Saturday, December 24

When Maria woke up on Christmas Eve morning, her whole body felt stiff and worn. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes told her just why: she had fallen asleep on the rug before the fire. Somewhere in the middle of her crying jag the previous night, she had made her way before the fire and laid down before it, watching the flames through her tears. Now, Maria sat up slowly, groaning, rubbing her neck and stretching out her back. Her face was raw from crying; the fire was now nothing more than dying embers, so she shivered in the now cold room.

After turning up the furnace to the cottage, Maria bathed and dressed herself for the day. She thought of baby Rachel, who was probably being picked up by her parents right now. The child was going to have a wonderful first Christmas, and the thought gave Maria peace. But the more she thought this, the more she realized what those things had awakened in her: the desire to have a child of her own.

Because she had wanted the life of a nun for so long, motherhood had never been something she had considered for herself, just like riches, travel, romance or marriage. But after giving up that life, her volunteer work in the baby ward, and the bond she had developed with Rachel, this new desire had awakened in her. She wanted to know how it would be to carry a child, to hold her own baby in her arms, and watch it grow up in love.

But Maria knew that to have a baby, there had to be a father, too, and there was only one man whom she would ever want to have a child with. His face burned in her vision, and then Maria blinked hard to destroy it.

It seemed her dream to be a mother would be like the rest of her dreams: futile and useless.

Pushing back fresh tears, Maria put on her coat and scarf, and walked out into the December air, gladly accepting the distraction of the cold. The sun was hidden behind heavy clouds again, and no snow fell from them. But by the time Maria arrived at the orphanage, the young woman resolved to push her own problems to the far back corner of her mind where she stored the many things she refused to consciously think about. Today was not about her – it was about the children who were about to get a wonderful surprise.


When she came to the office of Frau Wilhelmina, Maria knocked on the door before coming in. "Good morning, ma'am," she said.

Frau Wilhelmina smiled at the young woman she had known for ten years. "How many times have I told you to call me by my name now, Maria?"

Maria sighed and smiled. "Forgive the old habit of when I stayed here. So, how did the concert go yesterday? How much will each of the choir children get?"

Frau Wilhelmina's smile widened as she laughed. "It won't just be the children in the choir who will be involved now."

"What do you mean?"

"We made a lot more money than we thought we were going to make, Maria. We have enough now so that each child in this orphanage, even the babies, will be able to get a Christmas present."

Maria gasped and covered her smile. "Really? Oh, this is so wonderful! The children will be so happy!"

"Yes, I'm sure they will," said Frau Wilhelmina, standing up. "I've called the rest of the teachers to accompany us this morning into town. We will need all hands on deck to supervise everybody. My daughter and I will stay here and look after the babies while Ingrid and her two helpers will shop for them. You will be in charge of the choir, and also little Clara." She smiled at Maria's surprised gaze. "You were the first person she asked for when she woke up this morning."

Maria smiled back and nodded. A glint of something on the good woman's desk caught Maria's eye. Looking down, it looked like some sort of clip. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to it.

"Oh," said Frau Wilhelmina, picking it up and handing it to her. "That clip held quite a generous amount of money that was dropped into one of the baskets. That's a good reason why we can have all of the children get presents, not just the choir."

Looking more closely at the gold clip, she saw a white-painted carving of edelweiss. "It's beautiful," she said softly.

"Keep it."

"Oh, no, Fra-, I mean Wilhelmina, I couldn't –"

"I insist," said Frau Wilhelmina firmly. "I know how important edelweiss are to you."

Maria looked at her with wide eyes and red cheeks. "I…w-what do you mean?"

"If I recall correctly, you told me they were your father's favorite flower once."

Feeling relieved and embarrassed at the same time, Maria just nodded and pocketed the clip before leaving the office.

Right after she left, the telephone for Frau Wilhelmina began to ring. She picked it up and said, "Nonberg Abbey Orphanage, Frau Wilhelmina speaking."

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Captain Georg Von Trapp, and I would like to speak to you about something, if you can spare a few minutes."

Safe to say, Frau Wilhelmina was surprised. This was certainly no business call; the last she had heard, the Captain already had enough children to handle. "Of course, Captain. Your reputation precedes you."

"I had the honor of seeing the concert last night. The children you have are extraordinarily talented; you have much to be proud of."

"Thank you very much, sir. What can I do for you?"

