Prompted by tobeleftoutinthedark on Tumblr. Cheerled by broadwayklaine, skivvysupreme, lalalenii, and hedwigdarrenn. Also, Burt is the Reverend Father - I couldn't quite fit that in the text.
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more
Kurt spun around the hillside like a child, enjoying the crisp, fresh breeze and the dramatic landscape. Though he'd never been outside of Austria - never really been far from Salzburg, in all honesty - he couldn't imagine there being a more breathtaking view in the entire world. Inhaling deeply, he smiled and flung his arms wide in exhilaration-
-only to trip and roll a few feet down the side of the mountain as the friary's bells tolled and echoed below.
"Drat!" he exclaimed, pulling his brown hood back over his head before sprinting back toward town. Once he neared the friary, he slowed, hoping to look respectable and serene.
Of course, the other brothers knew better.
"Late again, Kurt?"
"The Reverend Father is going to tie a bell to your neck if you keep sneaking off."
"Didn't you wish to join our order to get out of those mountains?"
"That's enough," the Reverend Father interrupted, appearing at the end of the corridor like Moses' pillar of fire. "Kurt? If you would join me in my office."
Kurt scuttled shamefacedly after the abbot, grateful that his hood covered his blush. Before he took his seat, he bent and kissed the Father's hand.
"How are you, my child?"
"I apologize for sneaking out, Reverend Father," Kurt said, completely ignoring the question in favor of unburdening himself of his sins. "I know I shouldn't have, but the mountain was so beautiful today, and I thought I would be back in time for morning Mass!"
"Kurt, that wasn't-"
"And I was singing out there, too, Father!" Kurt confessed, staring at the stone floor of the abbot's office. "I couldn't help it, I just felt so - so-"
"There are no rules against singing outside the friary, Kurt," the Reverend Father said when Kurt couldn't finish his sentence. "You don't have to atone for being inspired by our Lord's creation. But tell me this, my child - are you happy here?"
"What? Yes, Reverend Father! Ever since I heard the brothers singing as a child, I've wanted to be a part of this order," Kurt said earnestly. He tried not to show his hurt on his face - was he never going to be good enough for anything? First his village, now the friary…. "Please don't send me away!"
"I'm not sending you away, precisely," said the father. "But we've had a request, and I think you'll be just the person to fill it."
"Anything, Father!"
"Have you heard of Captain Anderson?" At Kurt's blank look, he continued, "Decorated war veteran and widower - born in Britain, hence the name, but he's lived in Austria since he was a child and fought in our navy in the Great War. He needs a tutor for his children."
"I'd have to leave the friary?" Kurt asked, clenching his fists so tightly inside his sleeves that he could feel his nails biting painfully into his palms. "I came here to be apart from the outside world, Father."
"Because you wanted the sanctity of our order, or because you needed to hide from something?" the Reverend Father asked shrewdly. "I don't want to discourage you from taking your vows, Kurt, but I can't help but believe that you aren't quite ready."
Kurt gaped, searching desperately for the words that would allow him to stay - stay safe and isolated and free from temptation. Unfortunately, they didn't come, leaving him with "How many children will I be teaching?"
"Seven."
"Sev - seven?!" Kurt repeated.
"Will that be a problem, Kurt?"
"No, no, it's just - seven?"
"The housekeeper says they're all very well-behaved," the abbot replied with a slight shrug. "You're to start tomorrow. Seize this moment outside of the friary, Kurt. If you still wish to take your vows after your time with the Andersons finishes, I will be happy to assist you. But you need to be certain."
"With God's help, I'll do my very best, Father," Kurt said, pushing up from his chair at the Reverend Father's gesture of dismissal.
"Have confidence, my child. The Lord will lead you where you are meant to go."
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack.
Kurt took a deep breath as the friary gates closed behind him, the resounding clang sounding too much like a death knell for his comfort.
"It's only for a few months," he whispered, trying to work up the nerve to move. "You won't ruin all your progress in just a few months, Kurt."
Saying a quick prayer, he strode determinedly for the bus station, noting how odd it felt to be wearing trousers, a shirt, and a jacket, ill-fitting as they were. He almost missed his habit - no, he did miss his habit!
"Don't get used to this," Kurt mumbled, swinging himself, his battered valise, and his guitar case onto a bus seat. "The friary is where you belong."
