A/N: This is probably going to be the quickest update I'll ever do but once I started writing I couldn't stop. I hope you enjoy it, it's a bit longer than the first one too. Also, I had made a slight change in the first chapter about Lukas kissing Maria's hand. Apparently that's very bad. Special thanks go to Maxisback for pointing that out!
Both Maria and the children were completely tired out after their afternoon. After lunch they had continued their game of tag which then morphed into hide and seek when Kurt was tired of being 'it' and began to hide from Friedrich who always went directly for him or Louisa. Since Kurt had eaten a rather large lunch, as usual, he was considered a much easier target. Now they were all lazing about in the last of the sunshine before dusk would fall and it would be too dark for them to all be outside.
Maria was sitting against a tree gazing adoringly at the children. Brigitta had retrieved her current book and was reading in the shade. Friedrich, Louisa, and Kurt were having a contest to see who could catch the biggest toad by the lake. Maria only allowed this after convincing them that she would not be the judge. Liesl was lying on her back with Marta finding shapes in the rolling cumulous clouds. Gretl, who was sitting next to Maria, had been listening to the different birds and asking for each of their names. It seemed she had dozed off now and was leaning against Maria and the trunk of the tree.
This was the state Lukas found them in as he made his way towards the group from the villa. Maria saw him coming and gently moved Gretl to lie on the soft grass so she could stand up and greet him properly. When he was close enough Maria was first to speak, "Hello Herr Rauffenburg."
"Hello Maria," he stepped in front of her. The way he looked her up and down made Maria feel slightly uneasy but she kept her calm stance.
Only Brigitta paid any attention to Herr Rauffenburg's arrival. She kept her ears on their conversation but only chanced some quick glances with her eyes. She preferred to remain unnoticed and observe the interaction from her more comfortable vantage point.
Aria took a deep breath as she prepared to break the uncomfortable silence that had formed. What made it worse was he had not taken his eyes from hers the entire time. "So, what brings you to our haven Herr Rauffenburg?" she asked with an exaggerated smile.
He smiled in return, "Well, Frau Schmidt was going to come out to announce dinner herself but I offered. The walk looked inviting and it seemed like a wonderful opportunity to talk to you again."
Maria looked away as she felt her cheeks begin to flush. She found that she didn't like Herr Rauffenburg's forwardness but who was she to judge him before hardly even meeting him? He was probably just being polite, what was wrong with that? As a convenient distraction she turned to Brigitta, "Brigitta, will you tell your brothers and sisters it's time for dinner?"
The girl nodded and walked off towards Liesl and Marta before turning to the lake where Louisa and Friedrich were arguing over the size of their toads and Kurt was searching for one that he dropped.
Maria turned to Gretl to wake her up and, after hearing it was dinner time, she rushed ahead to skip back with Marta.
Luckily for Lukas this left Maria alone to make the walk back to the villa with him. He offered her his arm which she politely took although she tried to avoid being very close to him. He deliberately made towards the villa at an excruciatingly slow pace, according to Maria, in order to have as much time as possible to talk with her.
"Would you sit next to me at dinner Maria?" he asked without a hint of forcefulness in his voice.
His tone calmed Maria a little and she resolved to make conversation with him. Needless to say, she still wasn't her usual bubbly self. How could she be? As far as she knew, no man had ever been interested in her this way and she just wasn't used to it. The attention made her feel defensive and a bit claustrophobic. "Well I can't promise you anything Herr Rauffenburg."
"But you do eat with the family don't you?"
"Yes, of course," she paused. "It's just that I always sit next to Gretl. Sometimes she needs help with her dinner. Besides," she added with a chuckle, "I don't think she would let me sit anywhere else."
Lukas made a mental note that she seemed to loosen up when discussing the children before continuing. "Well, I shall have to make sure Georg puts an empty seat on the other side of you then." A moment of silence passed between them and when Maria made no move to continue the discussion Lukas did. "Are you sure you won't change your mind and call me Lukas? Herr Rauffenburg sounds so formal; I've never liked my last name." He reasoned that the latter was only a little whitelie.
"You don't think it would be inappropriate?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, you're a friend of the Captain's and I'm just the children's governess," she tried reasoning with him hoping that he would give in even though, deep down, she had a feeling that he wouldn't.
