for her deepening when she cupped the sides of his neck in her hands and brought his lips to hers for a soft and delectable kiss that left him breathless when they parted.
'Believe, my darling.' She told him as she stroked his cheek with the back of her palm, the two of them exchanging a loving smile before he took her face in his hands and kissed her once again. 'Georg…' She murmured between kisses as she entangled her fingers in his dark strands of hair, Georg humming in response whilst he brushed kiss after kiss against her lips, 'Make love to me.'
He didn't have to be told twice.
It was later that morning when she was standing at the stove in the kitchen of the perfect little farmhouse as she pushed the eggs that she was frying for Georg's breakfast around the frying pan, a small smile on her lips as she could hear the children chattering and laughing with each other at the table. There weren't words to describe just how deep her love for the seven of them was - they meant the whole world and more to her - but she knew that despite the fact that she wasn't their mother by blood she would never love them any less than she would her own child.
She felt a pair of strong arms wind around her waist from behind a few minutes later, her eyes drifting closed when she was drawn back against her husband's broad chest and felt him press his lips into her neck. 'What would you say…' His soft lips grazed her ear while he spoke into it, sending perfect little shivers through her, '...if I asked you if you would like to join me for a hack at sunset?' He stroked his thumbs against her flat stomach through the apron that she had tied around her waist as he held her close to him, Maria smiling as she turned her head toward him.
'I'd probably say that I would love it.' She replied, the two of them chuckling together before he caught her in a kiss that was both warm and tender at the same time. Their kiss reached its end when they heart Kurt groan from where he was sat at the table, the two of them looking at him over their shoulders before they saw the slight grimace that was etched into the boy's features.
'Do you have to do that?' He asked them before taking a sip of his orange juice.
Maria giggled as she felt Georg tighten his hold of her. 'Not necessarily,' She teased as her eyes sparkled, 'but it embarrasses you and that keeps us entertained.' Their youngest son rolled his eyes at her with a smile before returning to his breakfast, Georg pressing his lips to the smooth skin of her hairline before he approached the table and saw down on the chair at the head of it.
As he waited for Maria to finish his breakfast his gaze fell upon Liesl, a deep sigh escaping him as he watched her swirling the spoon around in her cereal rather than eating. She had been so down ever since they had left Salzburg. She had been quieter than usual; had prefered to be up in her bedroom rather than downstairs with the rest of the family ever since they had arrived in Stowe, and he knew that it was all due to the fact that that young lad Rolfe had betrayed her.
She flinched when he covered the hand that was laying in her lap with his and brought her out of her thoughts, a faint smile appearing upon her lips when she glanced up from her cereal and met his gaze. 'Are you alright, sweetheart?' He inquired, his concern for her evident in his eyes.
'I'm fine,' She sighed with a nod, 'I'm just tired.'
He drew slow circles into the back of her palm with his thumb when she took a sip of her cup of tea. 'You know that your mother and I are always going to be here if you need to speak to one of us about something, don't you?' He raised his brow at her. 'We want you to speak to us if there's something bothering you, darling, because that's what the two of us are here for.' Liesl nodded.
'I know.' She replied before kissing his cheek. 'And I love you both for it, but I'm fine. I promise.'
He decided against continuing to try and get the truth out of her. He knew that she would come to he or Maria at some point, but he wasn't going to make her talk about what was hurting her if she wasn't ready to. It was a short time later when Maria placed his breakfast down in front of him, his hand finding her waist through her dress before he gave it an affectionate squeeze. She then walked back over to the counter in order to fix herself a bowl of cereal before lowering herself down into the chair opposite her husband at the other end of the large breakfast table.
'Mother?' Gretl piped up as she tucked a long strand of blonde hair back beneath her ear.
'Yes, sweet pea?' Maria replied as she offered her a loving smile.
'Do you think you might be able to take us to the park again this afternoon?' Gretl inquired.
'I don't see why not as long as it's alright with your father.' Maria admitted. 'Georg?'
'I don't have any objection,' He smiled, 'As long as you all get your chores done before you go.'
