"Mhhhhh, I'm a little bit in love, never felt this way before..."

Maria Rainer couldn't remember a time when she had been this happy. A time when she had felt this complete, this accepted, this loved.

With a towel wrapped around her, she stepped out of the bathroom in the governess' room and moved to the cupboard, trying not to soak the wooden floor with her still wet feet. Focusing on her task, she kept on singing the song she had had in her head for most of the day.

"Mhhhhhh... Just a little bit in love, or perhaps, a little bit more..."

She picked a lovely chiffon dress with a light flower pattern from the cupboard, and decided that it would do for dinner. Then she placed the dress on top of her bed, still singing, and started to get ready.

Yes, it really was a feeling she'd never felt before, she thought as she hummed along to the melody in her head.

When she looked back on the day when she'd first arrived at the villa, she would never have imagined that her life would have taken such a turn. The children were metamorphosed: they had all opened up to her, with more or less difficulty. They had incredibly improved in their studies, but they had also made great personal improvements: she felt that they more... open. It had obviously been because they had reconnected with their father.

Their father.

The simple thought of him made Maria smile. Georg. Her soon-to-be husband. That had been the event she had anticipated the least: falling in love with her employer.

It hadn't been easy. If there was something she'd learned in the past month, it was that love was not easy. When she first met him, in that first disastrous encounter, she remembered being... disturbed, to say the least.

He did not look like anything she could have imagined. Well, he wasn't like the old sea captain with a long, white beard and smoking a pipe like she had seen in children books. However, this wasn't what had intrigued her the most; the fact that he didn't look like one didn't bother her. What did, however, was that he had been surprisingly handsome. Incredibly handsome. The feeling had been so disturbing that she'd been questioning herself about it for days: was it right to think that? Wasn't a nun expected not to notice men? But never mind, she had told herself, only noticing wouldn't harm anyone. That's what she had thought.

"When he looks at me, everything's hazy and all out of focus. When he touches me, I'm in the spell of a strange hocus-pocus," she sang absentmindedly as she put on her stockings and stepped into her dress.

Oh yes, there were times she could hardly breathe when he looked at her, just like she'd told the Reverend Mother. Whenever he put his hand behind her back to guide her or when he managed to steal a kiss, on some occasions, she would feel dizzy and think it over for hours.

"It's so... I don't know... I'm so…" her singing faltered. "Oh, I don't know." She sighed deeply and stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom. She tried to arrange her hair which had grown longer over the past weeks.

Being engaged to Georg was rather unsettling, when she thought about it. It was like being a fish plucked from the ocean and tossed into a foreign stream; in the space of two days, she had found herself going from postulant to future wife of one of Austria's most reputed naval hero - and an aristocrat as it happened! It was a world she knew nothing about, and if she was completely honest, she dreaded it. Never in her life she had been taught how to properly sit on a couch, what to say or what not to say during supper, how to start a formal conversation with somebody who had a title - though she would have one herself within three weeks - and all those kind of things every woman from the upper class knew. In fact, she didn't have a clue as to how a high-society lady was supposed to behave.

There were constraints, and she was well aware of these, but she was ready to do anything to be with her Captain. She would do what it takes, she had promised herself, even though it meant being under the constant disapproving look of every Countess or Duchess or whatever woman she would meet, even though it meant being forced to pretend to be enjoying herself during boring high society conversations for the rest of her life. What was it about this man that could make her hang the moon just for him?

"I don't know," she said to herself as she got back to her room and went to an opened window, resting her elbows on the edge. "I don't know, but I know, if it's love, then it's lovely! Mhhhhhh, it's so nice to be alive," She sang and as she was taking in the sight of the wonderful view of the lake and the mountains that her room offered. "when you meet someone who bewitches you. Will he be my all?" She smiled to herself, lowering her eyes. Of course he would be. He already was. "Or did I just fall..." She raised her gaze to the blue sky, and she rested her chin on the palms of her hands.

"A little bit... A little bit in love..." She finished while appreciating the golden light of the fading sun on this late August night. It seemed like a fairytale, and she closed her eyes, savouring every moment of it. Soon, she would be the wife of the man she loved, and the mother of seven adorable children, and maybe more, she dared to think as she felt her cheeks redden. How lovely it would be to have children of her own, children who would be the living proof of the love she and Georg would share. Neither of them had talked about it, well, they didn't really have time! It had been three weeks since he had proposed to her, that night at the gazebo, and she had been all over the place since then, between wedding plans, a visit to the abbey. And then there was the arrival of Hede, Georg's sister, as an additional chaperone - they had agreed that Max alone wouldn't do. Even the children had been more demanding of attention than before, constantly surrounding her. She wasn't complaining at all, it was all amazing, but it meant she didn't have one minute for just to be with Georg - Hede and Max made sure of that.