"Well, this is actually about the choir director, Maria. This summer, she served as governess to my children, and is as much a part of this family as myself. I wonder if you would help in a Christmas surprise we have in store for her…"

As far as Wilhelmina was concerned, the Captain didn't need to say anymore to enlist her cooperation.


As the rest of the teachers told the children, Maria made her way to the tiny room where Clara had been placed yesterday. She opened the door and saw Clara sitting on her bed, looking out the tiny window. At the sound of the door opening, she turned her head and smiled at the sight of Maria.

Maria smiled back. "Hello, Clara."

"Hello," she replied in her tiny voice.

Maria could instantly tell that this was a person – unlike herself – who only spoke when she absolutely had to. She knelt down by the bed and took Clara's hands. "Do you like it here?"

Clara nodded in earnest and grasped Maria's hands.

"I would very much like it if you would come with me into town," said Maria. A flash of fear crossed her eyes at the mention of town. Maria squeezed her hands tighter. "Don't worry, dear. We're going with all of the children and teachers. Each child is going to pick out a present for Christmas today. That includes you."

The big blue eyes became even bigger. "Me?"

"Yes, you," said Maria firmly. "No one deserves a Christmas present more than you."


Anybody who came into contact with the children of the Nonberg Abbey orphanage that Christmas Eve morning learned never to take for granted the little luxuries we all have. Each orphan child had a small but fair amount of money each, with which they could buy themselves a Christmas present. In some stores, certain popular items were all sold out, but the orphans didn't care. They were happy with whatever they chose, and found joy in even the most humble of items. And when they bought them, they would thank the shopkeepers so heartily that the shopkeepers themselves felt it was definitely worth it to remain open on Christmas Eve.

But perhaps the most touching moment came when Maria, the choir members, and little Clara came into a toy shop. The whole time during the outing, Clara had not let go of Maria's hand, as if she believed that the act of letting go would mean she would drift back to the life she'd had yesterday before Maria found her. The big blue eyes took in everything she saw inside each shop, and the poor thing was quite overwhelmed sometimes. She would hide her face in Maria's skirt when this happened.

However, in the toy shop, her eyes finally fell on something and would not let it go. Maria looked to see what it was, and smiled. Clara's eyes had fallen upon a doll. Not one of those porcelain creations belonging to wealthy girls, that were meant to be put on a shelf rather than in a pair of arms. This was a more humble doll, but no less beautiful. The hair was of gold yarn beautifully braided tied with pretty blue ribbons that matched her pretty blue dress and pretty blue eyes. The painted pink lips smiled on the off-white skin.

Maria bent down and whispered in Clara's ear. "I think you have found your Christmas present."

Clara looked back at Maria and nodded, her eyes pleading to know if it wasn't too expensive. The poor girl had spent most of her life on the streets, and had very little education; she did not even know her letters. So Maria picked up the doll and looked at the price tag. Unfortunately, the price was just a few coins over Clara's small budget.

Thankfully, Maria let no disappointment show on her face. It was, after all, only a few coins; she could spare them, and nobody deserved this more than little Clara, after living the life she'd had. So she smiled at Clara and said, "Let's check her out."

Taking Clara's hand again, she led her to the counter and approached the register. She laid the doll before the shopkeeper, and pulled out Clara's share – as well as a few extra coins from her own purse. The shopkeeper smiled as he finalized the purchase, and then handed the doll to Maria.

After she thanked him, she turned around to Clara, knelt down before her, and held out the doll to her. "Now she belongs to you, and only you."

The biggest smile that Clara had ever smiled in her life spread across her face. She took the doll and hugged her close to her heart. Looking at Maria, she whispered, "Thank you."

And Maria knew that she was not only thanking her for the doll. In that moment, Maria had not felt so good since the previous summer.

She caressed Clara's once-pale and now-rosy cheek. "You are most welcome."


But Maria's happiness did not last long that morning.

After the group from the orphanage arrived back, the children all happily went to their own rooms to begin playing right away with their new Christmas treasures. Little Clara felt tired – the poor thing was still weak, and would take some time and lots of hearty meals to give her the level of energy the other children usually had – so Maria helped her settle down for a nap, her little arms hugging her new doll tightly.

But no matter how she politely pleaded with Frau Wilhelmina, it was of no use. She had said that there was nothing else she could do here, to go enjoy the holidays, they would see her at the abbey morning mass tomorrow, and not come back until after Boxing Day. "You have already done so much, Maria. Now you deserve time for yourself."