Still, he couldn't help but feel a thrill as they drove past the city center and the river on their way out to the Anderson villa. He was seeing parts of Austria that were completely new to him, and they were all absolutely gorgeous.
As he got off the bus and approached his new lodgings, some of the nerves came back, but Kurt quelled them with a firm tilt of his jaw and marched purposefully up to the massive wooden doors, where he rang the bell with a sharp pull.
"Hello, Captain. I'm the new tutor," he said to the aged man who answered the door.
"And I'm William, the old butler," the man replied, though not unkindly. "I'll see you in."
Kurt flushed but followed William inside, marveling at the grandeur of the house. It was a little too clean for Kurt's taste - and how did they keep it that way, with seven children milling about? - but there were touches of comfort beneath the neatness.
"Wait here," William said, picking up Kurt's cases and disappearing. Kurt stood still for a moment, trying to stand as straight as possible to make a good impression on the captain, but after a few silent minutes, he edged toward the nearest door, wondering what might be behind it.
"Oh," Kurt breathed, peering inside the room. It was dusty and dim, clearly unused, but it had the most gorgeous piano - he could only hope it was in tune, or could be easily tuned if he asked. Maybe the children could have music education?
"Were you not informed to wait in the foyer?" a harsh voice snapped from behind him. Kurt whirled around to see a handsome, dark-haired man in a well-tailored suit glaring at him icily.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"Once you've been given the tour, see that you learn which rooms you're allowed to enter," the man Kurt assumed was the captain interrupted. "I'm Captain Anderson. And you are?"
"Kurt." Kurt bobbed a hasty bow, feeling awkward and upset with himself - noticing how handsome other men were was the whole problem he was trying to avoid!
"Herr Kurt. Would you like to change before meeting the children, perhaps?"
"I don't have anything else, sir," Kurt said. "When we enter the friary, all our clothes are given to the poor."
"What about that set?" Captain Anderson asked, gesturing at Kurt's torso impatiently.
"The poor didn't want these ones," Kurt said, trying not to sound too irreverent.
"Can you sew?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful. I'll have Emma send for some fabric. Once you're better equipped, burn those," Captain Anderson decreed, giving Kurt a long up-and-down look that made him erupt in goosebumps. He then pulled a slim silver whistle out of his breast pocket, turning sharply and precisely toward the open upper hallway. "Listen, please. Three blasts signals the children."
Kurt started to ask for clarification, but three loud blasts from the captain's whistle drowned out any other noise. The second the third blast ended, Kurt could hear doors slamming and footsteps pounding throughout the house, culminating in a line of seven children in matching navy-and-red blazers marching in place at the top of the stairs. Once they were all in line, the captain whistled again, and they tromped down the stairwell in rhythm with his subsequent blasts.
"Children, this is your new tutor, Herr Kurt," said Captain Anderson once they were lined up across the foyer. "When I play your signal, step forward and introduce yourselves, then wait as he tries."
"I don't think that will be-"
A different whistle sounded, cutting Kurt off yet again. The girl heading the line - black, unlike the rest of her siblings, which interested Kurt - stepped up.
"Jane!"
Whistle.
"Skylar!"
Whistle-whistle.
"Kitty!"
Whistly whistle whistle.
"Mason!"
Long whistle.
"Madison!"
Complicated whistle.
"Marley!"
Toot toot!
The final child stepped forward and back without saying anything.
"And that's Myron," Captain Anderson said wryly.
"A fan of names beginning with M, sir?" Kurt asked, having caught a theme in the last few introductions.
Captain Anderson just frowned and fished another whistle out of his pocket. "All right, repeat the signals for me."
"If it's all the same to you, sir, I'd prefer not to," Kurt demurred. "They have names for a reason, don't they?"
"I don't tolerate yelling in my house, Herr Kurt," the captain said. "If you must call for my children-"
"I won't have to," Kurt said boldly. "And I won't need to whistle, either."
"If you're sure," Captain Anderson said, pocketing the spare whistle. "Now, when I want to call you-"
"Please, sir, I also don't want to be whistled for," Kurt said, praying he wouldn't get sent away for insubordination before he'd even spent time with his charges. "I can't stand to be treated so - impersonally."
Captain Anderson gave him an incredulous look. "Herr Kurt, were you this much trouble at the friary?"
"Oh, much more, sir," Kurt said. As the captain began to walk away, he put his index fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle of his own.