The younger children nodded at him in response before returning to their breakfast, he and his wife sharing a loving glance as she sipped her tea. As he watched his children and wife chatter and giggle with one another whilst they ate their breakfast, something started to dawn on him.
He was the luckiest man alive.
It was a short time after her mother and six younger siblings had left the farm to go to the park when Liesl was sat on a tree stump in the paddock that the horses were grazing in, her hands in her lap while she watched one of the foals following its mother around. She had decided not to go to the park with the others - choosing instead to stay behind at the farm and finish the final few chores on her list - and once she had ticked off the final chore she had decided to sit outside with the horses for a while. She wasn't sure as to why, but being around horses was so relaxing.
She knew that her mother and father knew she wasn't herself; she knew that all that the two of them wanted to do was help her, but she just couldn't bear to be a burden on them both. It was clear to her that the two of them were beyond exhausted - they were bound to be after the mad few weeks that everyone had had - and she hated the thought of adding more onto their plates.
Even though it had been over a month since the evening that she and her parents hid with her younger siblings in the convent cemetery, she still found herself suffering from nightmares. It had made her feel sick to her stomach when she had discovered that Rolfe had joined the Nazis, but it was seeing him aim his pistol at her father that had caused bile to rise in her throat. The fact that he had stood there - knowing full well that she had been watching - and threatened to kill her father had made her feel a hatred she had never felt before. How could he be so wicked?
A single tear danced over the curve of her cheek as she realised just how easily she could have lost her father that night, a sniffle escaping her as she swept the tear away with the tips of her fingers. She allowed a small smile to spread across her features when she glanced up from her lap and saw her father walking across the paddock toward her, a sigh leaving her lips as she shifted over on the tree-stump to make room for him to sit next to her once he had reached her.
'You've been sat out here for quite some time now, my love.' Georg told her once they had sat in a comfortable silence together for a time, Liesl playing with her hands as they rested in her lap.
'I like sitting out here.' She admitted while watching the horses. 'It helps me relax.'
Georg turned his head in her direction before shifting closer to her and brushing a kiss against her cheek, Liesl smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist before drawing her closer and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. 'I love you so much.' He told her before giving her temple a soft kiss, his thumb brushing against the jut of her hip through the fabric of her dress.
'I love you too, father.' She told him as she wrapped her arms around his middle and curled her fingers into his shirt, her eyes falling closed when she pressed her face into the side of his neck.
He brought his free hand up to stroke her long tresses of brown hair as she snuggled up to him. 'I know you're unhappy,' He told her, 'and I know why you're unhappy too. I want you to talk to me about it, but I want it to be when you feel as though you're ready to. You may be turning seventeen next month but you are still my little girl and I want to help you in any way I can when you're troubled, my darling.'
She tilted her head back against his shoulder at that, gazing up into his eyes as he gave her jaw a soothing stroke with the tips of his fingers. 'I'm sorry that I haven't been very helpful over the last couple of weeks, father.' She told him, Georg's brow furrowing ever-so-slightly in response.
'I don't know why you're saying that because your mother and I haven't stopped talking about how helpful you've been since we left Salzburg.' He told her as he gave her slim waist a squeeze. 'Your mother and I noticed how you would sit up for hours to try and get Gretl off to sleep when we had to spend nights on trains, you know. The two of us noticed how you would cheer she and Marta up whenever they cried and you made us both so proud of you.' Liesl blessed him with a perfect smile as she looked up into his eyes. 'You've been more helpful than you think you have.'
'Father?' She said while nuzzling against his shoulder.
'Mhm?' He hummed against her forehead.
'Do you think I'll get past this at some point?' She asked.
'I do, Liesl.' He nodded. 'Because you are an incredibly strong young woman.'
'Only because I have you and mother to fall back on when I need you both.' She smiled.
'And we are always going to be there to support you, darling.' He told her. 'I promise you that.'
It was one of the strongest promises he had ever made.
'We haven't been on a hack together since before we were married.' Maria said to her husband when the two of them were on their hack just after sunset that evening, Georg turning his head in her direction with a loving smile as their mares walked side-by-side down the secluded trail.