That is the last thing I want, thought Maria, but she could see the firmness as well as the kindness in Frau Wilhelmina's eyes. The woman meant well, she knew, and it would be extremely rude for her to argue.

So Maria could do nothing else but nod, force a smile, wish Frau Wilhelmina a happy Christmas, and leave.

As she very slowly walked home, Maria kicked a ball of ice along until it crumbled up. She had no idea what she was going to do today, tomorrow, or the day after now. Of course, she would go to mass Christmas morning, that was a given. Perhaps then, on Christmas night, she would go to the abbey and hear the sisters sing Christmas carols so beautifully. At least these days off afforded her the chance to sleep in and do some reading she wanted to do…These thoughts didn't really cheer Maria up, but it was better than nothing.

But when her cottage came into view, Maria stopped dead in her tracks for a moment before resuming her pace at a quicker speed. Lights were on in her front windows. Who in the world is in there? Burglars? Criminals? Oh, why do I always forget to lock my front door?!

But when Maria was just outside the house, she heard a sound she did not expect, slowing her steps considerably. It sounded like…singing. Simply lovely singing of one of her favorite songs…one that she often sang on her mountain when she felt happy (she had not sung it in months…it sounded very familiar…

The hills are alive with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years.

The hills fill my heart with the sound of music.

My heart wants to sing every song it hears.

Maria's breath caught in her throat. She'd only ever heard that song once. Could it be?...But it couldn't…I'm hearing things…I'm dreaming…

My heart wants to beat like the wings

Of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees.

My heart wants to sigh like a chime

That flies from a church on a breeze.

Very slowly, Maria opened her front door. The singing was clear and loud now, ringing in her ears like the sweetest bells. Either she had completely lost her mind or this was real. Then she saw Max standing in her front hall, smiling happily at her. Silently, he elegantly gestured for her to go into her living room. Still in such a great state of shock, she did.

To laugh like a brook when it trips

And falls over stones on its way.

To sing through the night

Like a lark who is learning to pray.

Maria could not hold back her gasp at what she saw in her living room: all seven Von Trapp children, standing in their singing formation, with Liesl playing a guitar, all singing and looking at her with such joy she wanted to faint. But all she could do in her shock was stand there, with her mouth open, drinking in the sight she had so dearly missed as they sang to her.

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely.

I know I will here what I've heard before.

My heart will be blessed with the sound of music,

And I'll sing once more…

The song ended and the children and Maria stood facing each other. Her eyes filled with tears as she covered her mouth with her fingers. The children were looking at her with so much love, and looked as though they wanted nothing more than to rush towards their then-lost now-found Fraulein and hug her to them. Maria was afraid that, if she said or did anything definite, this wonderful dream would disappear before her eyes. Needing to find out the truth, and hoping she would be proved wrong, she lifted and opened her arms.

In an instant, the children were rushing to her and were embracing her. And Maria could do nothing else but hold them tightly back, cry with happiness, and say, "Oh, my goodness!" over and over again.


From the doorway to the kitchen, the Captain had watched the whole thing. From the moment Maria had come into the living room, he could not take his eyes off her. He reveled in the surprise on her face when she saw the children, and the utter happiness on her face when she embraced them. The tears streaming down her cheeks caused his heart to overflow with all of the love he felt for her. Oh, my love, at last I see you happy again, and if you give me the chance, I will do my best to see that you are happy for the rest of your life.

He and Max exchanged a smile across the room as they watched the happy reunion. By now, Maria's shock had worn off somewhat and was talking to each of the children, exclaiming how tall Friedrich had become, how much like a lady Gretl looked, how becoming Louisa's new bangs looked on her. She noticed everything about them that had changed since the summer, eager to catch up with them.

When Max could not help but chuckle in happiness at the sight, Maria turned to him, her eyes blazing with questions. "Herr Dettweiler…how did…how did you –"

"O-ho, don't look at me, my dear," said Max, still smiling at the sight of Maria and the children. "The guilty culprit is over there." He pointed at Georg in the kitchen doorway.

Maria turned her head and her gaze fell on him, meeting his eyes. At that moment, everything else disappeared and there was only her. Oh, boy, I am in deep trouble, and I don't give a damn. Smiling gently, nervously, he walked into the room, looking at her.