"Herr Kurt?"
"I don't know your signal, sir," Kurt said, suppressing a shiver at the look of mingled frustration and amusement that he could see in the captain's lovely hazel eyes.
"You can simply call me Bl - Captain," the captain replied. Before Kurt could question him on the slip, though, he exited the room without looking back.
"Um, if you wouldn't mind," Kurt began, facing the children. "Could you introduce yourselves again? With your ages, too, if that's alright."
The first girl marched forward. "I'm Jane, and yes, I'm adopted. I'm sixteen years old, and I don't need a tutor."
"Then we'll have to be good friends," Kurt replied, trying to keep the peace.
"I'm Skylar, and I'm fifteen."
"Madison, fourteen."
"You're not Madison, I'm Madison," said another girl, stepping forward from her place two spots down. "She's Kitty, and she's fourteen. Mason and I are twelve, and I think I like you."
"I'm Mason," said the boy in between them, stepping forward and waving briefly.
"I'm Marley, and I'll be seven on Tuesday. I want a red cape," said the smallest girl, hands on her hips.
"That sounds lovely," Kurt said. "I'm sure you would look very nice in one."
The littlest child walked right up to Kurt then and motioned to be picked up.
"And you're Myron," Kurt said, acquiescing. "And you are?"
Myron held up five fingers.
"Five? A wonderful age," Kurt said. "Can any of you tell me where your other tutors left off in your lessons?"
"Herr Finn didn't make it past the Roman empire before we scared him off," Jane said, sly smile on her face.
"Herr Matt never actually spoke - he took one look at the surprise we'd left in his room and ran," continued Skylar.
"Herr Mike was nice, but he wanted to teach us dancing, and Father wouldn't allow that," said Madison. "We probably would have run him off before much longer, though."
"I see," Kurt said, wondering how exactly the Reverend Father had gotten away with telling him how nice these children were without immediately having to make confession. "Anything else I should know?"
"Keep talking back to Father," Kitty said. "He loves having his orders challenged."
"Never be on time to anything!" Marley said.
"Yell in the house," Mason suggested.
"Don't listen to them, Herr Kurt!" Myron butted in suddenly.
"Why shouldn't I, Myron? I've been told how nice and well-behaved all you children are," Kurt said saccharinely.
"Because I like you," Myron said matter-of-factly, as if that settled everything.
"Well. One down, six to go," Kurt teased. The ensuing muffled giggles made him believe that he might just be able to tutor these children after all.
"I just wanted to thank the children for the lovely surprise they left in my room earlier," Kurt said at dinner, as casually as possible. He had to bite the corner of his lower lip to keep from smiling at their various panicked expressions, though - they looked a lot like what his own face must have looked like when he discovered the frog hidden in his pillowcase.
"Oh? And what was that?" Captain Anderson asked, glancing at Kurt briefly before turning back to his meal.
"Oh, it's meant to be kept between us," Kurt said airily, hearing a slight whimper come from Mason's direction.
"Then I would suggest not bringing it up at table," the captain replied sternly. "And what are you children doing?"
Kurt had to speak a little louder to be heard over the children's whispers and whines. "I think they're just happy to have a new tutor, Captain."
Thankfully, William appeared in the doorway at that moment. "Message for you, Captain. From Germany."
"Thank you, William." The captain stood up and took the telegram, heading out of the room to read it.
"Who delivered it?" Jane asked, surprisingly interested.
"Young Master Hunter," William replied, sweeping off.
"Please excuse me," Jane said, going off in the opposite direction from her father.
Kurt watched curiously as she left, wondering who Master Hunter might be. Dealing with the other children's' needs soon snapped his attention back to the dining room, though, and before he knew it he was kneeling next to his bed to say his prayers, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Father, look over these children - Jane, Kitty, Mason, Madison, Marley, and Myron," Kurt said fervently. "Bless them and help me get through to them, and - oh no, I've forgotten one. What was his name?"
He thought for a moment.
"Well, God bless what's-his-name," he said finally, knowing the Lord would know who he meant. "And Lord, please, please help me stay strong. I was doing so well when I got to the friary, but one look at the captain and I can feel the sin slipping in again. Let me stray not from your paths, Lord. And bless Captain Anderson, too, as he travels to Vienna in the morning. Amen."
