Author's Note: I know that I said that I wouldn't be updating this for a while, but I just couldn't resist! I hope that you all like this chapter and happy reading :-) x
Amelie burrowed further into the side of Werner's neck as she ran her fingers through the hairs on his chest whilst lying in his arms in the aftermath of their lovemaking a couple of mornings later, a quiet sigh escaping her as she knew that Karl was returning from Vienna that afternoon and she would have to go home to their house after dressing Maria for bed. That was the last thing that she wanted to do.
She longed to be able to sleep in Werner's arms for just one more night; to drift off to him running the tips of his fingers up and down her back through her nightgown. Waking up with her head cushioned on his chest for the last three mornings had been bliss and knowing that that would have to stop again made her feel so downhearted. She was sick of Karl now. The only man that she wanted was Werner.
'You're brooding.' She heard him sigh as he gazed up at the ceiling and stroked her hip under the quilt.
Once she had shifted herself in his arms so that she could look up at him and he had turned his head in her direction, she ran her fingers along the line of his jaw before stretching up to give him the lightest of kisses. She sucked on his lower lip before bringing their kiss to an end after a few moments, his arm tightening its hold of her when she settled in his embrace again and slipped her arm over his stomach.
'I have to go home tonight,' She told him when their eyes met again, 'and I don't want to.'
'Then don't.' He replied.
'Darling, Karl gets back from Vienna at three and he'll be expecting me to start walking home once I've seen to Maria tonight.' She snuggled further into his warmth. 'I don't want to be without you tonight, but I also don't want Karl to become suspicious. If he so much as suspects that there's something going on between us, then he'll force me to leave Salzburg. If he does, I…I'll never be able to see you again.'
Werner heard the tearfulness in her voice and gave her a kiss on the forehead whilst stroking her face. 'You won't be going anywhere.' His voice was soft as he spoke to her. 'This,' He rested his hand on the swell of her stomach beneath the quilt, 'is our child and I would have to be dead and buried before I let him take either of you from me.' He felt his heart swell when a gentle smile graced Amelie's features.
She was so beautiful.
'Even though I have to go home to him tonight, I don't love him one bit.' She sighed. 'I love you.'
'I know, sweetheart.' He reassured her. 'I love you too.'
She allowed him to graze the tip of her nose with his for a few seconds before sitting up a bit to glance over his shoulder at the clock that sat on his nightstand. With a huff, she laid down next to him again and reached up to brush his hair out of his face. 'I have to get up.' She pouted. 'If I'm not downstairs in time for breakfast then Frau Schneider will give me a lecture and I'm really not in the mood for that.'
Werner gave her a simple squeeze before pecking at her lips.
'If she upsets you or says anything out of turn, let me know and I'll put her in her place.' He admitted.
'I'm so blessed to have you looking out for me.' She stroked his chest.
'I'm looking out for both of you.' He caressed her belly tenderly. 'I'll never love anyone more than you.'
She smiled. 'Neither will we.'
Once the two of them had shared a final kiss, Amelie wriggled out of his arms before drawing back the covers and climbing out of bed. It took her less than five minutes to pull on her uniform and once she had managed to do something with her hair she walked over to where Werner was propped up in bed, leaned down and kissed his lips. 'I'll see you later?' She raised her brow after peeling back from him.
'Of course.' He stroked her cheek.
She then turned on her heel and walked across and out of the bedroom, a sigh of contentment escaping Werner as he settled down underneath the quilt once again and tucked one arm underneath his head.
She was exquisite…
Once she was certain that she wasn't going to vomit again for the time being, Maria reached up to pull the toilet chain before lying her head on the seat of the toilet and revelling in how cool and refreshing it felt against the flushed skin of her cheek. She couldn't understand what was wrong with her. For the last six days, she'd been vomiting during the day - mostly in the morning – and she didn't know why.