"Captain?" she breathed, not taking her eyes off him. In her eyes, he saw surprise, timidity, and – dare he say it – hope.

"Hello, Maria," he said, his voice tender. His children and Max smiled at this, looking back and forth from him to Maria. He saw the surprise in her eyes when he addressed her by her given name.

"I…" She shook her head slightly, most likely trying to calm down. "I don't understand, how did you know where I lived?"

"Well, you will have to blame a Christmas angel for that. She helped me find you, and naturally I couldn't keep this information from the children, who have missed you quite a lot since you've left."

Maria still looked at him in some confusion, knowing perfectly well this vague answer was anything but the full answer. But she remembered the children, and decided to ask the details later. She couldn't deny that she was overjoyed to see them again, and she was having a hard time believing that they could be so overjoyed and not angry to see her again. "Oh, children, Captain, can you ever forgive me for leaving like that? I swear, I never wanted or meant to hurt anybody, I…" She wished she had a reason she could explain, but she couldn't. She knew perfectly well what it was, but her pride would never let her say it now. "And I didn't keep in touch because…well, my grandmother passed away, and I spent her last months in France with her, and when I came back, I…I felt for sure you hated me for what I did."

"Oh, no Fraulein!" exclaimed Marta, hugging her.

"We don't hate you, not at all!" said Gretl.

"We're so sorry about your grandmother, Fraulein," said Liesl, taking her hand. "And of course we understand."

"We've missed you so much, and are just so happy to see you again," said Brigitta.

"It just isn't the same without you," said Kurt.

"We're sorry for breaking into your house, even if the door was open," said Friedrich a bit sheepishly. "But we wanted to surprise you."

"And we didn't want to stand in the cold," said Louisa, and then went silent at Georg's stern look.

He turned his now more gentle gaze back to Maria. He approached her, and took one of her hands in both of his. The effect was immediate upon them both: their first skin-on-skin touch. Maria gasped at the feeling of his warm hands holding her own, and Georg silently reveled in finally being able to touch her, even as innocently as this. "We all would like to ask you, Maria, if you would spend Christmas with us."

Still in awe by the fact that he was holding her hand, Maria took a deep breath and looked at him properly. How often had those blue eyes haunted her, and how often had she wished she would see those eyes looking at her the way he had when they had danced…just like now.

"Why?" she breathed; it was the only thing she could think of to say.

His answer was immediate, without hesitation, and intimate. "Because everyone else in this room considers you a part of this family; this wouldn't even be a family without you."

Looking into his eyes, Maria could see that he was not lying. He had never lied to her before, and this time was no exception. All of the other emotions she should be feeling about the whole situation – doubt that this was all real, anger at their breaking-and-entering, curious as to the details about them finding her – were all forgotten for a moment as she looked at the Captain, feeling her hand encased safely in both of his warm ones.

Only one answer came to mind. She nodded her head, without breaking his gaze, gave a shy smile and said, "I would love to."

The children all cheered, and Max just smiled silently as he watched the tableau. For Maria and the Captain, they could still see nothing but each other. The Captain smiled in pure gratitude and love that had yet to be spoken; then he kissed the hand he was holding before he let it go. Maria felt the kiss on her hand long after like the most pleasant burn.

When he let go of her hand, the spell between them broke, and Maria hugged the children again for they wanted to hug her in gratitude. Coming back down to earth, she smiled and said a bit breathlessly with cheeks still pink, "Well, how on earth could I say no, after even resorting to criminal measures? Let me just pack a bag, all right? Who wants to help me?"

All of the children volunteered, and followed Maria to her bedroom. As they left the room, all seven looked back at their father, who smiled and gave them a thumbs up which said, "Excellent job! Phase one is complete!"

When Georg and Max were alone in the room, they exchanged a conspiratorial smile as Georg took something out of his pocket and placed something beneath the little Christmas tree Maria had in her living room. Max chuckled. "Now, don't forget your…what was it…your gloves?"

Georg gasped and thanked Max for remembering that little detail, and placed his gloves over the item he had just placed under her tree. A few minutes later, Maria and the children came back into the living room. Maria was now wearing her coat and carried her carpetbag in one hand.

"All right, children, get your coats and hats on, please," said Georg. The children immediately did so, chatting happily amongst themselves. As Max helped the little ones, Georg turned his gaze to Maria. She stood just where he had stood when the children had been singing, leaning against the doorway. Her eyes were closed, with her head down, as she took deep breaths. Wanting to make sure she was all right, Georg walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Are you angry?" he asked softly, so only she could hear him.