Maria was right. Lukas stopped walking and turned her slightly as he also moved to face her. "Maria, you don't seem like just a governess to me. And we're friends aren't we?" He used his eyes to try and convince her. On any ordinary female, especially the Viennese ones that he was accustomed to, his technique would have worked flawlessly. In fact, it was one of the reasons why he had perfected it. It was made to seem as if he were looking into their very souls, then they would agree with him.
However, Maria was no ordinary female. His words might have sounded endearing at a different time but right now it was as if her opinion hadn't mattered at all. She was sure that he had barely even listened to what she said, much less actually processed any of it. And his eyes, they seemed to be looking straight into her, but it only made her feel more defensive. However, the truth was that this man hadn't done her any harm and he seemed to be trying very hard to be her friend. After living at the Abbey for so long she knew that she should at least make a conscious effort to accept this man as a friend. When was she going to see him after today anyways? Even if the Captain invited him over throughout the summer she would see him very little. And while he was here she would most likely be out with the children while he conversed with the other adults.
Eventually Maria convinced herself to give in. She gave a small sigh, "Alright I'll call you Lukas." He smiled at this. "But only if we aren't late for dinner."
Her last remark had the effect Maria had hoped and their pace quickened considerably. She found that the rest of the walk was much less painful and Lukas felt that he had made a great step forward with the lovely woman on his arm.
It seemed luck was just not on Maria's side today. Not only did she and Lukas make it back in time for dinner but there was an empty chair next to Maria's which he immediately occupied.
Once everyone had arrived and the food was set out the Captain blessed the meal and dinner commenced. Maria helped Gretl cut her food into more sensible bites before beginning to eat her own meal. Therefore, she missed the Captain's scrutinizing look in her direction when he noticed that Lukas was seated next to her.
Perhaps he didn't know Fraulein Maria as well as he thought he did. As dinner continued she seemed to be enjoying his company. Every once in a while he even heard her laugh at one of his jokes and, although Lukas was commanding almost all of her attention, her bright smile hardly ever faltered. This wasn't to say that the Captain spent the entire mealtime observing Maria and his guest but it would be indiscreet to say that his eyes didn't wander in their direction more often than necessary.
It was true. Although she was apprehensive at first, Herr Rauffenburg had succeeded in changing Maria's opinion of him. Her first impression would probably never leave her mind completely but she found that Lukas had a good sense of humor and had some very amusing stories to tell. Besides that, he was fairly good with the children.
Kurt had grimaced when Maria had tried to coax him to eat his carrots stating that they were the one item of food that he simply could not stand. Lukas had been able to convince him saying, "You know, I heard that if one eats enough carrots they have a tendency to turn yellow."
Kurt had immediately broken out into a toothy grin before digging in to the pile of carrots on his plates.
Maria, who was a bit shocked by Lukas' statement and by his ability to convince Kurt so easily had turned to Lukas about to voice a question but he held up a hand to stop her and chuckled. In hushed tones he assured her, "It is true but I highly doubt that that amount of carrots will cause a significant change in his complexion. You have nothing to worry about."
It seemed as if dinner that evening was going to remain fairly uneventful. Dessert proved that statement to be quite false.
The conversation had turned to politics between the Captain and Herr Kirchmann. They were discussing their worries about the Nazi movements in Germany and the growing support for them in Austria. Lukas was busy telling Maria and a few of the children a fascinating story about the last play he went to and how the lead actor had nearly forgotten half of his lies on stage and Max smartly kept his mouth shut around Georg when it came to politics. Even he had no desire to cause a scene at the dinner table. Elsa was not so fortunate.
The Baroness had hardly ever broached the subject of politics with Georg. She had observed his anger towards others who were sympathetic or even apathetic towards the Third Reich but had never experienced this herself. Furthermore, they had been friends for many years and she liked to think that over the past year their relationship had blossomed quite nicely, perhaps with the exception of the past week or so. She did not realize that no one was immune to the Captain's temper even if he did try to control it more around people that were closer to him.
So she spoke, "Oh darling I'm sure there isn't so much to worry about as you think. One of the benefits in being in our position in society is that we don't have to worry as much about political movements." This earned her a hard look from the Captain and Max cleared his throat in the hopes that this was the end of her statement. The Baroness now attempted to console the Captain, "I'm sure that if the Anschluss does occur it will affect our everyday lives very little."
