One of the nice things about long summer holidays, besides lots and lots of swimming, is having the time to do all things that I haven't had time to do all year, like catching up with some reading and doing some writing. I'm slowly trying to check off my long list of things I want to write and things I have been promising to write for ages. This chapter is dedicated to the small handful of TSOM friends who have keep in close touch with me despite my long absence in this fandom.
Please re-read chapter 1 before reading this chapter if you haven't read chapter 1 in a while. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Until next time... Happy reading!
Hide and Seek
Chapter 2: After the Party
Maria felt her chest tighten, like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes stung as she fiercely tried to fight off the tears that had begun to form. She needed get out of there before she completely lost it. As she rushed up the patio stairs, a voice called out to her.
"You are back to, uh, stay?"
Maria froze for a moment then turned around slowly to meet his piecing gaze. She shook her head. "Only until arrangements can be made for another governess," she answered sadly.
Before Georg could reply, Maria was gone leaving him standing awkwardly alone with Elsa. Turning to Elsa, he patted her hand and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but Elsa noticed instantly that his smile didn't reach his eyes. Georg seemed unsettled by the reappearance of the little governess and as he led her back into the house, Elsa hoped that Maria's return didn't spell trouble for her and Georg. Perhaps she needed something dazzling to focus Georg's attention back on her…
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Maria let out a deep breath as she entered the grand hallway. She blinked several times until all the forming tears were gone. Oh, what was she going to do now? Maria wondered. She had been so focused on her own feelings and the Reverend Mother's advice about going back to find out whether the Captain returned her love that she never paused to think that the Captain would have moved on with his plan to marry the Baroness. She felt so stupid not to have considered that possibility.
Of course it was the logical choice for the Captain to marry the elegant Baroness, but Maria couldn't help but remember the way the Captain would look at her and take her breath away: firstly that night when he sang Edelweiss and then when they danced the Laendler together during the party. And how could she forget that hot and wet day when she had ended up hiding under the Captain's desk while the children played 'hide and seek' and how he had almost kissed her? His coy and flirtatious manner and the promise of more to come had stirred something inside her, but could there have ever been more between them? Probably not.
Returning to the villa had been stupid, Maria decided. What had she expected the Captain to do? Declare his undying love for her and send the Baroness back to Vienna where she belonged? No, of course not. How ridiculous!
Maria squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. All right Maria, she thought to herself, you're here just as the governess… Now go and BE the governess… With that, Maria wandered towards the kitchens where she knew the children would be eating their supper as they did when the adults took their dinner later.
Cheerful voices greeted her as she arrived at the doorway to the small eating area off the kitchen. She stood quietly at the door watching the children chatting happily as that ate. Maria smiled. She'd missed the children very much while she'd been back at the abbey and Maria felt a pang of hurt in her chest at the thought of leaving them again so soon, but she knew she couldn't stay any longer than necessary now that the Captain was marrying his baroness.
"Oh, this pudding is so good…" Kurt moaned in delight as he stuffed another spoonful of dessert into his mouth. "I had almost forgotten what food tasted like."
"Kurt, don't be ridiculous," Louisa commented, rolling her eyes. "It has only been 3 hours since you ate."
"But a loooong 3 hours," Kurt mumbled somewhat inaudibly as he chewed.
"Kurt, don't speak with your mouthful," Maria instructed from her place at the doorway. All at once, seven pairs of eyes turned towards her before Gretl, Marta, Friedrich and Brigitta were up out of their seats, flinging themselves into her arms.
"Oh, Fraulein Maria, we're so glad you're back!" Gretl declared as she hugged Maria's legs. "Promise me you aren't ever going to leave again."
Maria winced inwardly knowing she had already decided to leave once another governess could be found. But before Maria had to reply to the little girl, Frau Schmidt came in. "Children, if you have finished your supper, it's time to leave the kitchen. The dinner for your father and the other adults needs to be prepared." She turned to Maria. "Fraulein Maria, the Captain has requested that you join them at dinner tonight."
Maria gulped. The very last person she wished to spend time with right at that moment was the Captain, but his request didn't surprise her. Ever since the Captain had returned from Vienna with the Baroness, Maria had been dining with them and Herr Detweiller each night. "Of course, Frau Schmidt," Maria replied casually, trying to hid her uneasiness at the thought of seeing the Captain again so soon.
"Good," the older woman replied before turning back to the seven children. "All right children, off you go to bed."
"To bed?" Liesl whined. "It's rather early, don't you think?" She glanced out the window. The sun had barely begun to set, its rays of golden light were still shimmering on the nearby lake.