At first she had thought that perhaps she had gotten food poisoning, but then she had realised that her father wasn't displaying symptoms and so it couldn't have been that. Normally, when she was unwell, she would notice signs a couple of days before she vomited. This time around, however, she hadn't felt ill at all in the days leading up to her first rush to the en-suite. To be honest, she felt alright in herself.
She wasn't suffering from headaches and she didn't have a fever or an upset stomach, so she was quite confused as to what could be the issue. Perhaps she was so ill because she was finding it hard to sleep. Over the last week-or-so, for the first time in a while, she had been suffering from nightmares. A lot of them were flashbacks to when Hans had pulled her into the boat house and held her against the wall.
Some, however, were about Georg.
Those nightmares, surprisingly, were worse than the ones about Hans.
She couldn't get her head around why, though.
'Because you're still in love with him, you fool.' A distant voice in her head scoffed.
Deciding to ignore the voice in her head, Maria pushed herself to her feet before approaching the basin and splashing some water on her face. She then brushed her teeth to rid her mouth of the foul taste of vomit before leaving the en-suite, turning off the light and going back to bed. Feeling too warm to settle down beneath the quilt, she laid on top of it before looking up at the ceiling and letting out a soft sigh.
It was at times like this that she wished her mother was still alive.
She knew that if she was she would be lying right next to her, holding her in her arms and running her fingers through her hair. Her mother, no matter how unwell she had been, had always known what to do to make her feel better. She would give anything to have her mother's arms wrapped around her at that moment. 'Perhaps I should try and rest.' She thought to herself, 'Perhaps it'll help me feel better.'
After closing her eyes and sliding her hand beneath her pillow she began to relax in order for slumber to claim her, but before she could drift off there was a knock on her door. 'Come in.' She commanded as she propped herself up on her hands, a weak smile gracing her features when the door opened and Amelie walked into the room. The expression on the face of her maid told her that she looked unwell.
'Oh, milady, you don't look well at all.' Amelie said whilst walking over to the bed of her Mistress.
'I don't feel too well either, to be honest.' Maria admitted after leaning back against the headboard.
'Would you like me to telephone doctor Wagner?' Amelie raised her brow.
Maria shook her head. 'I'm not that sick, Amelie, I'm just exhausted and I need to rest.'
'I understand. Shall I see what plans you had for this afternoon, telephone whoever you were planning to see and let them know that you'll have to reschedule?' Amelie asked whilst she looked down at her.
'That would be wonderful, Amelie, thank you.' Maria nodded with a smile. 'Could you also let the other staff and father know that I don't want to be disturbed until this evening? I just want to be left alone.'
Amelie returned her smile. 'I'll go and do that right now, Milady. Is there anything that you need?'
'No,' Maria told her before lying down again, 'thank you.'
Once she had nodded at her in response, Amelie walked across and out of the bedroom before shutting the door behind her and leaving Maria alone. It didn't take Maria long to settle down once again once her bedroom was silent and the breeze came in through the window, a sigh leaving her as she shut her eyes and nuzzled into her pillow.
Within minutes, slumber had claimed her and she was releasing soft snores.
'I telephoned Stefan and told him that Maria is sick, so I don't understand why he still came over.' Said Amelie when she was relaxed in Werner's embrace on the settee in his study a little while after lunch.
'He came over because I telephoned him back and said that I believe Maria would appreciate it if he sat with her and kept her company.' He turned his head in Amelie's direction as he ran his hand along the length of her back. 'It's just another part of my plan to get her out of the house and make you my bride as soon as possible.' He informed her before revelling in the charming smile that graced her features.
After snuggling against him, she rested her head on his shoulder and looked into his eyes.
'I don't care who Maria marries as long as it isn't Georg von Trapp.' He admitted.
'Because you're afraid that he'll break her heart.' She stroked his chest.
'I'm going to let you in on a little secret.' He tucked her hair back behind her ear. 'I know that he won't break her heart and that he loves her. I know that he's pining after her, but I don't care. I won't have him for a son-in-law, I just won't have it.' He told her, Amelie nodding as she tangled her leg with his.
