Part 4

Two days later…

"Yes!" Georg yelled, advancing on the bleach blonde woman who carried his child.

"No!" Elsa cried back as Maria and Max watched the unrelenting opponents. The argument had been going on for at least an hour now and neither Georg nor Elsa would give in. Maria groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose as she sat down on the arm of the settee Max was sitting on. The argument of whether to tell the children so early was the main subject and had been so for the past two days. Admittedly Leisl already knew but after a quiet chat with Maria they had agreed not to say anything till Elsa and Georg had fully discussed the matter, and the matter presently was seemingly going absolutely nowhere.

"They are going to find out sooner or later I think it would be better sooner to give them more time to adjust" Georg argued as he paced back and forth in the sitting room.

"And what if something goes wrong? At least let the doctor come to confirm what we think…"

"Confirm what we already know Elsa!" he interrupted as he faced her defiantly.

"You don't know for sure that I am, for all we know I could have an illness which…"

"Tell me, if you know so much, when was the last time you bled?" he snapped making Elsa not blush but stamp her foot and groan knowing he had won.

"Why do we have to tell them? It will only make them hate me more!" Elsa persisted.

With a small sigh Maria looked down, her gaze on the carpet blurring as she reflected back on the past two days, her mind drifting as she thought about it. They had been… difficult to say the least, unable to act upon the feelings she had just discovered for him. It was times of peace during the day when she would pass him or simply catch his gaze that it would it hit her, torture her, just the simple need to go over and hug him or just place a chaste kiss on his cheek and knowing she could not.

And times like now, when she was forced to sit and watch as they argued about telling their children that they would be gaining a new member to their family, it hurt. Yes she had said she would stay and she would, she had given her word but simply being here was…

"Maria?"

Her head snapped up as she heard her name, Georg and Elsa looking at her expectantly "Forgive me…" she said shyly moving her fringe away from her face nervously as she always did when with the reverend mother when she knew she had done something wrong, or was expected to do something which she had no clue of "What was the question?"

"Will you tell them for us?" Elsa asked, silence engulfing the room as she repeated her question and Maria left speechless to say the least.

Georg sighed "Elsa we cannot ask Mari…"

"No Georg, the children love Maria they will take the news better if she told them I mean…" Elsa was interrupted by Maria's laugh, everyone frowning even Max who had kept silent while drinking his white wine.

"Something funny Fraulien?" Georg asked trying to act annoyed but finding her laugh beautifully amusing he couldn't help but smile as well.

Maria shook her head as she tried to supress her laughs and covering her face as her body convulsed with rolls of laughter.

"Maria?" Elsa exclaimed confused.

"I'm sorry" she laughed. How ironic this was, how beautifully ironic she thought as she tried to supress her laughter. The man she loved was having a child with another woman; a woman she thought hated her. Now she was asking for her help and for Maria the person she had tricked into leaving to stay and tell the children she would now adopt that they wouldn't have their happy ending and that the woman whom they loathed was having a child with their father!

Her head pounded with the thought of it but couldn't help but groan as she laughed to the ceiling. Breathing in she shook her head and looked at them with a roll of her eyes "No" she said simply as she stood going to leave.

"Why not?" Elsa demanded obviously not completely rid of her high aristocratic ways just yet as she stood tall.

"These are to be your children Baroness not mine, I have agreed to stay, I have agreed to help but this matter does not concern me" she said evenly turning away and leaving.

With a huff Elsa followed her along with Georg and an excited Max, such drama, goodness how could he deny himself he thought as he watched the love triangle unfold.

"Elsa please just let her go" Georg said as he followed the two women into the hall way, Maria already starting to ascend the stairs.

"I will not, because whether miss high and mighty likes it or not this does involve her!" Elsa stated quickly following Maria up the stairs.

Maria's eyebrows shot to the ceiling at her remark and she suddenly stopped and turned to look down at her "How on earth does this involve me?" she squeaked.

"How doesn't it? You are their governess they are the whole reason you are here!"

"I am here because you asked me to stay" Maria argued.

"You are here because you can't deny yourself!" Elsa said sharply her tongue as quick as lightening and her eyes sharp and unforgiving.

"I deny myself nothing" Maria said back hurt as she ran up the rest of the stairs, Elsa quickly on her heels.

Georg groaned and ran after them "ELSA!"

"OH shut up Georg!" Elsa yelled as she followed Maria "You deny yourself everything Maria!"

"I am not having this discussion!" Maria cried as she went into her bedroom, closing the door only for Elsa to swing it open as she walked inside.

"You never want a discussion that involves feelings, any sign of them you turn and run" Elsa spat hitting below the belt and Max's eyes widened with shock as he watched, stood on the landing.