Frau Schmidt sighed in exasperation. "If not to bed then, then I'd suggest a game since you no longer are required to march about the grounds breathing deeply at every spare moment. Why don't you play too, Fraulein? It's still several hours until dinner with the Captain."
"A game?" Maria questioned. Playing a game was really the last thing she felt like doing, but on second thoughts, she had missed the children and playing with them might take her mind off thinking about the Captain. "Oh, all right," she agreed with a smile.
At the suggestion of Maria playing a game with them, the seven children became excited and at once started discussing what they were to play. After a huddle together and many whispered suggestions, Marta announced: "We're going to play hide and seek."
Maria stopped smiling and she felt the blood rush from her face, remembering what had happened the last time they had played that game and where she had ended up. "Hide and seek?" she repeated in a hoarse whisper. Certainly 'hide and seek' would not take her mind off the Captain, on the contrary, playing that same game would make her think about him even more.
She was about to protest but Marta was insistent. "It was so much fun last time. Don't you remember? You were almost impossible to find Fraulein Maria," the little girl giggled.
"Actually, I don't think we ever did find you," Brigitta added thoughtfully.
"Yes," Louisa butted in. "You just sort of… turned up after Kurt and I spoke to Father in his study." She eyed off Maria carefully making Maria feel a little uncomfortable. "So where were you hiding?" Brigitta asked Maria almost accusingly.
"Well… I was… um, I mean, er…" Maria stumbled over her words remembering how she had been hiding under the Captains' desk, pressed up against his legs. Maria felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She swallowed hard as Brigitta gave her a questioning look. "What I meant to say is if I were tell you, Brigitta, then it would give away a perfectly good hiding place and I wouldn't be able to use it again." Thankfully Brigitta nodded slowly, accepting Maria's feeble explanation.
"Well Fraulein, you really are too hard to beat at this game so maybe you can be 'it' this time and try and find us?"
Maria sighed. She really didn't feel in the mood to play that specific game again but yet she didn't want to disappoint the children. "All right Brigitta. I'll play and be 'it'." Maria glanced around at the seven happy faces. "Why don't you all go and hide, then I'll count to one hundred then come and find you. Let's use the whole house again; it'll make it more challenging."
As the seven children rushed out of the room, Frau Schmidt turned to Maria. "You're a good governess playing with them like that. None of the previous eleven did, you know."
Maria shrugged. "They're wonderful children. It's hard not to want to play with them."
"They missed you dreadfully," the older woman remarked.
Maria smiled sadly. "And I missed them too. It's nice to be back."
"Is it?" Frau Schmidt looked at Maria carefully for a moment before speaking. "I'm assuming you've heard the news."
"News?" Maria feigned ignorance.
"About the Captain announcing his engagement to Baroness Schraeder."
Maria made an O shape with her mouth "Oh, that news." She looked away so to not give away her true feelings about the matter. "Yes, it's happy news, isn't it?" she said trying to sound convincing.
Frau Schmidt didn't reply straight away but just pursed her lips together and screwed up her nose like she had just smelt something unpleasant. "I suppose so."
At hearing the uncertainty in the housekeeper's voice, Maria looked up. "You don't think so?" she asked.
Frau Schmidt let out a deep sigh and started clearing the table. "Not for me to say. But I am surprised to hear that you're so happy about their engagement, Fraulein." Frau Schmidt gave Maria a pointed look.
Maria's heart started thumping in her chest. Did the housekeeper know anything? Maria wondered. "I don't know what you mean," Maria said slowly, holding her head up high then replying with a carefully worded response. "I've always hoped and prayed that these wonderful children would get a new mother and it seems as though they will."
Frau Schmidt nodded, remembering her conversation with Maria on her very first night at the villa. "Yes, of course," she paused. "But possibly the mother they will get is not the mother they need, or want." Frau Schmidt patted Maria's hand gently. "Just something to think about." She gave Maria a half smile before she cleared the rest of the dishes from supper then returned to the kitchen.
Now that she was alone, Maria let out a deep sigh. No matter what Frau Schmidt implied or how Maria felt, what was done was done – the Captain had made his choice and he was now out of her reach. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she suddenly remembered that the children were waiting for her to find them. Quickly she began to count to one hundred.
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Georg entered his study alone. Elsa had excused herself from his company almost the moment they had entered the house – something about an urgent phone call to her dressmaker? Georg had been sure that Max would have come running in for the latest bit of juicy gossip once he'd found out that Maria had returned, but thankfully, his friend had stayed far away so far.
