A/N: Ok so first of all thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed, and for all your kind words and feedback. I really love reading what you all have to say. And second of all, fair warning that Chapter 2 is still pretty slow (I'm sorry!), we just have to get through some set up first. I hope you enjoy it!
- Manda
Baroness Elsa Schraeder was not an unfeeling machine. She loved Georg in her own way, and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep him. She would not let a momentary distraction- especially one that was half her age- pull them apart. While she hadn't meant to drive Maria away from the villa that night- only from the party- she couldn't deny that she hadn't exactly been upset by Maria's sudden departure. The slight guilt she felt would be worth it in the end; the girl would return to the abbey to devote her life to God and Georg would forget all about her. What she hadn't counted on was that Maria's departure would cause Georg to have to confront his feelings and drive a further wedge between them.
So, once Maria unexpectedly returned and the longing gazes Georg directed at her seemed to do nothing but increase in number and intensity, Elsa knew that she had to intervene. If she couldn't effectively frighten Maria away, she would just have to find another way… and luckily for her the perfect opportunity arrived.
Maria walked into the sitting room after dinner to find the children eagerly awaiting her, sitting on the floor and practically vibrating with anticipation.
Herr Detweiler and the Baroness were seated next to each other on the sofa, engaged in a conversation that Maria could tell they were trying to keep away from prying ears.
Maria stood by the door for a moment, unsure of where to sit, until she heard the Captain enter behind her and the door click shut. Too afraid of what he might ask her if they were alone, Maria made a break for the empty armchair nearest the children.
"So children, who shall we be hearing from today then?" Georg asked, holding out the acoustic guitar in front of him as Maria had once done on the night of the puppet show that seemed like so long ago.
"Oh we have something very special prepared!" Friedrich answered proudly.
Maria could not help the joy she felt as she listened to the children harmonize to a new song that Brigitta had written while Liesl accompanied them on the guitar.
"Bravo!" Max said gleefully, standing up from the sofa and clapping enthusiastically, "Georg, you really must allow me to enter these children into the festival!"
"Max," Georg warned, but Max was silenced by Elsa's look assuring him that she would use some of her influence with Georg later.
"Alright children, up to bed," the Captain called, followed by groans of protest from his children.
"But father, we want to hear Fraulein Maria sing!"
"It's been a very eventful day and you all need your rest. Fraulein Maria will be here in the morning," he reassured them.
Brigitta took one observant look at Maria's face and asked, "You will be here when we wake up, won't you?"
Maria's heart broke at the question and she wondered how she had ever thought she could leave these wonderful children for good, especially without so much as a proper goodbye.
"Of course she'll be here," Gretl stated, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world, "Fraulein Maria is going to stay with us forever."
"Well children-" Maria started, unsure of how to tell them of her imminent departure, this time for good.
Seeing the hesitant look on Maria's face, the Captain intervened on her behalf, "Now remember what I told you this morning. You aren't going to have a governess anymore. You're going to have a new mother."
The Baroness beamed from her spot on the sofa.
Maria, however, wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and never be seen again. She could feel the prickle of tears in her eyes at his words and it took everything she had to keep her face neutral. She had obviously misread her and the Captain's relationship at the ball, and now that she had found out that he was engaged and held none of the feelings for her as she did for him, she knew she must leave and find her place in the world. But she also knew now that her place wasn't at the abbey.
"So you're going to leave again?" Gretl asked, silent tears already streaming down her face.
"Yes, darling," Maria replied soothingly, gently brushing the tears from the small girl's face, "But I'll always be with you, right in here." She tenderly pointed at her heart.
Maria looked around the room uneasily for a moment, noticing that the five older children were close to tears, and that Marta was also silently crying.
Unsure of what to say to the children whom she loved so dearly, Maria tenderly took the guitar from the Captain. What to sing, she wondered. This certainly seemed like a moment for a song about her favorite things, but as Maria finally made eye contact with the Captain and saw the stormy look in his eyes, she suddenly remembered a song that would perfectly capture her own wistful longing as well as give the children hope.
"This is a lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was a very little girl," she began, "It always helped me to fall asleep and have good dreams."
She strummed the guitar lightly and began to sing.
As the last note of her sweet soprano voice rang through the air, the room remained deadly quiet for a moment until Maria finally broke the silence.
"Goodnight children," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, "Have pleasant dreams. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Do you promise?" Marta asked, sniffling.
"I promise."
After the children were convinced that Maria would not run away again without saying goodbye, they reluctantly stood up from the floor and kissed their father goodnight before heading to bed. Maria followed closely behind them, rushing to say goodbye to the three other adults before making her way upstairs to tuck the little ones in.
"Fraulein Maria, wait," an unlikely voice commanded.
Maria turned around, quite surprised to hear the Baroness addressing her.
"Yes, Baroness?"
"You must stay down with the adults tonight, to celebrate your return. We are so glad you came back to us."
Max turned to look at Elsa curiously. She had talked to him about a plan to keep Maria away from Georg and to "keep all that lovely money in the family" like he had been so happy about, but he couldn't see where she was going with this.
"This is business," she whispered so that only he could hear.
Baroness Machiavelli, indeed.
Nevertheless, Max considered Elsa to be his friend. Their friendship may have seemed superficial, and perhaps it was. But Elsa was one of the few people who truly understood him, sometimes even better than Georg. And because Max cared for Elsa, he would help her to marry the Captain. Not because he was a sponge- which of course he was- but because he knew that she truly cared for him, and that Georg would get over his strange fascination with the governess soon enough.
So when Maria stuttered, "Well, I couldn't… it wouldn't be appropriate," Max took that as his cue to step in.
"Nonsense," he interjected, "Franz, would you please fetch a hot tea for Fraulein Maria?"