'I can still remember the way your eyes lit up when I asked you if you wanted to come for a ride with me.' He chuckled as he looked into her eyes, adoring the twinkle that he could see in them. 'I also remember how downright ravishing you looked when you came walking into the stables in that riding attire.' A smirk appeared on his lips at the faint blush that rose in Maria's cheeks.
'All I can remember is you kissing me up against that wall.' She laughed. 'I think that was what told the two of us that we couldn't be trusted to go without chaperones.' The two of them shared a chuckle then, the sound bouncing off the trees before they both fell into a comfortable silence.
It wasn't long before the two of them came to a rather secluded area, Georg releasing a content sigh as he took in his surroundings for a moment. 'Why don't we stop here for a few minutes so that these two can have a drink from the stream down there?' He suggested as he looked at his wife, Maria smiling as she nodded in agreement before he dismounted his mare. He then made his way around to the side of her own mare before taking her by the waist, Maria allowing him to help her dismount before the two of them guided their mares down to the small stream by their reins.
As the two of them allowed the mares to drink, Georg placed his hand on the small of his wife's back before pressing his lips to her cheek in a simple kiss. 'I love it when we spend time with our children - you know I do - but I have to admit that there's something about having moments like this with you. Moments where we can just be alone together and I can hold you in my arms and kiss you whenever I want to.' Maria felt her heart swell when she glanced up at him. 'You mean the world to me and more, Maria, and I never want you to think otherwise.' He stroked her face.
'I never could.' She reassured him before rising up onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his.
Georg began to draw soothing circles into her lower back once they had ended their kiss, Maria humming in satisfaction as she leaned against him while they waited for their mares to finish drinking. 'It's getting late,' He told her once the mares finally stopped drinking, 'How about we tie these two up for a little while so that we can sit here together and then we can start heading back to the farm afterwards?' Maria nodded in response before the two of them led their mares over to the thicket of trees, Georg tying the two of them up before he took Maria's hand and led her back down to the stream. The two of them then sat together, Georg putting his arm around her.
She removed her riding hat once she had settled against him, a sigh falling from her lips when she rested her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest. The sound of the rippling stream was so soothing, a contented smile appearing on her lips as her eyes drifted closed and she focused on the sound. 'I know that our life here isn't perfect yet,' Georg spoke into her hair, 'but I swear that we're all going to settle down eventually. We just need to be patient for a time.'
Maria curled into his side before looking up at him and smoothing her hand across his chest. 'I don't care how long it takes for all of us to get settled.' She admitted as he tucked a short strand of her strawberry-blonde hair back beneath her ear. 'I'm just grateful that we managed to get all of our children here in one piece and that I have you. If a single part of your plan to get us all out of Austria had failed then I dread to think what might have happened to us, but it all went to plan and we're all safe and still together. That is all I care about.' Georg stroked her soft hair.
'I am so blessed to have you.' He said quietly.
'So am I.' She replied before taking his free hand in hers and pressing kisses to his knuckles.
The two of them slipped back into their comfortable silence a few moments later, Maria sighing as she nuzzled her face against his neck and breathed in his natural scent as he traced the soft curve of her waist with the palm of his hand. 'I have something for you.' He told her after a time before she sat up properly beside him, a small smirk on his lips as he gazed into her eyes. 'Close your eyes.' He chuckled, Maria rolling her eyes at him before she did as he had requested of her.
He then reached into the pocket of his breeches and pulled out a small box. 'Put out your hand.' He instructed gently, his wife once again doing as he had asked before he placed the box in her palm. 'You can open them now.' He told her before he watched her eyes flutter open once more.
She took in the sight of the box in her hand for a moment before looking up into his eyes. 'What is it?' She raised her brow at him, her heart fluttering when he stroked her cheek with his hand.
'Open it and find out.' He said.