Georg slumped down in his chair in his study and ran his hand over his face. Oh dear god, how on earth had he got himself in this predicament? He wondered. A few months ago, he knew exactly how his life would play out – he would introduce Elsa to his children, gain their approval then marry her and then they would all be very happy. Well, not as happy has he had been in his first marriage, but then again, he had never expected to fall in love again like he had with Agathe. Elsa knew that he was terribly fond of her and they both assumed that a deep all consuming, passionate love was never going to be in the equation for them. He had expected his plan to marry Elsa to be easy and safe.
But what Georg had never expected was the arrival of a certain governess who would change his mind about practically everything only two months prior. Her dazzling smile, sparkling blue eyes and charming wit that seemed to draw Georg closer and closer to her with each passing day. There were times when they looked at each other and he felt the breath knocked out of him.
Georg knew his attraction to Maria was dangerous, but he was like a moth drawn to a flame. His dreams had been haunted by memories of that rainy day with Maria in his study. How they had talked together for what seemed like an hour before how Maria hid under his desk as his children searched for her. And he couldn't forget the sensation of her warm, soft body in his arms as he reached to kiss her. But their intimate moment was cut short, however his subconscious seemed to fill in the blanks in his sleep where he'd dream of taking her in his arms and kissing her until… No. Georg shuddered. He knew exactly how his sordid dreams usually ended and he found himself sweating heavily at just the thought.
Getting up and striding over to the other side of the room, Georg poured himself a long, cold glass of water. He felt hot and constrained by his double-breasted naval jacket. Quickly he unbuttoned the coat and stripped it off and along with it, he emptied out his pockets of their contents: wallet, keys and whistle, and chucked them down on the table before him.
He rubbed the corner of his eye with his fingertips. Why did Maria run away to the abbey? That was a question which he had been asking himself for the past week since the party. Had he scared her off? He could have sworn that she felt something was happening between them too, especially when they had danced the Laendler together the night of the party. But perhaps her calling to be a nun was too strong? Georg shook his head, no, that couldn't be it. Maria was certainly far too energetic to be a nun and her blatant disregard for rules was something else indeed. But no matter the reason, Georg knew that Maria's return completely complicated matters.
After Maria had left, proposing to Elsa seemed like the logical thing to do, but now Georg was not quite sure it had been the right thing to do. But if he was to persist with his engagement to Elsa, he had to be sure. He needed to know whether Maria felt the same about him as he did about her. Glancing down at his long silver whistle on the table in front of him, he knew that there was only one person who could help him whether he had made the right decision.
Without even bothering to put his jacket back on, Georg strode out of his study in search of Maria.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Maria finished counting and left the kitchen to start searching for the children. Since she had told them that they could use the whole house, she didn't quite imagine that the children would hide right outside the kitchen so she ignored the side passageway that contained to the vast array of crockery cabinets and the entry to the wine cellar.
She made her way along the corridor that led back to the main grand hallway but as she rounded the corner, she ran headfirst into the Captain. "Ouff!" she cried out in surprise, at first not realising to whom she had run into. But as soon as she looked up and saw it was him, she began to apologise profusely. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't see you there."
"No Fraulein. It was my fault," Georg replied touching Maria's arm gently with his hand in reassurance. Maria's eyes flicked downward to his hand and at once he removed it. An awkward silence fell between the two of them. "Er… Are you alright?" he asked after a long moment.
"Yes, fine, fine. Absolutely," Maria stumbled nervously, feeling the tension escalate. He was staring intently at her, his piecing gaze making her feel uneasy. She looked down to only just notice that the Captain was dressed just in his shirtsleeves. Maria couldn't recall ever seeing him that undressed before. As she opened her mouth to comment on it, they both spoke at once.
"So why are you…?"
"What are you…?"
At once the tension was broken and they both let out a laugh. Georg gestured for Maria to speak first but as she opened her mouth, suddenly the Baroness came around the corner. Upon seeing Georg and Maria standing very close together in the corridor, she stopped up short. Instantly Maria stepped away from Georg.
Elsa raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows in question. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything," she asked smoothly, however the iciness behind her eyes revealed her displeasure at finding her Captain with his governess.
"No, not at all Baroness," Maria replied at once taking a deep breath. "I just happened to bump into the Captain, er… literally. I'll be going now. I'm playing hide and seek with the children and I really must go and find them."
"Hide and seek?" Georg spoke up immediately. Maria shot Georg an anxious look, worried that he might say something about the last time they had played that game but his expression was unreadable. She coughed before he could say anything then continued with her explanation. "Yes, the children love playing that game. It's their favourite." Maria could see Georg watching her very closely out of the corner of her eye. She tried to ignore him and instead directed her conversation towards the Baroness. "I don't suppose you have seen any of the children, have you Baroness?" she asked politely.