Maria raised her head and looked at him, her breath catching at finding him so close to her. Looking into his eyes, Maria shook her head. "If I should feel angry, I don't. I'm still a bit in shock, to be honest, and a bit overwhelmed." She gave him a small smile. "But I must say, your timing is quite perfect."

Georg returned her smile, and with his free hand took her carpetbag from her hand, brushing her fingers with his deliberately as he did so. Neither of them missed the shudder that passed through Maria's body, but both of them knew that now was not the correct time to further dwell on that.


It was with pride that the Captain and his children welcomed Maria back to the villa. The young woman thought the grounds and villa looked absolutely magical with the snow over everything. And when she came inside, she gasped. The house was dressed to the nines for Christmas: garlands on the railings, wreaths on the door, Christmas colors everywhere, everything so beautiful that Maria wanted to cry. Seeing the villa, both inside and out, had given her such a wonderful, peaceful feeling, like coming home.

Maybe, just maybe, she was home. Looking at the seven children and their Father, who were all smiling at her, it was easier to believe.

"Come on, Fraulein," said Gretl, tugging at her hand. "Come and see our Christmas tree!" She led Maria to the ballroom, with the others following. Maria gasped when she entered the gilded room and saw the beautiful Christmas tree. It wasn't just the white Christmas lights or the ornaments or the shining star on the highest bow; it was the fact that the ballroom now had a large rug, a large sofa and several chairs set up in the room. Maria recognized the furniture as coming from the drawing room.

"Well, this room is certainly a lot cozier than the first time I saw it," said Maria, more to herself than anybody else. Then she heard the Captain's laugh and she blushed, remembering that him witnessing her first (forbidden) encounter with this room had been the moment they had first met. Clearing her throat a bit, she asked, "Why the ballroom?"

"Well, the children wanted a good Christmas tree," replied Georg, stepping further into the room. "And I found one with the help of my two helpers." He put a hand on the shoulder of both Friedrich and Kurt, who smiled proudly. "When we brought it home, the ballroom was the only room in which it would fit. It helps that it's also the most beautiful room in the house, and since we will all open presents by the Christmas tree, we wanted to make it comfortable."

Maria nodded, and thoroughly approved of this choice. At that moment, Frau Schmidt came into the room and smiled at the sight of Maria, who smiled right back and the two women embraced. "Oh, Maria, how wonderful it is to see you again!"

"You too, Frau Schmidt!" said Maria. The older woman hadn't changed a bit, and she was smiling so warmly at Maria.

"Here," said Frau Schmidt, taking Maria's carpetbag from her. "I'll take that up to your room. Captain, it's started snowing again."

"Marvelous!" said the Captain as the children all smiled in excitement. "Well, I don't know about you all, but I have quite a bit of energy that can only be released through some good winter sports. Who's with me?"

All of the children started cheering in affirmation, and Maria smiled and nodded at this. She could think of nothing more fun to do with this family. Her family.


"…seventeen…eighteen…nineteen…twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" called Maria, dropping her gloved hands from her eyes and looking around the white grounds. Snow was lightly falling from the sky, and not a Von Trapp could be seen. At least, clearly. She found the little ones fairly quickly in this game of snowball tag.

This was just like hide-and-seek tag, except in this game, in order to tag a person out after the seeker finds them, they must hit them with a snowball. Gradually, Maria found each of the children fairly quickly. She had played quite a few games of hide-and-seek tag with them in the summer, and knew their favorite hiding places.

But the same could not be said for their father. She had a much harder time finding him, even with the help of the children. But finally, Maria thought she saw movement inside the gazebo. Though it was constructed of strong glass, this was completely covered in snow now, so one could only see inside it through the doorway. After making a fresh snowball, Maria crept around the gazebo until she leapt in front of the entrance, snowball at the ready.

She was surprised to not only see the Captain inside, but sitting casually on one of the benches inside. He smiled at her when he saw her. But that smile and her shock didn't prevent her from doing her job: she threw the snowball and it hit him squarely in the face. To his credit, he wiped away the snow without losing his smile. "Remind me never to get in the way of your aim if ever you decide to throw something more concrete."

Maria laughed and took a step inside. "What in the world are you doing hiding in here? I thought surely you would hide someplace a bit less obvious."