So, yes, the thought of more children had been occupying her mind lately. But she didn't have the faintest idea of what her fiancé's opinion was on the matter. Maybe he didn't even want more children. He already had seven of them! But soon they will officially be hers as well, even though she had considered them as her treasures since the day she'd met them. On the other hand, she hadn't been the one to raise them, so the experience had not been the same. Oh, she was torturing herself! She needed to talk to Georg about it as soon as possible. It wasn't that she wasn't seeing him enough, as they spent a fair amount of time together, but they were never alone, and they could certainly not have an intimate conversation such as discussing eventual future children. There were so many things that needed to be said, but God knew when they would get the occasion. Maybe not before the wedding, she thought as a red light started blinking in her head. She needed to talk to him! About what was expected of her, about what she needed to do! Oh, what a mess!

And yet, there was that part of her that only wanted a calm, peaceful life with no title, no parties, just her, Georg, and the children. But as she had told herself just moments before, she was ready to do what it would take.

Suddenly, her deep reverie was interrupted when she felt two strong arms circling around her waist. Startled, she straightened up and gasped, but instantly recognized the scent of her fiancé's expensive cologne.

"Shhhhhh, darling, it's just me," said Georg with a chuckle as he planted a kiss in the crook of her neck.

It was enough to make her knees buckle.

"What are you doing in there?" Maria whispered, as if somebody could hear her. "How did you get in?"

Still kissing every part of her neck his lips could reach, he answered, "I was just passing by, I heard the delightful sound of your voice and I couldn't help myself. And it was a really lovely song, by the way. I never heard you sing it before."

"The door was closed!" said Maria. "If you'd come in just five minutes ago, you'd have seen me..." She hesitated, so she turned her head in order to meet his gaze. "...naked!" she mouthed, her cheeks turning red.

Visibly surprised, Georg raised his eyebrows and she could spot a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He opened his mouth to answer when a loud knock rang on the door and she froze in her fiancé's arms.

"Maria! Are you alone in there?" came the sound of Hede's voice from the other side of the door.

Rather panicked, she tried to keep her voice even, although she was distracted by Georg's presence behind her. Apparently not disturbed by the possibility of being caught, the unstoppable beast kept on planting kisses on her neck.

"Y-yes! I am!"

"Are you really?" Maria heard the suspicion in Hede's voice, and she could perfectly picture the frown on her face.

"I am!" she answered rather too confidently, while Georg's hands had moved from her waist and were now caressing her sides.

"Can I come in then?"

She felt her fiancé's caresses still, and another rush of panic going through her.

"No! I am, uh, getting ready for dinner so I'm not really, uh-" Oh God. "dressed!" She finished, and Georg resumed his caresses. "Why?"

"Because," Hede answered, still suspicious, "it happens that my brother has suddenly disappeared and no one seems to be able to find him."

"Is that so?" Maria said, trying to sound surprised.

But without her noticing, Georg's hands had moved and one deliberately caressed her breast. The effect was immediate: she loudly gasped and she felt her whole body burst into fire, both excited and mortified due to the situation she was in.

"What is it now?"

"Nothing!" she snapped, as she felt Georg's smirk against her neck. What a mess, what a mess! "I've just realized I would be late for dinner if I don't hurry up!" She invented, relieved that she had found something rather realistic to say.

"Mmmhmm..." was all Hede could say, apparently not entirely convinced. "Then I shall leave you Maria. I have to find my stupid brother," she muttered angrily. "Oh, and if, by any chance, you come across him," she started again, "tell him that he is an idiot and that he won't get away that easily."

Get away with what? Was what Maria wanted to ask but wasn't sure that it was a good idea to dig herself in even deeper than she already had.

"See you at dinner!" Maria said as she heard Hede's footsteps in the corridor.

When she was sure that the sound of Hede's footsteps had faded away, she let out the breath she'd been holding and abruptly turned around to face Georg, causing his arms to drop to his sides.

"What is it?" he asked, surprised by her sudden behaviour.