Kurt crawled into his luxuriously comfortable bed and tried to push all thoughts of Captain Anderson out of his mind. Men weren't supposed to notice other men, especially when those other men were traveling to visit women - women who would then be coming back to their houses as wives, if William and Emma's gossip was true. Even if it wasn't wrong, Kurt still wouldn't have a chance with him!
Regardless of all his good intentions, though, his traitorous mind couldn't help but picture the captain - well, the captain but kinder, embracing that spark of playfulness Kurt could see in his eyes occasionally - holding him as he fell asleep.
Kurt's shutters flying open woke him with a start.
"Ahhhh!"
"Ahhhh!"
"Oh, Jane, it's you," Kurt said, hand clasped over his racing heart. "What on earth are you doing?"
"We always sneak in and out from the tutor's room - it's right next to the drainpipe," Jane said simply, dripping all over the floor underneath the windowsill. She had a vaguely dreamy look in her eyes, making Kurt more suspicious than before about her interest in telegram delivery boys. "Kitty can make it with a whole jar of spiders in her hand!"
"Wonderful," Kurt said under his breath. "Well, go get that wet clothing off immediately! Here, take my robe."
As Jane scurried into the bathroom, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in!" Kurt called, wondering who it could be.
Thunder shook the house as three little figures - Kitty, Marley, and Myron - hustled into the room and immediately dove into Kurt's bed. A moment later, Madison and Mason skidded in and joined the huddle.
"Yes, please, everyone pile in," Kurt said sarcastically, but he couldn't hide his beaming smile - they liked him enough to seek comfort from the storm! "Is that everyone?"
One last roar of thunder brought Skylar charging into the doorway.
"Skylar! God bless Skylar," Kurt said, casting his eyes up to the heavens for a moment. "Were you scared of the storm, too?"
"Oh, no, I was just making sure none of you were afraid," Skylar said, puffing out his chest. When lightning fizzled across the sky, though, Kurt could see him shaking.
"Well, you're here now, so you may as well join us," he said, allowing Skylar his bravado. Once everyone was cozy in the bed, he asked, "Does anyone know the best way to not be scared of storms?"
A chorus of shaking heads responded.
"Then here's your first lesson: whenever you feel sad or scared, try to think of nice things."
"Like what?" Marley asked.
"Liiiike...raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings - these are a few of my favorite things!"
The children looked reassured, so Kurt got up and continued.
"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel. Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings - these are a few of my favorite things!"
Marley and Myron looked at each other and started dancing around the room, soon joined by Madison, Mason, and Kitty.
"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes. Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver-white winters that melt into springs - these are a few of my favorite things!"
Jane burst out of the bathroom then, pulling one of the bolts of fabric the captain had ordered off of Kurt's armchair and wrapping it around her neck like a fabulous scarf before joining in the dance. Skylar quickly grabbed the rest of the fabric and threw it around to the other kids before partaking in the fun as well.
"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad!"
Kurt grabbed the hands of the two children closest to him and started dancing them around in a circle, pausing to allow everyone else to run over and join in when they noticed what he was up to.
"Alright, everyone sing!" he cried, and they began the song all over again. Just as they were reaching the final verse, Kurt broke out of the circle to spin alongside the children, when he ran into - "Captain!"
"Herr Kurt," the captain said sternly, though he wrapped his hands gently around Kurt's wrists and helped him find his balance for an almost inappropriate amount of time. "What exactly are you all doing right now?"
"The children were scared of the storm, Captain-"
"It is past their bedtime, Herr Kurt. The best way to not be scared of a storm is to sleep through it."
"That's not what Herr Kurt said, Father!" Mason interjected, earning him a withering look. "I'm sorry."
"Bed. Now. All of you. Including you, Herr Kurt," Captain Anderson ordered. The children hurried out of the room at once, leaving just Kurt and the captain. "You need to keep your strength up to keep my children properly under control."
"About the children," Kurt began hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if I might have some fabric for them."
"They have perfectly good clothing, Herr Kurt. I don't see why you'd need it."
"They have no play clothes, Captain," Kurt said, raising his eyebrows.
"If they cannot play in their blazers, they likely shouldn't be trying to play that game in the first place," the captain said firmly. "Good night, Herr Kurt."
"Good-" the door closed - "night, Captain."
