NOTHING COMES FROM NOTHING
A/N: This story has gone through so much improvement after I first wrote it that it almost became a new one entirely. For that reason only, I decided to publish it again. You will recognize bits and pieces of the old version in the upcoming chapters, but it only served as a basis for this one. It follows the basic main plot of the movie, but there are a few changes and additions. I added a prologue, there are more situations, more characters, more chapters. I hope you like this one better.
Disclaimer: The usual - I don´t own "The Sound of Music", etc. I am only doing this for fun, no profit intended.
Have fun!
PROLOGUE - CLIMBING MOUNTAINS
"Nothing happens in vain, but everything for a reason and under necessitation."
Leuccipus.
What! the girl I adore by another embraced?
What! the balm of her breath shall another man taste?
What! pressed in the dance by another's man's knee?
What! panting recline on another than me?
Sir, she's yours; you have pressed from the grape its fine blue,
From the rosebud you've shaken the tremulous dew;
What you've touched you may take. Pretty waltzer-adieu!
Sir Henry Charles Englefield
Even in our sleep
Pain which cannot forget
Falls drop by drop upon the heart
Until, in our own despair,
Against our will,
Comes wisdom
Through the awful grace of God.
Aeschylus
Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp was greeted by a somber atmosphere when he went to Salzburg exactly eleven days after the ball given in honor of Baroness von Schraeder. It wasn't a bright and beautiful day. The rain was falling so happily that the peeling bells could hardly be heard.
In such a day in the middle of what was probably the foulest weather of the season, he had only two reasons to be anywhere else but in the quietness of his study, designing submarines he would never command.
No, he wanted to escape. He needed to.
He was tired of holding his breath, waiting for a sound, almost wishing that it would rob him of his power of concentration. Waiting to hear a voice, a song he had not heard in eleven long days…
Yet, there was another, more practical reason that provided him the right excuse to leave Aigen for a few hours: to buy an outrageously expensive piece of jewelry, an engagement present he intended to give his future wife.
It was decided. Tonight, he would be proposing marriage to Baroness Elsa von Schraeder.
It would be a mere formality, since they had already discussed the subject at length. Meanwhile, Elsa wanted a ring, and he would make certain that she had one. He wanted to make sure that every single, meaningless, little social rule was followed - knew that the tongues were flapping, and for that reason he was going to announce the engagement as soon as possible Gossip about him and the governess had was spreading fast after she had fled Aigen the night of the ball, and the one thing that he did not want was to make it even worse.
No, things would have to be done as formally as possible. Careful planning was essential, and in that he considered himself a master.
Tomorrow morning, he would give the children the news, as early as possible. That family announcement would be soon followed by a brief trip to Vienna, when he would formally ask Elsa's mother for permission to marry her – just another little rule they had to follow. After that, they would pay Agathe´s parents a visit, and communicate the betrothal to them. There would be a formal dinner, probably at Elsa's house in Vienna, where not only her family and his would be in attendance, but also their closest friends and other distinguished members of the old Austrian aristocracy.
The wedding would take place as soon as decently possible, early in the fall. As much as he longed to get married in Aigen, or even in Salzburg, Elsa had already made clear to him that she wanted a big, pompous wedding to be held in the Stephansdom. That meant that he and the children would have to move to Vienna for a few weeks, and that would have to happen as soon as they agreed on a date.
It was the right thing to do, the best thing.
It was what was expected of him.
It was decided.
From their graves, generations of von Trapp ancestors should be glowing with pride. He would be doing his duty again, he would be living up to the family name. He already had the blessings not only of Elsa's parents, but most importantly, Agathe´s parents as well. Baroness Schraeder, according to all, was simply the best choice he could make.
The right choice.
The only choice.
Why wasn't he at least satisfied with himself? Why did he find himself cringing when he thought of words such as "formal" and "official" when applied to a betrothal? Why did his stubborn heart refused to be content with what his rational mind had decided?
The formality began with a ring…
Such had been the tradition in the higher classes, ever since the Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave such a token to his bride, Mary of Burgundy. That had happened nearly five hundred years ago, but the tradition remained and it was yet another protocol that had to be observed. Elsa would not want it otherwise. He would not want it otherwise, at least under the circumstances.
However, buying diamonds for Elsa von Schraeder had not been the easy task he had thought it would be at first. He had gifted her with jewelry before – necklaces, earrings and bracelets, but a ring, because of all the symbolism surrounding it, was something much more personal. He found every piece that was brought to him flashy and vulgar, completely unsuited for his bride.