The Captain had to use all of his willpower not to unleash his full rage on this woman seated next to him. His voice was tense when he responded and those not previously involved in the discussion turned their heads toward him, "I have no doubt that the Nazis will force their way into every aspect of society. Even ours my dear." The term of endearment was somewhat forced.
Elsa seemed to have partially realized her mistake but was mistakenly consoled by his use of "my dear" at the end of his statement. Nevertheless, she knew not to continue on the topic of politics and instead began to speak of an upcoming party in Vienna while the rest of the table resumed their discussions.
The Captain found it hard to concentrate after Elsa's political statement and was glad that dinner ended soon thereafter. He had been thinking about his relationship with Elsa often since he had brought her to the villa and had finally come to a decision. When he saw that everyone was finished he stood and suggested a move to the sitting room and requested that Elsa join him in his study for a moment beforehand.
Lukas got up from his chair and moved to pull Maria's out for her as well. As she stood she noticed that the children were looking fairly weary. The nice weather had allowed for a very tiring day and she thought that it might be a good time to put them to bed. Besides, surely the adults would want some time to themselves. Her suggestion to the children was only met with some mild groans and they began shuffling up the stairs to their bedrooms.
Lukas stopped Maria before she followed the children, "Would you accompany me for a walk in the garden after you've put the children to bed Maria?"
Maria thought about his request for a moment. This time she didn't only want to join him because it would be the polite thing to do. She had warmed up to him considerably and usually enjoyed walking in the vast gardens of the villa. Perhaps it would be nice to have someone with her on one of her evening walks. She smiled back at him, "I'd like that Lukas. I'll be down in about twenty minutes."
Lukas smiled as he watched Maria ascend the stairs to the children's rooms. He was immensely satisfied with his ability to get on Maria's good side during dinner. He had found that she not only had a beautiful frame but a clear crystalline laugh and a good spirit. He could tell that she had a feisty quality about her that made her all the more desirable in his eyes. Lukas was certainly looking forward to his walk with her.
Maria and Lukas had strolled down to the lake. All the while Maria was telling him how difficult Gretl had been. She had insisted that she was not the least bit sleepy and wanted to join her father and Uncle Max in the sitting room. Meanwhile Marta had gone directly to sleep but Maria mused that she was most likely the one that would wake her in the middle of the night with a nightmare.
Soon they found themselves sitting, with a comfortable distance between them, on the bench outside of the gazebo overlooking the lake.
Maria sighed, "The lake is always so beautiful. I love it in the evening when the stars are reflected off of it."
"Yes," Lukas replied looking at her dreamy expression. He smiled knowing that now would be the perfect time to try and take their relationship further. "You know you're quite beautiful yourself Maria."
She turned her head quickly to look at him and blushed before looking back at the lake and whispering a thank you.
He turned to face her and gently took her hand that was resting beside her on the bench. "I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you today Maria."
She turned to face him but gently withdrew her hand saying, "Yes I've liked spending time with you too." An uneasy feeling was beginning to form in the pit of her stomach.
"Will I be able to see you again?"
"Well I'm sure next time you visit the Captain we'll find time to talk again. If I'm not very busy with the children of course."
He took her hand again and the uneasy feeling in her stomach grew. "I would like to spend more time with you Maria. Not just as a friend of your employer, but as your friend. And maybe more than that," he added hopefully.
Maria tried to withdraw her hand but he wouldn't allow her. It made her feel trapped and she was beginning to get frightened by the hungry look in his eyes. "I have enjoyed talking with you Lukas but I'm not looking for a relationship. You're a wonderful friend but I'm going to become a nun soon."
"You can still change your mind Maria."
She was getting angry as well. He didn't seem to be listening to her at all. She spoke with more force this time in the hopes of finally deterring him, "Even if I hadn't already chosen my path I would not want to further our relationship Lukas. I simply don't have feelings for you in that manner."
Lukas took her other hand in his grasp as well before he continued trying to convince her. "But you admitted that you've enjoyed spending time with me. Perhaps I can eventually change your mind." He had drawn closer to her as he spoke and now firmly planted his lips upon hers.
For a split-second Maria was motionless with shock. Then the disgust and anger at was he was doing quickly flew in to replace that emotion. She immediately withdrew her hands from his and pushed him back before slapping him across the face and standing up. "I'm sorry but I am not looking for romance and I would appreciate it if you showed me some respect!" With that she stormed angrily towards the villa.