Kurt crossed to his bed and fell in, huffing out a loud breath at the impact. A flutter of red and white fabric at his window caught his eye, making him smile and sit back up to reach for his sewing kit. After all, he had been told his room was getting new curtains anyways….
When you know the notes to sing
You can sing most anything!
"Herr Kurt, can we have lessons like this everyday?" Skylar asked the next afternoon. He was stretched out on one of the picnic blankets they had brought up to the mountain with them, looking properly relaxed for once.
"Wouldn't we get cold in the winter?" Kurt replied, glancing around to make sure everyone was still present and in one piece. Another benefit of the Andersons' new play clothes was visibility - the red and white check pattern could be seen from a great distance, unlike the dark blue of their blazers.
"I suppose. Unless we had snowball fights to stay warm!" Skylar said, brightening.
"I'll think about it," Kurt said, smirking. "So, we've had some regular lessons, but now I think it's time for something a little more fun. Let's prepare a song for your father and the baroness to hear when they come home!"
The silence that followed this plan left Kurt concerned.
"Do you not like to sing?"
"We don't know how to sing," Madison said, earning nods from the others.
"Father never allowed us to learn," Jane said. "I heard him tell Mother once that it was unbecoming for someone of his rank, and he wouldn't let any of us feel the shame he once felt - though I don't know what he meant by that. No one would ever dare shame Father, would they?"
"They would have to be very foolhardy," Kurt agreed. "But that ban on music is just silly. Singing is one of the best things in the world!"
He opened up his guitar case and tuned it, wishing he was at a piano instead - he'd prefer to be at an instrument he was better at if he had to teach absolute beginners, but beggars couldn't be choosers. "Just follow my lead:
"Do - re - mi - fa - so - la - ti -
Oh, hold on, I can make it easier.
Do, a deer, a female deer
Re, a drop of golden sun."
He continued putting definitions with notes, pleased when the children soon picked up the tune and joined in. They sang all the way back down the mountain and into the house, just running scales like he'd taught them.
A few days later, he switched it up a little bit, having them sing notes in a random order, instead of straight scales:
"So do la fa mi do re
So do la ti do re do!"
Once they'd mastered that, he assigned each child a note and pretended to conduct them by pointing whenever he wanted them to come in:
"Do mi mi
Mi so so
Re fa fa
La ti ti!"
The children took to singing like they were born to do it, humming snippets of tunes they'd invented or radio advertisements around the house. Kurt took that as a sign to teach them their first real song, which they then sang around the house incessantly.
He did try to encourage other pastimes, too. They had more traditional lessons on top of their singing practice, and they loved to go tree climbing and berry picking now that they had clothes they could actually move around in. Kurt also found a rowboat just big enough for the eight of them that they could use to sail down the nearby river to the mountains as well.
It was on one of the days they were rowing that Kurt met Baroness Tina Cohen-Chang for the first time.
"Father!" the children shrieked discordantly as they sailed up to the back patio of the Anderson villa, where three adults were lounging. "You're home!"
They all ran up to the captain at once, leaving Kurt to tie the boat to a tree and splash up the lawn on his own. Just as they were approaching, though, the captain pulled out his whistle and signaled for them to line up, instantly halting the procession.
"Baroness, these are my children," said Captain Anderson, a slight tinge of red to his cheeks. "I assure you, they aren't always quite so...rowdy."
"Oh, we had the best day, Father," Madison said dreamily. "Herr Kurt took us berry picking and let us climb the big pine tree on the mountain!"
"And what did you do with your blazers while you were galavanting about? Go inside and get properly dressed, now."
Kurt watched the children walk quickly inside with red, downcast faces.
"Tina, Sam, this is the children's tutor, Herr Kurt," the captain said once only the adults were outside. "Would you excuse us for a moment?"
The baroness and Sam moved inside as well, leaving Kurt and the captain alone on the patio.
"How dare you-"
"How dare you?" Kurt interrupted, furious. "Your children have been having fun for possibly the first time in their entire lives, and you show up and make them feel ashamed in front of company!"
"They are sullying my reputation-"
"They're children, not soldiers. If you wanted people you could command, you should have never left your ship."
"That's enough, Herr Kurt! If you can't respect my wishes, then I'll need you to return to the friary at once!" Captain Anderson said, nostrils flaring angrily.
Kurt bit his lip, still annoyed with the captain but also uncomfortably aware of how attractive he looked at that moment. He set his jaw, determined to walk into the house with some composure, but the sound of music coming from inside threw him.