Elsa seemed taken back at the question but then she then laughed out loud. "Oh no, don't ask me," she dismissed Maria's question off with a wave of her hand. "I couldn't find them if I tried. Those children always seem to go into hiding anytime I come near." She laughed loudly again, as if the children hiding from her was a little joke but the harsh reality of the children not liking Elsa and their habit of hiding from her on occasion made her flippant remark somewhat cringe worthy.
As no one else laughed with her, Elsa was quickly silent. Before Maria could make her apologies and leave the awkward threesome, Elsa stepped forward to whisper something into Georg's ear.
"Georg, darling. I've just been speaking to my dressmaker on the telephone. It seems as though I need to pick up the dress he'd made for me in Salzburg immediately."
"I can drive you into town tomorrow, if you like," Georg replied.
Elsa smiled in gratitude. "Well, that's lovely of you, but I really need it tonight."
"Tonight? Elsa, I'm not sure that…"
"Oh, don't worry, darling. I've already arranged for Franz to take me right now."
Georg glanced at his watch. "It's a little late, don't you think?"
"Not at all. I'll be back before dinner. And trust me, this dress is well worth the quick trip into town. It's absolutely dazzling!" Elsa gave Georg a kiss on the cheek. "Oh and Georg, I do hope you'll be more suitably dressed for dinner later," she remarked with a slight frown before she was gone leaving him alone with Maria.
Another awkward silence followed. "Well, Captain," said Maria stiffly, deliberately not looking at him. "If you'll excuse me, I must go and find the children." She went to move past him but he blocked her way.
"Maria, I need to talk to you," he told her seriously. Hearing him switch to calling her by her first name, rather than Fraulein made her heart flutter. But talking to the Captain was the very last thing Maria wanted to do. "I'm sorry, I can't," she replied. "I have to go. The children are waiting for me. Please let me pass."
But Georg didn't move aside to let her through. "So hide and seek, eh?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in question.
Maria knew what he was on his mind: the last time they played hide and seek. She really didn't want to revisit the memories of that day, least of all with him. She could feel her pulse rate begin to rise as lifted her eyes to meet his. "The children's choice in game, not mine," she replied a little tersely.
Georg narrowed his eyes slightly hearing the agitation in her voice. He waggled a finger at her playfully, hoping to lift her mood. "So you didn't enjoy the last time you played that game?"
"I never said that…"
"Because from where I was sitting, it was most enjoyable." Maria looked at him open mouthed in surprise as his boldness. But before she had time to say anything back, he continued light-heartedly. "Aaaand I seem to remember that last time you were one doing the hiding and the children were doing the seeking."
Maria let out an irritated groan as she didn't feel like playing any mind games with him. "It appears the children think I'm too hard to find…"
"Because you were hiding under my desk," he finished for her.
"Well that was last time," she replied hotly. "I don't intend on going anywhere near your desk this time around." With that, she pushed past him and continued on her way down the corridor.
Georg followed her. "Mind if I join you?" he asked casually. He had hoped that he could get her alone so he could talk to her properly.
She shot an annoyed look over her shoulder. Why was he torturing her like this? "Mind?" she repeated. "Why do you want to play?"
"Because it was so much fun the last time we played that game."
Maria let out a deep sigh. "Suit yourself Captain," she called back to him as she walked away. "It's your house."
Maria could feel his eyes on her as she began to search the downstairs part of the house for the children. He never said anything, just watched her intently as she opened the various doors or pulled back curtains in the hope of finding one of the children. She had searched the entire grand hallway, the sitting room then the dining room, although Frau Schmidt had quickly shooed them out of that room as the kitchen staff were trying to set up for dinner. Maria was about to head into the ballroom when she remembered the large downstairs cupboard that she had originally planned to hide in the last time around but Louisa had beaten her to it which had resulted in her hiding in the Captain's study instead. She wondered whether Louisa had hidden in there again.
She skirted quickly down the corridor towards the cupboard near the kitchen with the Captain still on her heels. Arriving at the cupboard, Maria flung the door open to find, not Louisa, but Friedrich inside.
"Friedrich!" Maria cried. "I've found you!"
"Am I the first one to be found Fraulein?" Friedrich asked as he climbed out of the cupboard looking around for the other children.
"Yes, it seems so," Maria replied with a laugh.
"But you found Father? Is he playing too?" the young man asked looking past Maria to his father.
"No…" "Yes…" Both Maria and Georg replied at the same time.