He went cold when he realized the woman he had in mind for the diamond he intended to buy was not Elsa. If he closed his eyes, he would not see the cool and elegant Baroness from Vienna, but certain boisterous young postulant waltzing alone in his ballroom. In the end, he had asked the sales girl at the jeweler's what she would choose if she were the bride, not caring if the woman thought he was flirting with her. He bought the ring suggested by the girl without giving it a second thought – Elsa would love it, he was certain, even if he did not care for it at all.
The thoughts of Maria made him raise his eyes towards Nonnberg´s onion shaped tower, barely visible under the falling rain. His conscience felt unbearably heavy, a feeling that was almost physical, like a tightening in the chest.
Before giving Elsa the ring, before making the announcement to the children, there was something that had to be done first. His conscience would plague him forever if he did not, her image would haunt him for years to come….
There was only one way to avoid all that. He had to go to Nonnberg; he had to talk to the Reverend Mother. Maybe if he did, he would be able to move on towards a future with Elsa. Maybe, just maybe, his heart would finally accept what his mind had decided long ago.
"I need to know she is all right," he thought.
He hated to be the cause of anyone's unhappiness, especially Maria's. It had not been her fault that he had so little control over his own hormones and that whatever measure of control he thought he had over his emotions had crumbled when he danced with her. He could not blame her for just being the way she was – utterly enchanting in her innocence.
It would be a crazy thing to do, he knew. Probably irresponsible, considering all the small talk about them. Yet, he had to find out. He had to make sure she was fine, that she would be fine, that she would move on by doing what was expected of her, just as he would try to move on by marrying Elsa.
It was the right thing to do, the best thing.
It was what was expected of him.
It was decided.
The Reverend Mother did not smile when Captain von Trapp entered her study. Her expression was stern, censorial, as cold as he had even seen it. Her tone of voice, when she first spoke, was dismissive, as if it were her intention to end the interview as soon as possible. She did not even invite him to sit down.
Georg could hardly blame her for it.
"Maria will most certainly not see you, Captain von Trapp, if that is the reason why you are here" she informed. "To be absolutely honest, I would not even allow her to see you, not under the circumstances."
"Ehm… What circumstances, Reverend Mother?" He asked tactfully.
He needed to find out exactly how much the Mother Abbess knew before he stated the purpose of his visit. Judging by the woman´s austere face, she had to know something had happened. Her somber expression was not a good sign.
Maria…
Something was wrong with Maria. Something was amiss.
The thought weighed heavily in his heart. His chest tightened impossibly and he found it hard to breathe in the cramped, heavily furnished medieval room that was the nun´s study.
"You idiot," he chastised himself. "How could anything be right with Maria at this moment? Your behavior towards her that night was inexcusably inappropriate. She was desperate enough to forget any concerns about her own safety and leave your house alone, in the middle of the night. If anything happened to her…"
Maybe the Mother Abbess, in her infinite kindness, noticed his clear distress, because her voice softened.
"Have a seat, Captain. Please."
"Thank you."
"You must forgive my initial rudeness. You know, after a lifetime guiding those girls, one should think that I would learn not to get so involved with their problems, at least not to the point of forgetting my own good manners," she shook her head in distaste.
"There is no harm done, Reverend Mother. I am sure you have your reasons for thinking the worst of me. In all fairness, I would only like to know what they are."
"Very well, it is only fair, I suppose."
For the first time since he entered the room, he let out a sigh of relief. Whatever happened to Maria, whatever was happening to her, the Mother Abbess would tell him. Afterwards, he would find a way to repair the damage. It was as simple as that. He was Captain von Trapp, there was nothing in the world, except for death, that he could not fix! It was as his logical mind worked all his life, and he saw no reason to change it now.
"I will be very blunt and honest with you," the nun began.
"It is all I ask."
"I sent to you one of my dearest postulants. A bit rebellious, I admit, but she was so vibrant and full of life when she left… I sent her to you, a highly decorated officer of our glorious Navy, a Knight of the Order of Maria-Theresia, a man who I had always believed to be beyond reproach. At least that I told that girl repeatedly before she left – I chanted your praises in prose and verse, Captain. I spoke to her about what you did for Austria, about the seven wonderful children God blessed you and your wife with. I told her you needed her help to guide those motherless young souls. The last thing in my mind was that she was going to be harmed in any way." She shook her head, gazing upwards. "I cannot believe that have been so wrong about you, Captain. Please tell me I have not."