The captain gave him a curious look before heading for the house as well, holding the door for Kurt like a proper gentleman. Once they were inside, they discovered that the music was coming from one of the parlors, where the children - now back in their blazers - were having an impromptu concert for the baroness and Sam.
"To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way. To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray."
Kurt smiled at the children, proud of how good they sounded and the surprised, pleased looks on the guests' faces. He lost all rational thought, though, when the captain walked toward the children and took over for the last verse.
"I go to the hills when my heart is lonely. I know I will heard what I've heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music, and I'll sing once more."
The whole room was silent as the captain finished - even Jane's guitar playing had faded out over the course of the song. Everyone looked on, stunned, as the captain flushed.
"That was - very nice, children. Why don't you go ask Millie for a pitcher of lemonade and go sit outside for a while?"
The children gasped and ran out of the room, excited for the uncommon treat. As Sam and Tina kept watching, the captain walked back over to Kurt.
"I retract what I said earlier," he murmured, reaching out for one of Kurt's hands but checking himself before they made contact. "I think your lessons might be just what the children need. Please, stay with us."
"I want nothing more," Kurt said, surprised at how true the statement rang.
The captain's pleased smile held Kurt captivated until Sam ran up and started rambling about an upcoming music festival in town and how amazing the children would be if they performed, breaking the spell.
Edelweiss, edelweiss,
Bless my homeland forever.
It turned out that the captain also couldn't stop singing. After an impromptu puppet show put on by Kurt and the kids (a thank-you gesture to Sam, who had bought them the little theater), the baroness coerced Captain Anderson into taking Kurt's guitar and serenading them again.
He threatened to fire me for teaching the children to sing, but one kind word from Baroness Cohen-Chang and he's putting on a show. Perhaps he will marry her, Kurt thought, blinking away the tears that sprang up at the idea.
And that's good! he continued viciously. Men love women, not other men.
All the stern reminders in the world couldn't keep him from smiling back at the captain when he looked at Kurt mid-song, though. Captain Anderson's eyes were warm and happy, the first time Kurt had ever seen him so unguarded, and he couldn't help but feel pleased at the change.
"Blaine! That was fantastic," Sam said once the captain had finished. "You and the kids have to sing at the festival."
"I told you, Sam, no. Singing in public is too much," the captain replied, but Kurt thought Blaine's decline wasn't quite as strenuous as it had been.
"Then sing here," said the baroness, walking over to take the captain by the elbow. "Have a party! I mean, I've never met any of your friends here, and I think it's really time, don't you?"
"A party?" Captain Anderson said, glancing over at Kurt for a brief moment before focusing back on the baroness. "We'll see."
The children all began begging him at once to throw a party, prompting Kurt to call for bedtime and start chivvying them off to their rooms.
"Thank you," the captain mouthed over their heads.
Kurt tried to smile back, but Marley and Myron chose that moment to try to climb up his legs, distracting him.
Regretfully they tell us
But firmly they compel us
To say goodbye to you.
Kurt sat on one of the stone benches in the little courtyard and watched Jane and Skylar waltz, the only two children in the Anderson family who remembered a time when parties were commonly thrown at their house. While neither was particularly skilled, their genuine happiness was palpable.
"Herr Kurt? What song is this?" asked Kitty when the music changed.
"The Ländler," Kurt replied, listening a moment. "It's an old folk dance, we used to do it during holidays in my village."
"Teach it to me," she said, holding out her arms expectantly.
"I can try, but I actually only know the second part. We didn't have a lot of girls my age," Kurt said, walking over anyways. "I'll try to reverse it as best I can."
He made a gameful attempt at leading, remembering the sequences of steps just seconds before they came up and flipping them as best he could. He and Kitty both danced on each other's toes frequently, but her giggles and smiles at dancing for the first time let him know that she wasn't too put off by his ineptitude.
"Allow me," came the captain's voice from the French doors. "I see you learned the second part?"
"I was shorter than the other boys as a child," Kurt said lamely, stilling in the center of the courtyard. Kitty ran off to the side with her siblings as the captain came out and led Kurt in the dance, much smoother than he and Kitty had been moving a moment ago.
As they twirled and pressed close, Kurt thought the whole world shrank to just Captain Anderson and himself, moving in perfect synchronicity to the familiar song.