She looked at him in a way she never had before. Inside, she was boiling mad because of the way he had just behaved: he knew she was a terrible liar, and that she had probably made a fool of herself trying to find stupid excuses to persuade Hede to go away. But his presence was... enthralling. He had dared to touch her in a way he knew would unsettle her, and for good reason; she had almost given herself away. But it was entirely his fault! He didn't have to be here in the first place, but if she was honest, she was glad that he was as they could barely spend time together. And she was about to make sure that this precious time wasn't going to go to waste.

Without bothering to answer his question, she suddenly grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and brought his face to hers, kissing him as if her life was about to end. Although he was surprised at first, it didn't take him long before he responded with equal force, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to him. Deepening their kiss, she heard a growl of approval escape his throat, and he tightened his grip around her. In a heartbeat, she found herself pinned against the nearest wall, their tongues still battling as she pressed herself even more firmly against him, glad that she was stuck between him and the wall, as she was sure that her knees would have buckled.

His lips left hers to undertake a journey from the corner of her mouth to her jaw, then her neck. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt his right hand moving, once again, to her breast. This time, his touch was firmer, not like the light caress it had been only minutes ago. His mouth was still on her neck, and she suddenly felt the urge to feel his lips against hers. Between involuntary whimpers she managed to get his lips back and she wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing him closer.

Maria's blood was pounding in her ears and she couldn't think about anything besides the touch of his hands, the feeling of his lips and the delightful pressure of his whole body pressed against her. She could feel something fluttering low in her stomach, causing her to want him even more. She was lost in his arms, the scent of him intoxicating her in the best way possible.

"Darling..." Georg panted after they parted, some kisses later. His voice was hoarse and certainly not like she was accustomed to, although she didn't complain. "As much as I'd like to continue this lovely activity, I'm afraid we should stop."

Maria moaned with disappointment. "But I don't want to stop! Who knows when we will have another moment to ourselves..." She sighed and brought her eyes to his. "I miss you. Sometimes it feels like you're not here."

"I know it's difficult darling," he said as he smoothed his jacket. "But it's for the best. We clearly need those chaperones. Look what happens when they are not here," he added with a smirk, and she was impressed by how quickly he had managed to compose himself while her stomach was still trying to recover from the kisses and the touches.

"I know!" she said, with a dramatic sigh. "But they keep us apart all the time! Maybe we wouldn't... we wouldn't do this if we had some more time to ourselves."

Georg let out a low chuckle. "Well, you were the one who jumped on me and initiated this!"

She threw him a staggering look.

"But you were the one who came here in the first place! And if you... if you hadn't touched me, I wouldn't have done it!"

Georg laughed when he saw her crossing her arms and frowning. She was just too adorable.

"I'm sorry," he said, clearly not sorry at all. He smirked. "But don't worry, I wouldn't have done anything without your consent."

"Oh, thank you," Maria snorted. "It's very kind of you." She rolled her eyes but then she sighed. "You're right, we might need the chaperones."

"I'm just as sad as you are about their presence, darling. If it were up to me, I would have taken you to bed so much sooner." Georg said, chuckling.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Maria's face went blank and she stared at him her eyes wide opened.

"Would... would you?" She stammered, a bit uncertain.

Georg seemed to have noticed the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, because the sparkle of mischief vanished from his eyes.

"I mean, erhm, you're certainly very, uh, tempting, my darling, but you don't have to worry about that. I mean, for now. I know how important it is for you to wait, and I wouldn't do anything without your consent, as I said." He flashed a small, apologetic smile, and her heart began to beat faster.

It wasn't that it bothered her, not really, but the topic wasn't something they had had time to discuss. And if she were honest with herself, she didn't feel comfortable enough to talk about it. Not that she wasn't curious, because she was, but because she didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to bring it up. The truth was that it frightened her, but the biggest part of herself wanted to experience what the love between a man and a woman was like in bed. Was it wrong of her? Shouldn't she wait until the wedding before thinking about that? Of course not, you idiot, she snapped at herself. Besides, you've already been thinking about it. And, may I add, you are not at the abbey anymore. She mentally shook away the image of Sister Berthe looking disapprovingly at her.

But, oh, how she wanted to feel it! How she wanted to feel it over and over again when Georg kissed her, when he touched her, when she had her pinned against the wall just like minutes ago, or when he would be pressed against her! Never she had felt this way, and every time it would happen, there was that part of her that would only scream for more.

"Maria? Are you all right?" came the soothing voice of Georg, bringing her back to the reality.

She blinked, trying to focus on him.

"Yes, of course!" she said with a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Oh help. The look in his eyes was so full of love that she wanted to throw herself at him and kiss every inch of his face. "I think we really should get ready for dinner, before your sister kills you, which would be very unfortunate. She will go mad if she doesn't find you soon. And she sounded already pretty mad." She added knowingly.