Lukas sat with his hand on his cheek for a moment before getting up and following her. He always liked a good chase.
Meanwhile Georg was sitting in his study. It was after his conversation with Elsa and she had just left.
After closing the door to his study Georg had offered Elsa a seat which she graciously took. He walked over to her, "I think we need to talk Elsa."
The Baroness was surprised to hear his sympathetic tone of voice and she could guess what was coming. She was slightly surprised that this conversation was happening so soon and had obviously hoped to avoid it altogether. Nevertheless, she had felt their relationship growing more distant over the past week despite their close proximity.
Georg sat down next to her and gently took her hand. "It's no use, you and I. I would be being dishonest to both of us and utterly unfair to you if we continued our relationship. I won't lie to you. I had been planning on furthering our relationship indefinitely. However, I've found that I'm a much different man than I was before. And this man certainly can't make you happy."
Elsa's eyes had become teary but she smiled. Even in breaking up with her Georg was ever the gentleman. She would most certainly regret this loss but couldn't deny that what he said was true. "I understand Georg. Fond as I am of you I really don't think you're the right man for me. You're um…you're much too independent. And I need someone who needs me desperately. Or at least needs my money desperately," she added the last part with a forced chuckle. "I've enjoyed every moment we've had together and I do thank you for that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go pack my little bags and return to Vienna where I belong."
Georg had listened to her with a melancholic smile. He realized that Elsa had wanted to be the one to officially break off their relationship. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like Elsa. I'd hate to see you leave so late at night."
"Thank you but I think I'd rather go now. There are some things I'd like to get back to in Vienna and I'll have a few friends to see that will be stopping by soon." She stood up and Georg followed suit.
"Would you like me to drive you?"
"No. I'll inform Franz, you still have guests to attend to here." Elsa placed a quick kiss on his cheek, "Auf wiedersehn darling."
"Auf wiedersehn Elsa," Georg replied and she left the study.
The Captain was infinitely grateful to Elsa for not making it a painful and awkward discussion. Then again, if Elsa was anything she was gracious and elegant. He truly felt that he would miss her. She had been there for him at a point in his life when all was dark and he had been slipping down a dangerous path. She had saved him in a way that nobody else had been able to. Only one other person had managed to do that for him, although her method had been quite different he mused with a smile. Interestingly enough, the change that a certain Fraulein had caused in him was what had ended his relationship with Elsa.
Though he knew that he would miss Elsa, the Captain also felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He felt immensely relieved.
The sound of a door slamming shut broke through his reverie and he heard short quick footsteps across the entrance hall. Soon they were followed by the door shutting again and more footsteps. These were heavier with bigger strides. A man following a woman the Captain speculated. And he could only guess who they belonged to. He heard Lukas' voice first.
"Maria! Please wait Maria!"
She reluctantly stopped walking and turned to face him near the bottom of the stairs. "Lukas I would appreciate it if you allowed me to bid you goodnight." Maria made a move to walk up the stairs but Lukas had caught up to her and now had a firm hold on her wrist. She turned back around and glared at him. Her voice was deathly calm but there was a clear and growing anger in it, "Let me go Lukas."
He turned Maria so her back was to the railing and came closer, "And if I don't?"
Her eyes widened and her voice became louder, "Then I will have to hurt you."
"I don't think you could hurt me Maria."
"Then I would call for help. Either way I suggest you release me at once!"
"I'm going to have to highly recommend that course of action Lukas," this time it was not Maria's voice he heard but the Captain who had silently walked up to the pair.
Both pairs of eyes immediately shot in his direction and Lukas stepped back, finally releasing Maria from his hold.
If it was at all possible the Captain's voice held even more anger than Maria's, "Lukas, I'd like to speak with you. Do you mind?" The Captain motioned to his study and Lukas began to walk towards it while the Captain turned to Maria. His expression softened and she stopped glaring at Lukas' back to look at the Captain. "Would you mind waiting Fraulein? I'd um, like to speak with you too."
"Not at all Captain."
"Thank you," he nodded to her and turned to follow Lukas to his study.
Sorry about stopping it right here but I assure you I could've chosen a worse spot. (evil grin) Besides I felt this chapter had had enough action already. I've gotta save some for the next update.
Review please!