Georg chuckled. "The gazebo is the last place anybody wants to hide during hide-and-seek games, because it is made of glass. However, in this weather, it is no longer translucent, but since I've been here a while and I hear all of the children laughing in the distance, it seems I was the only one clever enough to think of it, therefore securing the best hiding place." He held up his hands in a careless shrug, looking quite smug and pleased with himself.

Maria could not resist rolling her eyes. This was the first time that the two of them had been alone together in months, but it seemed as though there had never been a separation. It felt so easy to banter like this with each other again, and the both of them joyed in this. "And yet, clever as it was, I still found you. What do you call that, genius?" she said sassily.

His enigmatic smile became a wicked grin as he pulled out a snowball he'd been holding behind his back. "The best luck in the world."

With a shriek, Maria ran away, with Georg hot on her tail. She could hear him laughing behind her, and she laughed, too. Finally, his snowball hit the back of her head at the same time she stumbled, and with a cry, she fell to the ground face down.

"Maria!" Georg cried, and rushed to her. Gently he rolled her over and cupped her cheeks with his gloved hands. "I'm so sorry, are you all right?"

All traces of teasing and playfulness had disappeared from his face, and he looked at her with nothing but worry, apology and great compassion. This, the feeling of his gloved hands on her face, and his closeness put Maria in a dreamy daze. She managed to say, "You don't have bad aim yourself."

Just a little relief passed over Georg's face, and he wrapped his arms around her as he helped her sit up. "You're not injured at all, are you?" he said, his tone matching his face.

The feeling of him still so close and now holding her put her into even more of a daze. "No, Captain, I'm perfectly fine, honest."

Relief now fully flooded his face, but the love and compassion remained and intensified. His hold around her did not loosen. "It's Georg," he said softly. "Give me my name, please."

If he wasn't already holding her, she would have swooned. "Georg…" she said very quietly, but to him, it was loud and clear as a beautiful bell.

The sound of the seven children approaching them broke the spell between them. Georg wordlessly helped himself and Maria to her feet. But they didn't take their eyes off each other until they absolutely had to.


Dinner was a feast, an absolute feast. Because all of the servants had Christmas Day off, Frau Schmidt and the cook made the annual and traditional Christmas dinner Christmas Eve night. Everyone dressed in their best dinner things, and because they had worked so hard, the servants joined the family for the meal. Georg asked Maria to say the blessing, and she was more than happy to.

Everyone around the table joined hands. "Dear Lord, there are so many reasons that each of us has to be thankful, many of which are in this room right now. There are those out there who are without more than one of them, and I pray You look after them this Christmas, and make it just as special for them as it is for us. I know You are capable of that, Lord, and more. This morning, I thought I would be spending the day of your birth alone…but You wouldn't have that, and neither would the family at this table. My gratitude is boundless, and can only be expressed in two simple words: Thank you. Amen."

"Amen," said Georg, who was smiling across the table at her.

"Amen!" said everyone else at the table before everybody eagerly began eating.


After dinner, while the servants gladly cleared away, Georg led the children, Max, and Maria into the ballroom, and everyone settled on the couch, chairs and rug surrounding the Christmas tree. Liesl brought out the family guitar, which they had purchased shortly after Maria had left. "I thought we could sing some Christmas carols," said Georg. "Granted, we may not be as good as the children we saw sing yesterday in the town square, but I think we can hold our own."

Maria gasped. "You all were at the concert yesterday? But I only saw Herr Dettweiler! Why did you all keep your distance?"

"Because we didn't want to in any way spoil our surprise today," said Liesl. "Believe me, we all wanted to run up to you and hug you, but you were busy. And, Fraulein, the concert was very beautiful." The rest of the children all affirmed what Liesl said.

Maria sighed. "Well, I'm glad to know you all saw it. That really was a labor of love for all of us. We made a lot more money than we thought we would, so we were able to split it all evenly between each child, enough for each to buy a present for Christmas."

"Oh, Fraulein, that's wonderful!" said Louisa.

"Yes, it is," said Georg, who felt pleased that he had helped contribute to that (though he would never tell Maria).

"Those children deserve it," said Max. "Some of the best singing I've heard in a long time. Now it's not just us who know how much of a miracle worker you are, Maria."

Maria lowered her head humbly for a moment before changing the subject. "So, what carol shall we sing first?"

