A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the views and reviews! We encourage all you wonderful guests to sign up for accounts, so that we can thank you properly. Sorry for the delay but with half a dozen children, two husbands, and the busy holiday preparations, we did the best we could. Happy holidays, happy reading, and see you soon!
Under The Cover Of Darkness Chapter 14
After a few moments of their silent embrace, the Reverend Mother excused herself, and retired to the room Maria had just exited, leaving the door ajar. She knew they needed to speak privately, yet she wasn't willing to leave them completely alone.
Finally, Georg could get a few words out. "Oh, my love, I am so sorry, I had no idea," he whispered to Maria, the feel of her hair like silk on his cheek.
"I'm sorry, too, I should have waited to speak to you," she sighed, her entire body relaxing against him. "But what I saw shocked me so, and she-"
"Shhh," he said, as he put a finger to her lips. "None of this is your fault. I'm the one to blame. I should have thrown her out the moment she appeared. I knew better, or at least I should have known better." He brought both hands up to cradle her face, keeping Maria's eyes meeting his. "I was just so happy, so excited that I was getting to tell everyone in our world how much I love you. I let that override my knowledge of Elsa's true nature, and how cruel she can be."
Maria nuzzled her cheek into his hand and lightly kissed his palm. Georg moved his lips to her forehead, slowly tracing his way to her jaw, until she turned and met his kisses with her own. These were not the innocent kisses they'd first shared in the car; nor were they the passionate ones shared in the midst of their lovemaking. They were sweet, gentle, and comforting; a wordless promise of devotion.
When they parted, Georg took Maria's hands in his and smiled at her. "You know, I didn't get to see you in this gown until now. You are absolutely breathtaking, Maria." Maria blushed, without taking her eyes away from his.
"I was hoping you'd like it. I'm sure I'm an awful mess now, though," she apologized.
"No. Just beautiful." He leaned forward, his lips meeting hers once again, but this time allowing his passion for her to lead them. His fingers grazed the bare skin of her arms, her neck, her back, igniting his desire for her. This time, Maria stilled their kisses, mindful of the fact they were still in the abbess' office.
Georg reached back into his pocket, taking out the ring once again. He held it up for Maria to see it, and recited the passage from which he'd gotten the idea for the inscription:
"Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love." -(Hamlet)
He took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. A simple gold band with three diamonds set into the precious metal, it was a perfect fit.
"I love you, Maria. Will you still marry me?"
Her eyes filled with tears again, this time happy ones. "Of course I will. I love you so much," and as the tears began to fall she started to laugh. "I didn't think I had any tears left." Georg smiled at her, and gently kissed away the wet drops from her cheeks.
The now-familiar creak of the door and a loud throat clearing announced the return of the Reverend Mother. "Has everything been resolved?" she asked, as the two lovers broke their embrace to stand side by side. She noted with some amusement that Georg immediately reached for Maria's hand, as if she would disappear again if he let go of her completely.
"Yes, Reverend Mother." Maria answered seriously, before a smile crept back on to her face.
The old nun turned to address the Captain. "The best way to avoid scandal for yourselves after your indiscretion is to marry as soon as possible, I would think."
"I have every intention of doing just that. I was thinking that we could go to the clerk's office this morning, to take care of the civil requirements, then perhaps our church wedding in a few weeks?" Georg looked to Maria. "Is that acceptable to you, Maria?"
"Marry? Today?" Maria asked in astonishment.
Georg chuckled at her surprise. "Changing your mind already?" he asked in jest.
Maria just giggled. "No, of course not. It's just after everything that has happened over the past day, I just wasn't expecting it."
Georg took her hand and raised it to his mouth for a gentle kiss. "It's precisely because of everything that has happened that I want to marry you as soon as possible. I'm not ever letting you go again," he told her seriously, gazing into her eyes. Maria's breath caught in her throat as she saw the love and devotion in Georg's eyes. She leaned forward towards Georg to give him another kiss but was interrupted by a gentle cough from the Reverend Mother. Maria quickly pulled back from Georg and blushed, slightly embarrassed by the awkward moment.
"Now, Captain, Maria. Please take a seat and we'll arrange all the formalities for the civil ceremony," the mother superior instructed.
Over the next half an hour or so, the Reverend Mother made several phone calls and found the appropriate paperwork for both Georg and Maria to fill out. Sister Berthe returned to the office with some more tea and a small breakfast. Both Georg and Maria were surprised how hungry they were, since neither one had eaten the previous night.
"All right Captain, your ceremony is set for noon today at the clerk's office in town," the Reverend Mother told them. "I assume you wish to keep this ceremony private, however you will need witnesses, so Sister Berthe and I will attend."
"How about the children?" Maria asked. "Georg, we can't get married without them there."
"I agree," Georg replied. "Maria, we'll go back to the villa and collect them before the ceremony."