After a few seconds, she said: 'Can I ask why you hate him so much?'
'You can, but it would take me years to tell you all about it. All I'm going to tell you about the matter is that I couldn't stand his father and he's turned out to be just like him.' He snugged her closer to him.
'So…what's your plan with Stefan?' She asked to change the subject a little.
'I plan to involve him in Maria's life as much as possible over the next couple of weeks.' He admitted to her. 'I leave for Innsbruck in the morning, but I've told him that I want him to come and spend at least an hour with her each day. He loves her just as much – if not more than Georg does – and if I know my daughter, which I do, she'll fall head over heels for him if he so much as holds a door open for her.'
Amelie giggled. 'So, you don't think it'll be long until she's out of our hair?'
'I give it a month at most,' He smiled, 'and then you and I will be on our honeymoon.'
'Mmm…' She ran her hand along the front of his chest, 'two months alone with you in Paris…'
He leaned his forehead against hers. 'Bliss.'
'I think I'd like a little preview of what our honeymoon will be like.' She smirked. 'Care to oblige?'
The searing kiss that he caught her in was a good enough answer in her opinion.
'How are you feeling?' Stefan asked whilst stroking Maria's cheek with the back of his hand.
'I've felt better.' She admitted as she looked up at him.
A smile appeared on his lips. 'Is there anything that I can get for you? A glass of water, perhaps?'
'That would be nice.' She nodded. 'There's a glass in the en-suite.'
He removed his hand from her cheek before tucking a wayward strand of hair back behind her ear. 'I'll be right back.' The two of them shared a smile before he stood from the edge of her bed and made his way over to her en-suite, Maria lying in silence for a few moments as she waited for him to re-enter the room with her glass of water before she smiled when he left the en-suite and shut the door after him.
Once he had walked back over to the bed she sat up and allowed him to hand the glass of water to her. 'Danke.' She sighed when he sat back down on the edge of the bed, the gratitude evident in her eyes.
'You're welcome.' He reassured her before watching her take a long sip from the glass.
She set the glass of water down on her nightstand after taking a few sips before meeting Stefan's gaze.
'What is it?' He asked after a time as he knew that there was something she wanted to ask him.
'I…I was wondering if…if you would come and hold me for a little while.' She admitted, both her hands beginning to twist together in her lap as a blush appeared in her cheeks and her gaze fell to his chest. When he had sat in silence for a few seconds she looked at him again. 'You don't have to if you don't –'
Stefan rested a hand over both of hers to keep them from twisting together. 'I want to.'
'You do?' She smiled.
He nodded. 'I haven't held you in years.'
Her brow creased a little as she cocked her head to one side. 'You've held me before?'
'When we were kids.' He admitted. 'When you were five and I was ten we were playing together out in your back garden and you fell and scraped your knee. You started crying and so I said that I would go and get your mother, but you told me not to because she told you twice not to run on concrete and so I held you until you stopped crying.' Maria let out a soft giggle as she reclined back against her pillow.
'You were always so gentle with me,' She recalled, 'and you always let me choose the game we played.'
He stroked her knuckles with his thumb.
The two of them looked into one another's eyes for a short time before Stefan started to shift closer to her on the bed, her heart racing within her chest when he brought the hand that had been resting on hers to her chin and held it between his thumb and index finger. 'Maria, can...can I…' He stammered.
'Yes…yes, you can kiss me.' She nodded.
Now that she had given him her permission he shifted a little closer to her before using the hand that was holding her chin to bring her face closer to his, his eyes drifting closed just seconds before their lips met in a sweet yet chaste kiss. 'How was that?' He whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers.
'Perfect.' She sucked on her lower lip.
The two of them shared a smile when he drew back from her before he got up from the side of the bed, walked around to the other side and climbed onto it. 'Come here.' He told her once he had opened his arms to her, the radiant smile that was on her lips growing whilst she shifted into his embrace. He left a kiss on her temple after wrapping his arms around her, a tired sigh escaping her whilst she settled.