Maria straightaway shot Georg a peeved glare. Friedrich looked between his father and his governess and immediately sensed the tension between them.
"Actually Friedrich," Georg then spoke up. "I'm not playing, your Fraulein is quite right, however, I do need to speak to her quite urgently on a rather important matter." He pulled on her arm gently trying to lead Maria away.
But instead of moving off with him, Maria twisted her arm from his grasp. "Can't it wait?" she asked hotly. Friedrich looked astonished that his governess was speaking so brazenly to his father.
Georg took Maria's arm again, although his time he tightened his grip. "No, it can't," he replied through gritted teeth, before he gave a forced smile to Friedrich, who just stood looking completely confused by the entire situation.
Maria let out a sigh. It really wouldn't do to be fighting in front of Friedrich. Instead she gave a forced smile of her own. "Of course, Captain," she answered sweetly. "Friedrich, would you mind taking over for me in the game with finding the others? I shan't be too long. I'll come and find you all soon, I promise."
Maria watched Friedrich disappear back down the corridor in search of his siblings. As soon as he was out of sight, Maria spun around to face to Georg. "Would you mind telling me what that was all about?" she hissed angrily.
"I needed to talk to you," Georg answered simply.
"And it couldn't wait until later?"
"No, it could not," he replied flatly. "And besides, don't you think we need to talk?" he asked her.
"Talk? About what?" Maria exclaimed loudly, feeling frustrated.
"Shh… keep your voice down." Georg glanced in the direction of the nearby kitchen knowing how quickly gossip could be spread around a house such as his. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to be seen talking in such a well-travelled corridor. He took her arm and guided her down the corridor and aside into the passageway with the crockery cabinets where they wouldn't be easily seen.
"Captain," Maria huffed in exasperation. "I have no idea what you want to talk to me about, but this is getting really ridiculous. I've only been back from the abbey for an hour…"
"Ah, yes. The abbey," Georg hummed thoughtfully, like she'd just hit the nail on the head. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Maria suspected what he was getting at but she wanted to play dumb. "Oh the abbey? It's a lovely place really, lots of stonewalls and nuns. You should come and visit sometime – oh, I forgot - men are forbidden. I'm sorry, Captain. I'm afraid you'll just have to miss out."
Georg narrowed his eyes, starting to feel a little annoyed with her avoidance of the issue. "I'm sure it is, ah, delightful, but what I really wanted to know was what made you run away to the abbey…?"
"I hardly ran away, sir," Maria interjected, her eyes not meeting his.
"Not running away, eh? You slipped out in the middle of the night without a word to anyone, not even the children. Then only leaving a well-placed note in the hallway? Hmm? If that's not running away then I don't know what is."
His accusing words stung her and Maria tried to swallow the large lump that was forming in her throat. No matter how she was trying to deny how she felt about him, she couldn't deny that her actions of leaving during the party were wrong.
"Captain, I…" she began but before she could say any more, the sounds of people coming down the corridor towards them were heard.
"Shh…" Georg quickly shushed her. He knew how scandalous it would look if he was caught in a deserted corridor with his children's governess while his fiancée was in town, even if they were only talking. So Georg grabbed Maria's arm again and pulled her further down into the side passageway in the hope that whoever was coming would just pass them by. But he knew that anyone that looked directly down the passageway would see them immediately so they needed to get out of sight. He looked frantically around for somewhere to hide but the wall-to-wall crockery cabinets didn't give way to any such hiding spots.
Then Georg spied the door to the wine cellar at the end of the corridor. "Quick!" he cried out urgently, trying to keep his voice low. "Into the cellar!"
"What?" Maria questioned.
"Grr… stop asking questions, and just do it!" he replied in exasperation as he flung wide the partially open door pushed her inside.
Inside, the cellar was cool and dark. It took Maria a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She could see from the light from the passageway that there were floor to ceiling shelving full of wine bottles on one side of the small room while copious stacked barrels of beer lined the other side. As she was taking her surroundings in, Georg joined her side. "Phew, that was close," he remarked with a chuckle. "Now we're the ones doing the hiding."
But Maria was not amused. "I'm glad you think this is funny as I don't. Captain, I…"
But she didn't finish as they were interrupted by a voice right outside the cellar. It was Max. "No, Frau Schmidt, I have no idea where Georg is but I'm sure he wouldn't mind me picking out the wine for dinner tonight."
Realising that Max was about to follow them into the cellar, Georg seized Maria and dragged her with him behind a barrel to hide. It was a tight squeeze and even though the barrels were stacked two high, Georg was still too tall to be concealed by them so he crouched down on the cold, hard floor and pulled Maria so close to him that she was practically sitting into his lap.