"Captain," Kurt breathed as they finished, faces mere inches apart.
"Call me Blaine," replied the captain - Blaine - without loosening his hold on Kurt's waist.
Kurt didn't know what he would have done next had the baroness not come out and started badgering Blaine into dancing with her back inside the ballroom.
"You're all red," Myron said once the baroness and Blaine had left.
"Must be from all the dancing," Kurt said, pressing his suddenly cool hands to his cheeks.
"Sure," Kitty said dryly. "That's it."
"Herr Kurt? It's almost bedtime," Jane said, coming to Kurt's rescue.
"Oh, right. Everybody inside!" Kurt called, herding all the children into the foyer. Once they were in place, he announced the surprise to the other guests, who all came out to watch obligingly. Kurt could see smiles and laughs ripple throughout the crowd as they listened to the children's farewell song, especially when Jane was politely told that no, she could not stay up late and have champagne with the others and walked away with a pout.
Kurt was about to follow them up the stairs once they'd exited when a hand on his wrist stopped him.
"Kurt! You have to stay and have dinner with us," Sam said excitedly. "Be my dinner partner."
"I'm not dressed for it," Kurt said, a little panicked at the idea - would Blaine really want him to sit in the formal dining room like a guest?
"Oh, Blaine won't care. Blaine! Tell Kurt he has to stay for supper," Sam said, snagging Blaine away from the baroness.
"You're welcome to join us, Kurt," Blaine said softly. "But if you'd rather not…."
"No, no, I'm just - underdressed," Kurt said, blushing. "If you'll excuse me a moment."
"Hurry back," Blaine said before turning back to the baroness and her tugs at his sleeve.
Kurt swiftly made his way upstairs and into his room, where he fished out the best-looking jacket he'd made out of all the fabric Blaine had provided him.
"Oh, that's very nice," came the baroness's voice from his doorway, making Kurt jump. "Trying to look pretty for Blaine?"
"I don't follow," Kurt said, clutching the jacket to his front like a shield.
"Sam and I both know you're completely topsy-turvy over him," Baroness Cohen-Chang said, coming in and rubbing the fabric of his jacket between her fingers. "Blaine's oblivious, unsurprisingly, but it's blatant."
"That's not - I wouldn't-"
"Kurt, I don't care that you like other men. It would be awfully hypocritical of me, since Blaine definitely loves you back. Or at least, he thinks he does."
"He does?" Kurt asked, head spinning.
"Absolutely," the baroness said, wandering around Kurt's room as if she were inspecting it. "So really, I don't care about your proclivities. I do, however, care about Blaine's wellbeing. Don't you?"
Kurt nodded.
"Then you'll understand why I'm saying this: leave Blaine alone. I'm not saying you need to go back to the friary, of course, but that dance you shared earlier, well…."
"Did the other guests see us?" Kurt asked, suddenly worried - the baroness and Sam may be accepting, but Kurt was well aware that most people were not.
"No, no, but that's exactly why I'm here," the baroness said. "You have to remember that Blaine's a respected naval officer with seven promising children. If word gets out that he was caught dallying with his children's male tutor…."
When Kurt was silent, she continued, "Remember, I really don't care what your preferences are. But society does, Kurt. Is a relationship with you worth Blaine's reputation?"
"I can't do that to him," Kurt whispered. "I'll leave. Immediately. Before anything else can happen."
"I knew you were a smart man," the baroness said, smiling. "Would you like me to make your excuses to Blaine and Sam?"
"Please," Kurt said. He pulled his valise out from under his bed and started packing, exhaling sharply when he heard his door close. Tears blurred his vision, but he stubbornly kept folding all of his new possessions, wanting to be back in the safety of the friary as soon as he could be. While the baroness may not consider his preferences deviant, Kurt did, and he realized that he had been all too close to leading Blaine off the precipice with him.
"Father, forgive me. I'm coming home to You. Just please-" Kurt broke off there, unsure of how he wanted to end that phrase. He snuck down the back stairs and out of the villa, pausing only once to take one last look at Blaine through a window. He was laughing at something Sam had just said, the baroness hanging off his arm like she belonged there.
And she does, Kurt thought, fixing the image in his mind. Blaine's happiness was the whole reason he was leaving, after all.
As satisfied as possible, he turned for the gates, trying to ignore how bereft he felt at leaving.