"I'm afraid Captain, you'll have to do that on your own," the Abbess disagreed. "Maria will stay here at the Abbey with the Sisters until the time of the ceremony."
"But…" Georg began.
"No Captain, after your indiscretion with each other, until you and Maria are legally wed, I'm afraid I will have to insist upon your separation from each other."
Georg looked from the Reverend Mother to Maria then back to the Reverend Mother. "Very well," he replied with a sigh of resignation. "Maria, it's only for a few hours, then we'll be together forever."
Maria nodded before looking down at her hands. She was silent for a few moments, clearly deep in thought, a slightly worried and agitated expression on her face. "Is something the matter, darling?" Georg asked.
"Yes, I mean… no…" she stammered. Georg tilted her chin upwards with his finger so she was looking into his eyes. He gave her a nod of encouragement to continue speaking. "It's just after everything that happened last night with the Baroness, I just feel so angry Georg. How dare she say all those nasty and hurtful lies to me? To us! I'm excited and thrilled to be marrying you today but…"
"But you want to go and give Elsa a piece of your mind?" Maria nodded. Georg chuckled. "Believe me darling, there is nothing I'd like more than to do the same myself. But Elsa is a strange creature, and I doubt that anything either one of us would say to her that would make the slightest bit of difference to her." Maria looked crestfallen. "But Maria, I've been thinking about this a lot since I found out what she said to you, and I have a much better idea than confronting her in a screaming match."
For the next few minutes, Georg explained in detail what he had in mind in retribution for Elsa's actions. By the end, even Sister Berthe was clapping her hands in glee. "My, my, Captain, while I wouldn't normally endorse a plan of revenge like this, I think that what you suggest is completely acceptable."
"Now Captain, we only have a few hours before your ceremony," the Reverend Mother remarked to Georg. "I suggest that if you need to return to your home to clean up, and collect the children, that you leave to do so now. We will bring Maria to meet you at the clerk's office at noon."
Georg waited a moment to say a proper goodbye to his fiancée before realizing the two elderly nuns had no intention of allowing them another moment together. Instead, he took Maria's hand to kiss it, ever so subtly touching her sweet skin with the tip of his tongue. He felt rather than saw the hitch in his young bride's breath, before meeting her gaze and giving her a wink. Turning and giving a quick bow to Maria's chaperones, he hurried from the great stone building to his car. There was much to do before noon.
Arriving back at the villa, he went straight to his study. He quickly made a list of his dearest friends to give to Frau Schmidt, for her to arrange a small cocktail reception that evening. As he was leaving the room in search of the housekeeper, he found Liesl heading out to the terrace.
"Father! Where have you been? Have you found Fraulein Maria?" She stopped, finally noticing his appearance. With nearly a day's growth of beard and visible shirttails, Liesl hadn't seen her father so unkempt since her mother had died. Suddenly Liesl was fearful. "Father? Is Maria okay?"
Georg read the expression in his daughter's eyes, and rushed to reassure her. "Yes, sweetheart, yes. I've found her, and she's fine. You will see her very soon. But first I must ask you to get your brothers and sisters ready to go into town a bit later this morning, would you do that for me?"
"Of course. But why didn't she come back here with you? The little ones have been asking for her, and I didn't know what to say."
"You can tell them we're meeting her in town. Now, you go ahead, and have them start getting ready." He turned to go, then had another thought. "Liesl, do you remember in which shop Maria bought the gown she was to wear to the party?"
"Yes, it was Frau Wenner's dress shop, from her ready-made gowns."
"Would you happen to know, ah," he tried to hide his discomfort from his daughter unsuccessfully. "Would you know what size Maria is?" Liesl looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "I need to have a dress sent to her, as she's still wearing her gown."
"And one of her own dresses won't do? Father, what are you planning?" Her perceptiveness startled Georg for a moment.
"You'll find out soon enough. But I assure you, you-we-will all be very happy, all right?" He patted her cheek, and she watched him leave the room.
After explaining to Frau Schmidt exactly what he needed her to do, he asked her to pack a small overnight bag for Maria. When she raised an eyebrow at such impropriety, he finally was forced to explain why, and then ask for her complete secrecy.
"Oh, Captain, how wonderful! I had a feeling that girl was just what this family needed, and I was more right than I suspected. I'll get on these arrangements right away, sir."
Returning to his study for two last telephone calls, Georg watched out the window as Liesl let her brothers and sisters back into the house. His thoughts turned to all the times he'd watched them marching about the grounds breathing deeply, and allowed a deep sense of regret and shame to wash over him. Seeing them now, so happy and full of life and love, made him even more grateful to his fiancée than he already was. He said a quick but heartfelt prayer of thanks for her, before picking up the phone again.