"Captain, are you insane?" she whispered. As the door to the cellar opened fully, flooding the room with light, Georg clasped his hand over Maria's mouth to prevent her from speaking again. She squirmed against him for a moment but as they heard Max come into the cellar, she froze completely, suddenly realising their predicament if they were to be caught together.
"Now, now, now… what have we here…?" Max mumbled to himself. Georg was able to peer around the side of the barrel just far enough to see his friend stroking his moustache lovingly as he deliberated over the different bottles of wine on the other side of the cellar.
Max seemed to be taking his time choosing the wine. And despite the coldness of the cellar, Georg could feel himself start to sweat. He had Maria perched on his knee, with one hand over her mouth and the other arm wrapped snuggly around her waist keeping her still. They were pressed so close together that he could feel her thudding heartbeat in her chest while her chest rose and fell rapidly as she breathed in through her nose. Being so near to Maria was intoxicating: the heat radiating from her body through her paper-thin dress, the silkiness of her skin, the smell of her perfume, and the softness of her hair against his cheek.
But Georg was snapped out of his thoughts of Maria by the sound of bottles clinking together. Max had finally chosen some wine.
"Hmm… a nice red 1931. Oh, Georg really does have impeccable wine," Max continued to mumble to himself as he retrieved bottles from the shelf. "I think one for dinner." Clink. "And one for me." Clink. Georg's head snapped up as soon as he realised Max was swiping his wine for himself. "Ooo, and here is a delightful 1932 Chardonnay. Again, I think one for dinner." Clink. "And one for me."
Georg started to fume at the thought of Max stealing his wine. He let out a faint grunt through gritted teeth and, almost forgetting that Maria was on his lap, he started to get up in order to throttle Max. At once Maria realised what he was doing and that they would be discovered. Quickly, before he could move and reveal their location, Maria stomped on Georg's foot.
"Ughh…" Georg groaned out loud and Maria twisted around on his lap to silently shush him. He glared at her as he shoved her half off his lap so that he could massage his trodden on foot. Maria held one finger up to her lips, signalling him once again to be silent in fear of Max hearing them.
Georg then peered around the side of the barrel again to see that Max had turned and was looked towards their location with a peculiar expression on his face. Max began to take a step in the direction of their hiding place but then he stopped, shrugged then picked up the four bottles of wine he'd accumulated and left the cellar, closing the heavy door behind him. Maria and Georg were plunged into pitch darkness.
As soon as Max was gone, Georg shooed Maria completely off his lap and tried to stand up. "What was that for? Stomping on my foot like that?" he demanded.
"Me?" Maria snapped back at him in the dark. "You were about to give away our hiding place just because you couldn't stand the thought of Herr Detweiller taking some meaningless wine!"
"It's hardly meaningless wine. Those bottles cost me a great deal of money," Georg defended.
"Money! Is that all you ever think about?"
"That's not true, and you know it!" Georg retorted angrily before he stopped, took in a deep breath and softened his tone. "I'm sorry, it doesn't matter, does it? He didn't see us together and that's the main thing."
"Well, we can't see anything in this darkness."
"There's a light switch over by the door."
"If we can ever find the door. I can't see a thing!"
"Stay right where you are, Maria. I'll try and find the switch." Maria stood still waiting for Georg to get to the switch. She heard him next to her feeling his way along the barrel, then she could feel his breath on her face as he started to move past her before his hands inadvertently landed on her body. She sucked in a sharp breath.
"Sorry," he mumbled when, as blinded by the darkness, his fingertips grazed over her breasts before his hands found her shoulders as he made his way in the dark towards the door. Finally he arrived at the door and flicked on the light switch. Maria squinted as her eyes were not used to the suddenly light.
"See, I found it," Georg proudly declared.
"Well done, thank you." She gave him a grateful smile before her smile faded a moment later. "But enough of this silliness. I need to go Captain. Whatever you wanted to talk about with me can wait, I think." He nodded in understanding, knowing that their little escapade of hide and seek had really gone too far this time.
Maria walked across the cellar to the door but when she tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," she declared.
Georg groaned. Of course – there was a deadlock on the cellar door that locked automatically once the door closed to stop the maids stealing any alcohol. "Not to worry, I always carry my keys everywhere I go." Georg reached into his pockets to get his keys but his pockets were empty. He, at once, patted down his whole body in search of his keys, but nothing. Panicking somewhat, he quickly returned to their hiding spot behind the barrel to see whether his keys had dropped out of his pocket but they weren't there.
Then he remembered.