"Maria was not harmed." He averted her gaze as he said that, her first name coming naturally to his lips. Quite frankly, he had no idea if he was telling the truth.
Maria wasn´t harmed… was she?
The Mother Abbess was incredibly perceptive.
"Forgive me, but you do not sound at all convincing."
"I don't know what could possibly have given you the idea that something terrible happened to Maria while she was in my care," he said slowly, carefully, casting her one of his dangerous smirks.
"Captain, please!" The nun sounded almost offended. "From the beginning, I chose not to insult your great intelligence, please do grant me the same privilege. I am not one of your young cadets, your tactics will not work with me." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Clearly, Maria is not the same girl she was when she left this place. Granted, the changed was not abrupt – we noticed it every time she came to visit us for the past few weeks. But when she rang that bell just before dawn, after having walked all the way from Aigen…" She shook her head.
Georg looked steadily at the nun this time, before answering, choosing his words carefully.
"I know what you must be thinking, Reverend Mother. Unfortunately, you are not the only one with that particular suspicion in mind."
"Sadly, I am not!" she exclaimed brusquely.
"I never touched her. I never…" He hesitated before continuing, as the hostile look in the Mother Abbess´s face intensified. "Please, spare me of saying anything further, not in this holy place. All I can do is to give you my word of honor that at least in one aspect, Maria has not changed." The nun still looked at him doubtfully. "Would she have come back to you if your worst fears were proven to be true. Would she?"
To his relief, she finally believed him.
"No, you are right. She would find somewhere else to go, but she would not come to this Abbey, that is for certain." She paused before continuing. "That day when she left, from my window, I saw her running down the steps of the Nonnberg Stiege to catch that bus to go to your villa - so fast that I feared for her safety. I could hear her singing from the top of her lungs, something about how confident she was that everything would turn out fine." For the first time, the Reverend Mother smiled, but soon became very serious again. "I felt it, deeply in my heart, that she was exactly what your family needed. I had no doubt that it was what that girl needed."
He shook his head. "I am afraid you were not completely right about that, Reverend Mother..."
"Why not, pray tell me, Captain?"
"She never had a loving family of her own before. How could you expect that she would be able to fix mine?"
Her eyes widened. "Aaahhh. I see. So she did tell you a little about her past."
"Almost nothing, although what she did not tell me was easy to guess."
The nun looked at him, suspiciously.
"Almost nothing is a lot as far as Maria is concerned. Her bluntness has its limits, and by that I mean Maria herself. That girl was always extremely private – secretive, almost – about her life before she came to us." Her hesitation was palpable before she continued. "We are a Benedictine Order, Captain. Although the way we chose to serve the Lord demands that we remain cloistered after taking our vows, we are proud to consider ourselves rather… liberal in some respects. If we were not, I would not even be allowed to receive you, a man, in my study, as you know."
"Yes, I am well aware of that."
"It was not always so. Nowadays I have enough freedom to choose my postulants as I please, but when Maria joined us, however, the Bishop was extremely rigid about what he considered a good candidate for the novitiate. The girls had to be carefully interviewed, their past investigated. Needless to say that it was quite a struggle to go through that endless inquiry with Maria."
He felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and it was mirrored in the nun´s face.
"In the end she asked me to skip all the roundabout questions, as she called them, to be direct and ask her what the Bishop wanted to know and she would simply tell him. I did, she answered it, my superiors were happy enough and she became a Nonnberg postulant that very same day. She did all that, she convinced them all, she convinced Sister Berthe – who can be quite formidable, as you may know – all that without saying a word about her past and her upbringing."
"It does not surprise me," he said, smiling.
"Well, it surprised me that she has spoken at all about her past to you. I know she would not have done it if not under extraordinary circumstances."
She leaned forward slightly. The night in the attic flashed in his memory at the speed of light, but with crystal clear clarity (2).
"What happened? What went wrong, Captain? I have a feeling that you are here so that I can help you lift a weight off your conscience – please help me to appease mine as well. If I did wrong by that child by sending her to you, then I must know it too."
"What happened? What went wrong, Captain?" the Reverend Mother had asked. He had no clue about where to begin, he could not pinpoint a moment when it all began. He solved the dilemma by speaking about the last time he and Maria had been together.
"There was a party in my house a week ago. My…" he cleared his throat. "A ball in honor of Baroness Elsa von Schraeder, a guest of mine, from Vienna."