He began to shift uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is something I wanted to tell you. That's why I came here in the first place."

"Oh?" she asked, as he looked at her very seriously. She should have known from the beginning there was something. Maybe something wrong. Why would he take the risk to come to her bedroom if it wasn't important? Help.

"I truly am sorry to tell you at such short notice," he began, "but I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Vienna. I'll be gone for one night only," he hastily added, as her eyes started to shift with worry. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow, by the afternoon I guess."

If there was something she hadn't expected, well, it was that. Why did he have to go? And why was he telling her only now?

"I see," Maria said quietly. She wrapped her arms around herself and asked, "And why do you need to go to Vienna?"

"There is some, uh, business I need to attend to. People I need to see before we leave for our honeymoon, but nothing for you to worry about, darling." He reassured her, but she was not convinced by the vagueness of his answer.

"Of course," she answered softly, not really satisfied with the answer he had given her.

And just like that, she felt like she needed to put her defenses back up. The thought of being left alone at the villa terrified her. Not that she would be totally alone, as the children and the staff would still be there of course, but Georg was like a landmark to her, and without this landmark, she felt like she could drown at any time. Even though they didn't have much time alone, he was still a reassuring presence to her across the dinner table, or when he put his hand on her shoulder when they were having conversations with Max and Hede in the parlour. It would be the first time they would be far away from each other since their engagement, and she wasn't too keen on the idea.

"I'm sorry, darling, I don't like to leave you at the villa either," said Georg, interrupting her thoughts just as if he could read her mind. He gave her an apologetic smile. "If I could have done otherwise, I would have. But I can't."

Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and straightened her shoulders. It was not a big deal. After all, she could take care of herself, and she could manage to survive twenty-four hours without him. What could possibly happen?

"I know you would have done otherwise," she answered quietly, bringing her eyes to his. "It's just, oh, I don't know." She sighed as she leant on the cupboard next to her.

Georg looked at her quizzically.

"I'm not used to this. All of this," she added as she made a circle with her head. "Being away from you... it may sound stupid, but it makes me feel uncomfortable."

"You will get used to it, and everything will get better with time. I promise," he said with a smile. "As for me leaving, it doesn't sound stupid that you won't be at ease. But it won't be long, you'll do just fine."

She returned his smile, and involuntarily shuddered.

Georg cleared his throat. "If you'll excuse me, I have to eventually leave this room and invent whatever excuse to justify my absence," he said, rolling his eyes. "It was lovely to talk to you. I'll see you at dinner." He winked at her. Then he turned his back to her and started to head to the door.

"Wait!" Maria exclaimed.

"What is it?" he asked, turning around to face her and raising his eyebrows in surprise.

She went past him, opened the door and poked her head out, checking both sides of the corridor. Relieved to see it was empty, she stepped aside.

"You can go now," she said.

"Thank you," he answered with a devilishly handsome smile that could make her knees buckle. But instead of walking away, he bent down and captured her lips in a slow, sensual kiss. She immediately closed her eyes and squeezed the handle of the door.

"There. Now, I can go," he said, clearly very pleased with himself.

Leaving an astounded Maria behind him, he casually walked away.

Dinner this evening was like every other dinner. Almost.

Maria arrived in the dining room, on time and sat at her place while the children and Max were chatting animatedly amongst themselves. The big topic of the day was Maria's wedding dress: while she had been with Hede to the first fittings, she didn't have a clear idea in mind of what the final result would be like. Liesl claimed it would be a long, satin dress with short sleeves. Brigitta argued it should be covered with lace. Gretl and Marta said it had to be a long, chiffon bubble dress, just like Cinderella. Kurt said she should get married in pants, that it would make everything easier for everybody. Louisa was rolling her eyes and saying that it had to look like she wanted. And Friedrich was quiet and looking down his plate without bothering giving his opinion.

Just before Maria was about to tell them that they were all wrong, except for Louisa, Hede made her entrance and took her seat rather quickly, looking annoyed.

"I'm going to kill him," Hede muttered.

"Georg?" Max inquired, pouring himself a glass of wine. "Let me give you a hand!"

"What is it, Hede?" Maria asked even though she had a pretty good idea about Hede's discontent. She was frowning so intensely that her blue eyes were almost invisible.