He'd taken his keys, wallet and whistle out of his pockets while in his study earlier. Georg closed his eyes, slapped one hand to his head and moaned. "I left my keys in my study."
Maria's eyes widened. "S-so… we're locked in here? And no one knows we're here either?" Georg nodded faintly, his eyes still closed.
Maria blinked several times as the news sank in before she turned and started banging on the door. "Help! Help!" she yelled.
"Maria." Georg called out to her. "Maria, stop. It's no use. That door is 4 inches thick. No one will hear you."
"No, someone must be able to hear. Why, the kitchen is only nearby."
"Trust me, I've been locked in here before accidently. Why do you think I always carry my keys everywhere I go now?"
"Except for now."
Georg sighed in resignation. "Yes, except for now."
Maria stopped banging on the door and turned to him in panic. "But if that door is so thick and no one can hear us, then will we run out of air?"
Georg shook his head. "No, there are air vents."
"Where? Can we open them to get out?"
"I'm afraid not. They're too small."
"So, we're stuck here?"
"It looks like it, well at least until someone comes and finds us."
Maria squeezed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath. She had certainly had a day of it. Firstly her heartfelt conversation with the Reverend Mother where she finally faced her true feelings about the Captain, then her return to the villa only to find him engaged to someone else, now to find herself trapped in a cellar with the man she loved. Well, she let out a small chuckle to herself, it could be worse – she could be trapped in the cellar with the Baroness instead. Now that would have been very awkward! Maria began to laugh out loud at the thought of it.
"What's so funny?" Georg asked her.
"Oh just the ridiculous situation we're now in," Maria replied through her giggles.
"I suppose it is pretty funny," Georg laughed too. "But I am sorry for getting us in this mess."
"Oh, it's all right. It's my fault too," Maria admitted. "I was being pretty stubborn before."
Hearing the resignation in her voice, Georg stopped laughing. "It seems like you have something on your mind."
Maria sighed. "Oh, I have plenty on my mind," she said with a wry smile.
"Want to talk about it?"
Maria shook her head slightly. "Don't ask." How could she talk to him about how her heart was broken when he was the cause of it?
Georg took the hint and didn't pry any further. Instead, he glanced around the small cellar looking for something that would make their stay more pleasant. He spied a couple of wooden crates in the corner full of wine that had yet to be unpacked. He dragged two crates side by side, sat down then gave the other one a quick pat. "Why don't you come and sit down?"
As Maria joined him on the crates, he joked, "I hope you aren't afraid of small, confined spaces."
"Hardly," Maria replied with a small smile. "Compared to my room at the abbey, this cellar is as spacious as your grand ballroom." Georg chuckled, pleased that Maria's mood had lifted. "But it is cold in here," she continued, rubbing the bare skin on her arms below the sleeve line of the turquoise dress she was wearing.
"The cold is to help preserve the wine," Georg explained. "I'm sorry, I don't even have my jacket with me to give you."
"Why is that?" Maria asked him straightaway. "I've never seen you without your jacket before – even on that night of the thunderstorm when you came into my bedroom when the children and I were singing."
"Yes, it has sort of become my uniform, so to speak," Georg confessed with a chuckle. "I suppose I was feeling all hot and bothered before."
"Hot and bothered?" Maria repeated, feeling curious. "Why?"
"Don't ask," Georg replied with a smirk, almost echoing her earlier statement.
"All right," she laughed before she shivered again from the cold.
Watching her shiver, Georg huffed. "Oh this is ridiculous. Here." He opened up his arms to her. "Let me get you warm."
Maria raised her eyebrows at the suggestion. "Are you sure that's appropriate Captain?" she asked.
"Appropriate or not, I can't have you catch your death of cold, can I? I think the children will have my head if something were to happen to you."
Maria smiled, thinking of those dear children that she loved like her own and accepted Georg's offer. She shifted closer to him and snuggled into his embrace. It was nice being in his arms and she couldn't help recall the previous times she'd been in his arms: in his study on the hide and seek day and when they had danced the Laendler together. She felt safe, warm and loved in his arms. It was one of those moments, like when he looked at her, that she felt like she could hardly breathe!
They sat in a comfortable silence with Georg gently running the palms of his hands up and down Maria's arms warming her up. As Maria let out a contented sigh, Georg wondered whether it was time to try and continue the talk he so desperately wanted to have with her.
"Why did you run away to the abbey…" he asked her gently. "And what was it that made you come back?"
"Well," Maria began slowly. "I had an obligation to fulfil and I came back to fulfil it."
Georg nodded against her head but he had the feeling she was leaving something out. "Is that all?"