"And why do you think that is Elsa?" Maria pleaded "Every time I indulge myself something goes wrong! I won't tell the children for you, it is your responsibility now"

She pushed past Georg and ran back down the stairs before stopping and looking up at the Baroness "Go tell your children that you are pregnant Elsa because I certainly will not, this is your family now Baroness, not mine" she whispered at the end before running down the last of the steps and quickly leaving.

"YOU ARE JEALOUS!" Elsa yelled down the stairs Maria ignoring the comment as the front door slammed shut.

Georg clenched his jaw and Max stepped in front of him stopping him from doing damage to the woman who bared his child "Go see to Maria" the older man said gently.

"Get off me Max!" he snapped.

"Go!" Max instructed and with reluctance he nodded knowing the man had more years than him and knowing that though they were far and few he had his moments of wisdom, this was certainly one of them.

"By the time I get back Elsa you will have sorted yourself out and will have sorted a speech for the children because we are telling them!" he barked before descending the stairs "And don't you dare speak to Maria like that again, she is helping you regardless of the situation, the least you can do is show a little kindness and respect" he said curtly as he left.

-SOM-

Maria felt numb as she walked down the road resisting the urge not run as she hastened towards a field, the back of her hand pressed to her mouth stifling her sobs as she barely registered Georg shouting after her as she opened a small gate into a field. Wading through the long grass aimlessly she squeezed her eyes shut when Georg caught her shoulders, emotional pain shooting through her body as he touched her.

"She was right" Maria breathed "I am jealous, I am I am. I know shouldn't be but…"

"No" Georg said turning her round to face him "No, she was wrong Maria, she shouldn't have shouted at you, what she said and asked of you was inappropriate, believe me. You have done nothing wrong"

Maria shook her head "How am I supposed to do this Georg? How am I not supposed to feel whilst around you?" she asked desperately.

Georg's heart sank at her confession realising just how much he was hurting by simply being near her every day, he didn't want her to do what he had done, to stop feeling and forget who she was "Don't stop feeling Maria, I will do anything but please never stop feeling…" he begged as he looked into her eyes and knowing she knew he was talking from experience "I know it hurts but I don't want you to do what I did, don't make the foolish mistake I made" he said softly.

Looking at him her expression so vulnerable yet determined she wiped a tear that had just fallen, refusing to let it even stain her face and let the world know she was hurting "Treat me as you did before" she said clearly.

Georg frowned, confused "I don't…"

"I can't do this if you treat me as something more, w, we need to go back to just Captain and Fraulien, sir"

Georg panicked and took her hand in his quickly, Maria pulling out of his just as swiftly "Maria we don't…"

"We do" Maria pleaded trying to make him see reason "Stop this please, I can't play these games Georg!..." she bit her lip and closed her eyes briefly trying to deny how easily she had fallen into calling him Georg so quickly "This isn't a game Captain"

"Of course it isn't but do you really expect all of this to go away if I don't call you by your name?" he asked ludicrously.

Maria ran placed her hand to her forehead as she stepped away from him before letting it drop to her side again "No of course not" she whispered trying explain what she needed without sounding foolish "But what do expect me to do?... I was a postulant Ge, Captain… I've gone from knowing practically nothing of relationships, to being thrown into such a complicated one I have barely had time to catch my breath!" she argued.

Georg stepped forward "And I'm not asking you to know it all straight away"

Maria stepped back holding up a hand "No, you're asking me to love you from afar… and we both know sooner or later it will break us" she whispered desperately as she stared straight through those beautiful whirling irises and into the vulnerable soul and heart he had hidden for so long.

Tears formed in his eyes as he tried to stay strong, desperately grasping onto anything he could as he refused to fall "Maria…" his voice raspy and filled with emotion.

Maria tilted her head as she begged him with her eyes not do this, to accept that whatever had formed between them could no longer exist "If you lo… if you ever felt anything for me… then you will treat me no differently than your other servants, sir" and then whispering in the back of her mind, a list of only a few things came to her. You won't look at me with warmth in your eyes across the dinner table, you won't touch my hand briefly to thank me for something, you won't whisper jokes lovingly in my ear, you won't touch the small of my back, and you won't say my name as though it were the most precious most beautiful thing in the world… because those things, those few and far gestures, though only happen in the briefest of seconds they are the way you love me.

Georg nodded his head almost emotionless before looking at her with the briefest of smile "You forgot one" he whispered almost knowing she had listed the things in her head.

Maria frowned as she blinked back her tears "Wha…?"

"I won't ever stop loving you" he said softly, so much love poured into that one sentence that when the rain started to pour down, the rain drops hitting her and running down her skin she barely registered it, only noticing her loves retreating form.

Authors note: Short but I hope you liked it! I am a busy bee at the moment but I promise I will try and find time to write another chapter soon! Please please review and tell us what you think thanks X