Hede didn't look like her brother at all. If Maria didn't know she was Georg's sister, she wouldn't have believed it. They only had the eyes as a common feature: blue, dark and piercing. But Hede was dark blonde, had a rather pale complexion and messy hair that she tried to tie up in a sort of messy bun. Everything about her appearance, and not only that, was extremely wild, unlike her brother.

"I can't find him anywhere," she said. "You know Maria," she continued as she spun around in her chair so she could face Maria, "at first, I really thought he was with you. But now, I get it: he is trying to drive me crazy. And he is totally successful. I hate him." She muttered, turning back to her empty plate.

"Dearest Hede, we know and love the same man!" Max exclaimed enthusiastically as he poured her a full glass of wine. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Max." Hede said as she gratefully grabbed the glass and took a large gulp. "He is making us wait. And he is never late, usually! I'm telling you, he is going to be the one to end up roasted on my plate."

"She is obviously joking, sweethearts," Maria said gently as she watched Marta's and Gretl's eyes widen in horror. "Don't be so extreme, Hede." Maria said although she was enjoying hre future sister-in-law's attitude. "I'm sure he will be here soon."

"He better be," Hede said as she took another sip of wine.

And Georg chose that precise moment to come to the room, greeting Maria and the children as he casually walked to his chair.

"Ah, I love it when you wish me a good evening, Georg!" Max sighed sarcastically, but Georg didn't pay him attention.

"What has taken you so long?" Hede snapped as he was sitting down, throwing him a look so dark that it looked like she was sending knives with her eyes.

"I happen to be a human being," he started as he joined his hands, "and sometimes, when my sister stifles me with her blistering presence, I have to go out and get some air. Surely you can understand that?" Georg said as he offered her a sarcastic smile.

"Fine," Hede answered as she drained the rest of her glass. "Max, give me some more," she commanded as she extended her glass to the impresario, who gladly filled it.

"Careful little sister," Georg said, "I wouldn't want a drunken woman at my table."

"I'm three years older than you are," Hede mumbled, ignoring his comment as she brought her glass to her lips.

"How fascinating! I always thought you were fifteen and forgot to grow up," he said sarcastically, taking a sip of his own wine.

Hede made the right decision to ignore him.

Throughout dinner, everyone seemed to be like they usually were. Max drank, Hede talked, Georg was being sarcastic, and the children were being children - they had resumed their argument over the dress - though Maria couldn't help but noticed Friedrich's odd behavior. He barely spoke, and he looked like he was trying his best to go unnoticed, which was very unlike him. Maria had come to discover a very passionate boy, thirsty to learn and curious about a lot of things. She cast a look around the table and found Georg looking at her intensely from across the table and her cheeks immediately caught fire. She quickly looked away, helping Gretl to cut her meat, when Georg's voice resonated from across the table.

"Children, may I have your attention for one minute ?"

The clatter of knives and the forks faded away, and they all turned their attention to their father.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll be leaving for Vienna. But don't be scared," he added as they all opened their mouths to start protesting, "I'll only be gone for two days."

"Why are you leaving, Father?" Liesl inquired.

Georg cast a quick glance at Maria, whose eyes burnt into his, before turning his attention back to his eldest daughter.

"There is some business I need to attend to, nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart," he said to Liesl, almost the exact same words he had said to Maria only an hour ago.

Maria tried her best to look surprised. Judging by the look on Max's and Hede's faces, they already knew he was leaving, which made sense to Maria.

The children started to ask questions, but Maria wasn't listening to a word. Her eyes were glued on her fiancé. For the first time in days, she took the time to look at him properly. There was something in his eyes, something in his smile, in his features, that made parade questions after questions in her mind. He looked quite different. Quite tired. He didn't look like himself.

Her good mood of the day had started drifting since their conversation earlier. But now, she was not angry or sad, but she felt like there was something wrong. She felt insecure.

Something was amiss. She couldn't help but feel that uncomfortable twist in her stomach, the feeling that something was slipping through her fingers.

There was something he was not telling her, or something she hadn't understood.

Author's Note : The song Maria is singing at the beginning is "A Little Bit In Love" from the show Wonderful Town, and Julie Andrews has done a beautiful cover of this song. I've always pictured Maria singing it dreamily while getting ready.

The line: "Like a fish plucked from the ocean, tossed into a foreign stream" is taken from the first lyrics of the song "Who Will Love Me As I Am" from the musical Side Show. It is a gorgeous song, you should definitely give it a listen.

Special thanks to INeverExplainAnything for helping me with it.

I hope you enjoyed it, you are more than welcome to leave a review!