'This is nice.' She closed her eyes and nuzzled his chest with her cheek.
'This is very nice.' He agreed. 'And you are very tired.'
He revelled in the sound of her giggle.
'Why don't you get some sleep, hmm?' He suggested.
'I don't want you to leave me.' She tilted her head back against his chest.
Stefan was unable to resist the urge to drop a kiss onto her lips.
'I'll never leave you…' He reassured her.
'Promise?' She raised her brow as she settled down in his arms again and allowed her eyes to fall shut.
'Promise.' He whispered to her whilst trailing his fingers through her hair as she drifted. 'Promise…'
It was late that evening when Maria walked out of her bedroom as she tied the sashes of her dressing gown around her waist, a soft yawn escaping her as she ran her fingers through her hair and walked down the corridor towards the stairs. Ever since Stefan had gone home a couple of hours ago, all that she had done was sleep. She had slept right through dinner and even through supper she imagined.
When she had woken up a little over half-an-hour ago she had thought about going back to sleep since it was nearing midnight, but then she had remembered that her father was leaving for Innsbruck the next morning and would no doubt be gone before she rose. Knowing that, she had decided to go to his study and tell him that she was going to miss him in case she was unable to do so the next morning.
'Are you certain you're going to be alright?' She stopped in her tracks when she heard her father speak.
Who was he talking to?
'I'll be fine,' She had to suppress her gasp at the female voice that replied, 'don't worry about me.'
Amelie?
What on earth was going on?
Not wishing to be seen by either her father or her maid, Maria stopped before she made it to the top of the staircase but peered around the wall so that she could see what was going on down in the foyer.
Her heart pounded in her chest when she saw her father lie both of his hands on Amelie's hips through her uniform. When he started to walk her maid backwards towards the wall, however, it almost came to a complete stop. 'You know that I'll miss you, don't you?' She heard him murmur once Amelie's back had come into contact with the wall and he was standing in front of her, his lips inches from her own.
'Of course I do,' Her maid replied, 'but what's the harm in you proving it?'
Maria knew what was going to come next and, not wishing to see it, she took a few backward steps. As the next few seconds passed and the sound of her father and maid's kisses filled the air, she attempted to block out the sound. She felt relief flood her veins when the two of them stopped kissing and she peered around the wall once again before tears brimmed in her eyes. Her father was caressing Amelie's rounded belly.
She didn't have to think twice about the reason for him doing so.
He was the father.
Not Amelie's husband.
'I should go so that you can get to bed.' She heard Amelie whisper. 'You have a long drive tomorrow.'
'I'll be thinking of you the entire time.' Her father said in response.
After watching her father stroke Amelie's cheek and kiss her on the forehead she watched him pull the front door open and allow her to walk through it, her heart pounding in her chest again when he shut the door and turned towards the stairs.
She needed to get back to her bedroom before she was caught.
As she heard her father ascending the staircase she ran down the corridor and into her room, shut the door behind her and hurried over to her bed. She then drew back the quilt, climbed into bed and laid down before waiting in the dark. After a minute the door squeaked open and she shut her eyes, trying to feign slumber as best as she could. 'Goodnight, Maria.' She heard him whisper. 'Pleasant dreams.'
Then, without even entering the room, he closed the door behind himself and left her alone.
'How could he do this?' She asked herself as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
How could he replace her mother? With her maid no less!
So, he was allowed to court a servant in private but she wasn't allowed to court a Captain?!
She had thought that she was upset when she was standing at the top of the staircase, but she wasn't.
She was furious.
She was livid.
And she would never forgive her father or Amelie for this.
Never…
Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter 9 and I hope you enjoyed! I really struggled with this one, but I hope it was alright for you all and that you'll leave a review to let me know what you thought! See you all next time :-) x