"Yes?"
"One dance – that is all there was to it. I - I dared to break protocol and ask my governess to dance." He snorted and shrugged. "I admit it was something I had never done before in my entire life, but I saw no harm in it."
Georg looked at the Reverend Mother quickly. She was giving him his full attention. He smiled, but the smile never reached his eyes. She did not return it.
"Go on," she urged. "What was it that brought you to commit such an unspeakably reckless impropriety, Captain?" she asked, with a good dose of sarcasm, something he would never have expected from her.
He chose to stay closer to the truth as possible, giving her the facts, if not the real reason why he had asked Maria to dance. It had been much more than an impulse he could not resist. It had been a promise he had made to himself and to hear a little earlier in the evening – that they would have one dance before the night was over (1). A vow he never expected to fulfill because he simply had no clue about how to do it, until the perfect opportunity presented itself to him and he seized it immediately.
"Kurt." His son´s name escaped his lips, with a sound that was between a chuckle and a sigh of relief. "She was teaching my youngest son an Austrian folk dance. At least she was trying to - she said she hadn´t done it since she was a little girl." His smile was genuine this time. As he remembered the scene he continued his tale, almost distractedly, savoring every little scrap of memory, realizing, only them in the back of his mind, how precious they were, but choosing to convince himself that the children were the only reason.
"Their difference in height made it impossible, of course. She was bent back rather dangerously and that was when I – uh – cut in."
"So, you waltzed with Maria."
"No, it was nothing nearly as… controversial as a waltz," he sneered. "It was merely a Ländler," he smiled sadly.
"Mmmm. Were you two alone?"
"No. We were outside in the terrace, surrounded by my seven children. The doors to the ballroom were open and we were in full view of the other guests. There was nothing – uh – secretive about it. Neither of us was trying to hide anything."
"So you danced." She shrugged. "Yes, I see no harm in that. Go on, please," she urged. "There must be something that happened after that."
He shrugged again.
"She had taught the children a good night song to sing for my guests. After they sang, some of them insisted that Maria join us for dinner."
"Some of your guests? Not you, Captain?" He did no answer, but to his utter dismay, he felt his face burn. It was time the nun tried another dose of her brand of sarcasm. "No, of course not! You would not break protocol twice in the same evening, would you?"
He ignored the barb.
"She – uh - she went upstairs to change, but she never came back. When I realized she was gone, it was too late – all that was left was a short note she left behind. It told me that she came back here, to you, because she missed the Abbey too much."
"She left in the middle of the night without saying good bye!" The Reverend Mother exclaimed in awe. "You haven´t known Maria for a long time, and yet you must realize how unlike her that is."
"Of course I do realize that, but it´s the truth. I never saw her again. She did not say goodbye to me or to the children."
"And all that because of a Ländler and a dinner invitation? That was all there was to it?"
He did not answer her.
"You are oversimplifying things too much, Captain. A laconic explanation, even for a military man like you. The Maria I know would not have fled like that just because she danced with a man, not even someone of your station. She would never run from something as menial as an invitation to dinner in an aristocratic household. She is not so easily intimidated. If she were, she would not have lasted a day under your roof, you know that as well as I do. No, no, no, there has to be more to it than that."
"How is she?" he asked eagerly, having decided to cut to the chase. "That is all I wish to know. I must know."
"You must know, Captain?" her eyes narrowed. He did not know what she was thinking, but he had a clue and he did not like it.
"Yes," he replied firmly.
"Frankly, I am not sure. I have not seen her yet since she returned, but I was told by Sister Margaretta that she is hardly eating anything and does not talk, except in prayer." She sighed. "As you understand, I have every right to demand an explanation from you. Had you not come here, I would probably have summoned you, sooner or later."
"You have not seen her yet… Why wasn't she brought to you?" he insisted, slightly irritated now. "Why have you left her alone for so long?"
"Because it was her choice," she replied, pointedly.
"With all due respect, Mother, you should not have listened to her," he hissed.
"Captain, Maria asked to be in seclusion – she does not see anyone, not even me. It is her decision, and I must respect it. I have no right to interfere. I cannot force her to do anything against her will, not at this moment. I must wait until she is ready. When that happens, she will come to me, I am sure – she always has before. However, the fact that I have not seen her in person does not prevent me from realizing what is going on."