She took a deep breath then before taking the lid off of the box, a gasp of surprise tearing itself free from her throat as she took in the sight of the locket that was within the box. Tears pricked her eyes when she lifted her gaze to Georg's once again, her hand trembling as she held the box carefully. 'Is it?' She choked out as she knew he was able to see the tears in her eyes.
'It is.' He nodded with a warm smile.
'But I - I thought it got left at the villa. I couldn't find it when I was packing our things.' A single tear scrolled down her cheek before Georg shifted closer to her and pulled her into his embrace.
'I went back up to our bedroom to see if anything had been left underneath the bed whilst you were downstairs with the children and there it was. I thought about giving it to you that night, but we were all so shaken up and tired that I thought I should wait until we got here to give it to you.' Her eyes burned with tears as she took the locket out of the box before prising it open with her thumbnail, a tearful smile spreading across her lips as she looked down at the photograph inside. It was a picture of she and her parents. She had only been about two years old when the photograph had been taken and she could still remember her parents surprising her with the locket on her eighth birthday. Just a fortnight before the two of them had been killed in the fire.
When she had been unable to find the locket on the night that she and her family had fled from Austria she had been heartbroken, but now she was unable to hide the elation she was feeling at knowing that Georg had found it and brought it with him. The next time she looked up at him she wrapped her arms around his neck, soft tears running down her cheeks as she hid her face in the side of his neck and felt him lace his own arms around her middle. 'Thank you.' She cried.
'You're welcome, sweetheart.' He smiled before kissing the side of her head. 'Do you want me to help you put it on?' She drew back from the side of his neck at his words, wiping the tears off of her cheeks with the heels of her palms as she nodded before she allowed him to take the locket from her and turned around so that her back was to him. She felt her heart race as he clasped the priceless piece of jewellery at the base of her neck, a wave of happiness hitting her when he ran the palms of his hands up and down the outside of her arms. 'I love you.' He told her quietly.
'I love you too.' She told him once she had turned to face him again, her arms sliding around his neck before she caught him in a long and soft kiss and his hands sought out her perfect waist. 'So much.' She breathed once the two of them had parted and their foreheads were kissing, her fingers teasing the hairs at the nape of his neck as he ran his hands over the curve of her spine.
The temperature was beginning to drop as the hour grew later, but neither of them noticed.
Because when they were in one another's embrace they could never be anything but warm.
It was nearing midnight when Georg entered the bedroom that he shared with his wife, Maria sound asleep in his arms as he held her bridal style and her head was resting on his shoulder as she snored into the side of his neck. Holding her carefully in one arm for a moment he drew the covers back before lowering her down onto the mattress, nothing but love for her in his eyes as she slid her hand beneath her pillow and curled up before he stroked her hair and covered her with their quilt. 'Goodnight, my beautiful girl.' He said quietly before turning out the lamp that was sat on her bedside table and heading over to the chest of drawers in search of his pyjamas.
It didn't take him long to get changed and before he knew it he was climbing into bed beside his wife, a quiet yawn escaping him as he turned out the lamp on his bedside table and plunged the room into darkness before laying down behind his beloved. He shuffled closer to Maria once he had covered himself with their quilt, hearing her soft whine as she stirred when he took her in his arms and drew her back against his chest. 'Mmm...goodnight Georg.' She murmured tiredly.
'Goodnight, sweetheart.' He kissed the back of her neck a number of times before brushing his thumb against the flatness of her stomach through her nightgown and resting his chin on her shoulder. 'Sleep well.' It didn't take her long to drift back off to sleep after burying the tip of her nose in her pillow, Georg smiling as her delicate snores filled the silence of their dark bedroom.
He thought back to what she had been saying when the two of them had been sat together by the stream earlier that evening, his hold of her tightening as he recalled how she had said that she didn't care how long it took for they and their children to settle down because she was just grateful that they were all still in one piece and that they were all still together. She had made such a good point and it had only made him fall all the more in love with her. She was amazing.
He fell asleep with a smile on his lips that night, his mind filled with nothing but thoughts of his beautiful family and all of the beautiful memories that the nine of them were going to make in the years to come.
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this pilot chapter and please let me know if you would like me to continue with this fic! x