"Why don't we have each of us pick a carol and we sing it?" asked Georg. Everyone agreed to this idea with enthusiasm.

One by one, carols were sung. Max got the first pick ('Joy to the World'), and then all of the children (Gretl: 'Away in a Manger' – Liesl: 'Angels We Have Heard on High' – Brigitta: 'The First Noel' – Friedrich: 'O Come All Ye Faithful' – Louisa: 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' – Kurt: 'Little Drummer Boy'). Marta was the last of the children, and she picked her personal favorite: 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' "Will you start it, Fraulein?" she asked, sitting beside Maria on the sofa with Georg on her other side.

Maria smiled at her and put her arm around her. "Of course." Looking directly at Marta, she began, as the rest of the children sang the echoing part and Liesl strummed on the guitar:

Said the night wind to the little lamb:

Do you see what I see?

Way up in the sky, little lamb,

Do you see what I see?

A star, a star dancing in the night,

With a tail as big as a kite –

With a tail as big as a kite.

Marta smiled at her, thought for a moment, then got off the couch and sat before Kurt on the rug, singing to him and taking the second verse:

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy:

Do you hear what I hear?

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,

Do you hear what I hear?

A song, a song high above the trees

With a voice as big as the sea –

With a voice as big as the sea.

Marta and Kurt giggled by the end of the verse; everyone else, especially Maria and Georg, smiled with pure love. Kurt knew exactly who he wanted to sing the next verse to, so he turned around on the rug and face his Father.

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king:

Do you know what I know?

In your palace warm, mighty king,

Do you know what I know?

A child, a child shivers in the cold!

Let us bring him silver and gold.

Let us bring him silver and gold.

Georg had been quite surprised and a little nervous to be put on the spot, as he always felt when he had to sing a solo of any king. But seeing Maria's joyful and encouraging smile, he knew there was no escaping. So he took a deep breath and sang the last verse:

Said the king to the people everywhere:

Listen to what I say!

Pray for peace, people everywhere!

Listen to what I say!

A child, a child sleeping in the night:

He will bring us goodness and light!

Everyone sang the final line loudly and joyfully: He will bring us goodness and light! Bring us light!

The song ended with a joyful applause and laughter. "Now just Fraulein Maria and Father left."

Looking at the clock, Georg said, "I'm afraid we only have time for one more, children, so I'll let Fraulein Maria take the pick."

He looked firm, so Maria didn't bother to argue when she saw the children's eager faces. "Well, all right, if you insist. Liesl, could you hand me the guitar?"

Liesl gladly handed it to her, and once Maria held it right, she strummed some beautiful chords and began:

Silent night, holy night,

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon virgin, mother and child,

Holy infant so tender and mild.

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Maria soon lost herself in the song, and became a bit unconscious of all else around her; now it was just her, the guitar, and God listening. Part of the reason for this was because none of the others dared sing. Her voice was too beautiful, too pure, to be joined in by any of their voices that just couldn't compare. The Captain was especially in awe, and just let himself fall under her spell, gladly surrendering completely.

By the time the song was over, Maria received the biggest applause, but a drowsy one at that from the children. "All right, children, as much as you don't want it, now it is time for bed," said Georg in an authoritative tone.

The children groaned, but they all got up and filed out of the ball room. Some of them went off to the kitchen, to prepare the plate of cookies and milk for Christkindl. Maria gladly followed them, feeling a bit tired herself, and looking forward to putting the children to bed again. But before she left the room completely, she felt someone take her hand and stop her. Turning around, she saw the Captain standing close to her, looking at her in that special way again.

"If it's not too much to ask, Christkindl is in dire need of a helper, what with gift wrapping and cookie eating and other hard chores like that."

Maria giggled at his teasing, and though she was surprised, she was delighted. "Oh, of course I will."

He smiled at her and said. "Meet me down here at midnight, then, when we know all seven of them will be sound asleep."

She nodded. He then leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Thank you," before walking away. Maria shuddered and her face was bright red after she went upstairs.

Before Georg and Max went upstairs after her, Max cleared his throat and slipped a small type of plant into Georg's jacket pocket. "I assume you'll be needing that later?"

Georg felt it and chuckled. "How festive…and very appropriate. Thank you..." His eyes looked to where Maria had just been on the sofa beside him with a wistful look. "I hope to."

Max placed a hand on his shoulder. "You will, my friend. You will."