He shook his head. "Reverend Mother, considering that it is Maria we are talking about, I…"
"Please, Captain, allow me to finish. That girl has an enormous capacity to love. That is why I admitted her into the Abbey in the first place, regardless of her lack of a formal religious education or her somewhat obscure past. When I sent her to you, I sincerely hoped that it would help her to find a way to channel that love. I had your children in mind, Captain, not you. If Maria discovered in the end that she truly lacked religious vocation, I would do my best to help her find an honorable teaching position, maybe even here at our orphanage or in any other of the many Catholic schools around Salzburg. I was not planning to close all doors to her if she decided not to take her vows and become one of us. She would not be abandoned. I respect her too much to allow that to happen."
"Then you should have made that clear to her, not to me. Because I don't think that was what she believed." It was his turn to sound censorial. He remembered Maria's despair whenever he started pestering her about her vocation; he remembered that she had all but admitted that she had chosen Nonnberg because she had not other alternative left for her.
"Yes, I erred, but that was not my worst mistake, was it, Captain? I did not foresee what could happen when it was all too obvious. My intention was not to act as a matchmaker in order to rid myself of a problem named Maria. It was the farthest thing from my mind. I always knew you to be a gentleman, but I failed to consider that you were first and foremost a man, and that Maria, as young and impressionable as she was, would… How could I have been so careless?" she looked heavenwards, as if praying for forgiveness.
"In any case, I believe I owe you an explanation, Reverend Mother."
"Yes, you do, Captain. I am listening."
"You must believe me when I say that I did not intend for any of this to happen. You are right, you sent her to me, you trusted her to my care, and I… I somehow failed you both."
"What did you do to her, Captain?" she asked pointedly.
"Nothing… everything!" The look of alarm in the old nun's urged him to clarify his thoughts. "I came here for two reasons. First to apologize to you. I realize that this has been unforgivable, and if you lost your trust in me, I can't say that I blame you for it. Nevertheless, I beg you to believe me when I tell you that things happened as I told you and that I have not dishonored Maria in any way. I would not have dreamed of harming her. Nor was she harmed by anyone else while in my care, that I can assure you."
"This is quite a relief, Captain. After all, I was wrong about so many things, I could be wrong about that as well. "
"I won't lie to you, I am… uh… I was attracted to her."
"Oh!" was her triumphant moan. "Attracted? How so?"
He held her gaze, unflinching – if her intention was to make him cower, he would not let it happen again.
"Is that all there was to it? Lust, Captain?"
To his horror, he felt his face burning again.
"Reverend Mother…"
She never allowed him to defend himself.
"No. It wasn´t just that, was it? It can´t be. To begin with, my Maria, as lovely as she is, is not a raving beauty." He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued. "At least not like the women orbiting around you. Not only that, she is far from being sophisticated – she is a tomboy, Captain. A spitfire. Why would you even bother to look at her twice? What is it about her that would catch the attention of a man like you, who moves in the highest social circles?"
He did not answer.
"Tell me; is she in love with you?"
"If she is, how on earth would she know it? She was… she is too vulnerable, much too innocent for her own good. No, she cannot know – she cannot know the difference from lust to love when…"
"… when apparent you, in all your worldliness and experience, cannot," she finished for him. "Isn't that right, Captain von Trapp?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. It can't be undone, can it? What matters is that I could not hurt her and that I did not hurt her!" was his passionate answer. "You know as well as I do that I could have. I am sure these walls do not keep you from knowing exactly how it usually works – a palatial home in Paris or Vienna, a sizeable allowance, lavish parties, jewelry, trips around the world... But it was sickening to think of her like that. She did not deserve this, from me or any other man."
"I see." There was a knowing half smile in her face.
"None of it was her fault. Whatever you say to her when she comes to you, please, I ask of you, do not let her believe that. Do not punish her for that."
"Captain, we live by certain rules and beliefs that demand…"
He stopped her with a gesture. "Allow me to finish, Reverend Mother. Please."
"Very well. You may continue, Captain."
"If we… no, if I have sinned, it was in thought only, and trust me, I am already paying dearly for it. I had absolutely no intention of hurting Maria. I would cut my right arm in order not to hurt her," he added passionately.
"And yet, you did hurt her very, very deeply…" There was a moment of awkward silence.
"I… I just wanted to know if she is all right – I needed to know, it seems that you already answered me."
"Maria as I do I would like to believe that she will overcome this. Although sadly, I don't believe we will ever see that boisterous little tomboy again."
"Is there anything – anything at all – that I could possibly do to… fix things?"