"And I missed the children," she added.
"Only the children?" he asked, wondering whether she had missed him as much as he'd missed her.
"No," Maria began truthfully before she stopped herself and changed her answer. "Yes! Isn't it right that I should have missed them?"
"Well yes…" his voice trailed off. He felt disappointed at her reply and so Georg tried to probe her further. "I was only hoping that perhaps you… perhaps you might…?"
At hearing the question and the uncertainty in his voice, she moved out of his arms and turned to him. "Yes?" she asked, wondering and hoping that perhaps he felt the same way about her as she did about him.
His eyes locked on hers and he so desperately wanted to tell her what he felt in his heart, but he couldn't find the words. Instead he started to stammer and pout like a little schoolboy. "Well, nothing was the same when you were away and it'll be all wrong again after you leave… and I just thought perhaps you might, uh… change your mind?"
Maria looked at him hard for a moment wondering what kind of offer he was making her. Did he just want her as his children's governess, or something more? And what was that something more? She didn't know. But in any case, she knew that she couldn't stay around him with a broken heart, not with him marrying another.
She stood up and walked a few steps away from him. "I'm sure the Baroness will be able to make things fine for you," she managed to choke out.
"Maria," Georg called after her. "There doesn't have to be any baroness."
Maria turned her head slightly back towards him. "There doesn't?"
"No, I can call off our engagement at any time." He approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "One word from you and it's done."
Maria spun around slowly she that she was looking into his eyes. "Me?" she squeaked.
Lightly skimming the side of her face with the back of his hand, he murmured. "Surely you can feel it too… this thing between us." Heart thudding rapidly in her chest, she stood transfixed as Georg cupped her cheek with his hand, drawing her face towards his.
But as he leaned down to kiss her, Maria pulled away. "No, please don't ask me to be the one that comes between you and the Baroness. I just couldn't bear it." She swallowed hard as she felt tears well up in her eyes. "No, Captain, this has to be your decision about what you want and who you love. Don't ask me to make it for you."
She pulled away out of his arms and turned away from him as she couldn't face him anymore. For a second Maria wondered how on earth she would be able to survive being stuck in the cellar with him any longer, or even later that night at dinner, if they ever made it out for dinner, that is. But then she heard the sound of a key in the door.
An instant later, the door opened and there stood Max in the doorway, with the most glorious smirk on his face. "Ah, there the two of you are. We've all been looking for you everywhere."
Maria quickly wiped a stray tear from her face with the back of her hand. Without even a backwards glance to Georg, she strode out of the cellar, only pausing to thank Max on her way out. "Thank you for finding us, Herr Detweiller. I don't know what I would have done if we'd have been stuck in there for much longer. But if you'll excuse me, I have to go and find the children. I need to apologise for leaving their game."
After Maria was gone, Max crossed his arms and leant casually on the doorframe, crossing one foot over the other ankle and grinned fiendishly at Georg. "Very inventive of you Georg, getting yourself locked in here with the young Fraulein."
"Your fault, of course," Georg replied meeting Max at the cellar door. "You knew we were in there all along, didn't you? You locked us in on purpose."
Max looked like the cat that got the cream. "Well, I must admit your loud groan did give you away, but I thought you two needed some time to ah, work out your differences?" He raised one eyebrow, hoping that Georg would catch his meaning. But when Georg didn't reply, Max pushed from more information. "You did tell Maria how you feel about her, didn't you?"
"You know how I feel about her?" Georg asked Max in astonishment.
Max let out an exasperated sigh. "Georg, everyone knows how you feel about Maria. Even Elsa, especially Elsa!"
"Elsa knows?" Georg went as white as a sheet.
Max clapped Georg on the back as he started to make his way out from the cellar door. "Just let her down gently, my friend. She deserves that."
As Georg was left alone, he knew what he had to do.
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Later that night, Georg stood on the balcony watching Maria wander the gardens below in the moonlight dressed in that beautiful blue, flowing dress she had worn the night of the puppet show. Consumed by thoughts of her, he barely heard Elsa arrive, dressed in a gown of dazzling red – the dress she had gone into Salzburg to get that evening.
He gave a weak smile as Elsa remarked on how quiet he had been at dinner but he couldn't help but smirk when she asked if his sullen mood was because of the wine as all he could think about was the hour he had spent locked in the wine cellar with Maria.
But then as Elsa began prattling along about wedding gifts and honeymoon destinations, Georg knew it was time to stop hiding from his feelings and end it with Elsa as he finally knew what he wanted and whom he loved. And that was Maria.
"Elsa… it's no use."