"I also think that you know the answer to that one as well, Captain, you only need to acknowledge it and accept it." She sighed, and then asked abruptly, narrowing her eyes at him. "You are about to be engaged to be married, aren't you? To Baroness von Schraeder, from Vienna."
"How did you know that?"
"News travel fast in these parts, Captain. If the news are even remotely related to one of my charges, I feel under the obligation to find out more."
"I understand… Does Maria know?" He braced himself for her answer.
"No, I don't think she does – she has cut herself from the world completely... Curiously, not unlike you did when your wife died, Captain, so you certainly know what I am talking about." He paled visibly. "Tell me - do you remember what I told you that day when you came to seek my counsel about a governess for your children?"
"Agathe´s roses. Yes, I remember (3)."
"Good. I'll be forthright and I'll spare you of the metaphors this time. Do you love her, Captain?"
Her?
He looked at her in utter confusion.
"Do you love Baroness Schraeder?"
He looked down at his right hand, where he still wore his wedding ring. His left hand gripped another ring - Elsa´s ring in the left pocket of his jacket.
"I´ve decided. It is the right thing to do," he said distractedly, apologetically.
"Do you love Maria?"
"Yes."
The word was out of his mouth before his brain registered it. When he realized what he just said, it was already too late. His head shot up, his eyes widened in surprise. Cold sweat bathed his body.
"No!"
He jumped from his chair, punching the old mahogany desk in front of him. The violent gesture startled the Mother Abbess, who rose from her seat as well.
"Captain!"
"No. It is not possible, it is… impossible!"
He did not say anymore, he could not. Frantically, he shook his head in denial. He started pacing around the Mother Abbess´s austere studio, raking his fingers through his hair, his heavy footsteps echoing in the wooden floor.
"No, no, no, no, no!"
There was too much to think about, too much to consider. It was all too ludicrous, too preposterous, and too…
"Impossible," he whispered.
He had always hated clichés, and wondered why, all of suddenly; his life had turned into one. Yet, the answer was all too obvious. It had been obvious for quite some time, but he still feared to acknowledge it.
He rather go ten times through the hell he had had to go through to be decorated by the Emperor than to admit that… He rather fight countless more battles and loose them all…
He rather lose the love of his life again and again…
No, not that. Not if the love of his life was….
It could not be!
"No! This can´t be happening. This can´t be happening to me!"
He looked at the Reverend Mother, who was smiling at him openly now, the tension gone from her face.
"How can this be happening to me?"
"I am sure you already know the answer to that, Captain von Trapp."
"I have to see her. You must let me see her." The Reverend Mother sighed. "If she thinks I…"
She interrupted him gently.
"Go home, Captain. Go in peace, with my blessings. Home to your children, and to your Baroness. But please, I beg of you – think about what you may just have realized. Think about what I said to you that day months ago before I sent Maria to you and what we talked about today. Think about what you did, and about what you are doing not only to her and to your children, but to yourself. You are a very intelligent man – I am sure that all the answers you are seeking will come to you, and when that happens, you'll know precisely what to do."
Yes, he knew what to do.
He knew damn well precisely what to do when, scarcely two hours later, he was back home, after driving in the rainy roads of the outskirts of Salzburg at an insane speed.
It was Elsa the first person who ran to him, just after he slammed the door of his car shut with such force that the whole vehicle shook.
"Georg, darling, we were worried sick about you. Frau Schmidt just heard on the radio that the roads are in terrible condition because of all this rain and…"
He never allowed her to finish. The need to banish Maria from his thoughts blinded him, bringing him close to despair. There was only one cure for it. Swiftly, he took Elsa in his arms and kissed her. Kissed her, like he never kissed her before, not caring if there was anyone watching them. Deep down, he knew it was his own self loathing, nor passion, that was driving him, not passion, but for a brief, mad moment, his body hardly noticed the difference.
"Oh Georg," Elsa sighed, pliant in his arms, her composure gone. He had never seen her like that, never knew he had the power to render her into such a state. Her lips were bruised, her impeccable coiffure was ruined.
"Yes, this will do," he thought. "It did not work before only because I loved Agathe and now I love Maria… No, I do not!" His mind shouted his denial.
He could not love her, he should not.
It was impossible.
But there yet was another difference - he had Elsa now, and Elsa, his savior, would make him forget, like no one else could.
"We need to talk," he said breathlessly. "Now."
A/N: (1) "Austrian Folk Dances I – The Ländler". (2) "In Vino Veritas". (3) "The 12th Governess".