After booking the honeymoon suite that day for a week at the Hotel Sacher, Georg had one last call to make. He dialed the front desk of the number he had for Max, and asked for his room. He detailed his plans for the day and swore Max to secrecy.
Finally, he was able to head upstairs to shower, shave, and put on a fresh suit.
The steam from the hot shower invigorated him as the water cascaded down his naked body. It felt good to finally wash and freshen up after being awake all night worrying and searching for Maria. As tired as he was, the thought of marrying his love in just a couple of hours revitalized him. Lathering soap all over his body, he began to think about the events of the day to come. From the last few errands he needed to run before the wedding, to the ceremony itself, and then to the cocktail party that evening where, he hoped, they would get retribution for all the lies Elsa told Maria.
Finally, his thoughts turned to his bride. How beautiful she'd looked in her ball gown, how soft her body felt in his arms, how he longed to kiss her and how much he was looking forward to spending the week locked up in the honeymoon suite making love to her. Realizing how aroused he was getting at the thought, Georg quickly shut off the hot water and gave himself an ice-cold shower to cool down somewhat.
Georg dried himself off with a large white fluffy towel then hung it back on the rack before he walked naked into the large walk-in wardrobe to select an appropriate suit for the wedding. Deciding on navy blue, he re-entered the bathroom and quickly shaved. He then splashed a bit of cologne on his face and combed his hair back before returning to the wardrobe to get dressed.
As Georg hurried down the main staircase, he glanced at his watch: he had just under two hours before the wedding to accomplish his last task.
Georg drove swiftly into town and went directly to the street where Maria and Liesl went dress shopping only two days prior. He found Frau Wenner's dress shop with no difficulty and went inside. The short, grey-haired woman looked up in surprise as he entered, as it was unusual to see a man in her shop.
"Can I help you sir?" she inquired.
"Yes, I hope so. My fiancée and daughter came to your store only two days ago and purchased a dress."
"Your fiancée?" the woman exclaimed in surprise. She thought she remembered the two young ladies but she'd been sure that the woman in question was only a governess. "Was it a deep sapphire ball gown?" she inquired further to confirm they were indeed the same women. Georg nodded. "Yes, I remember them. It was for the ball at the von Trapp villa, I believe."
"Yes that's correct."
"Was there anything wrong with the dress your fiancée bought?" the shop woman asked, wondering exactly what this man wanted in her shop.
"No, no, no," Georg reassured her. "She looked lovely, breathtaking in fact. But today I want to purchase some other items of clothing for her. Unfortunately she's unable to be here this morning and I was hoping you could assist me with her measurements, and possibly choosing something appropriate."
"Yes, of course sir, I believe I still have the measurements written down somewhere here. Please, follow me." Georg followed her across to the other side of the room.
Georg described what he was after and over the next ten minutes or so, the shop woman picked out several choices of outfits for Georg to choose from. Finally Georg selected a stylish and sophisticated ivory silk dress suit. With the skirt cut slightly below the knee, it was modest, yet tailored to fit Maria's body perfectly. Georg negotiated with the shop owner to have the dress, along with all the necessary accessories, delivered to Maria within the hour. When he gave the address to the Abbey, she raised one eyebrow in question, yet said nothing.
As Georg was about to leave, an idea came to mind and he turned back to the shop woman with one final request. She raised her eyebrows again as she listened to him explain what he wanted, but still remained silent as she dutifully led him over to the bridal lingerie section of the store. Approximately fifteen minutes later, Georg emerged for the store with a box tucked under his arm and a smug expression on his face.
XxXxXxXx
The knock on the door took Maria by surprise, but that surprise was nothing compared to the package Sister Margaretta said had been delivered for her. Who even knew she was here? The Sister stood nearby, watching, as Maria untied the wide, blue satin ribbon and opened the large, white box. Her puzzled expression made way for a huge smile, as she parted the tissue paper to find a gorgeous, ivory silk suit and everything else she needed to wear when she became Georg's wife.
Sister Margaretta smiled along with the young woman. "I guess there's no need to ask who sent that, is there? Come along with me, dear, and you can get yourself ready to go."
Less than an hour later, Maria was seated between the Reverend Mother and Sister Bertha in the magistrate's office. An interior door opened, and Georg walked in, followed by the judge. The women stood, and Maria moved to join her fiancé.
The bride clasped the groom's hand, then stood on tiptoe to whisper, "Thank you," into his ear. He silently squeezed her hand, smiling as he responded with a wink. Maria was just about to ask where the children were when she heard the commotion coming from the hall.
A cacophony of voices met their ears: "Why are we here?", "Is Fraulein Maria in there?" Why did Father send you to get us, Uncle Max?" until the door opened and the noise came to an abrupt halt.
"Fraulein Maria! Father! Why did we have to come here? Where were you this morning? When can we have lunch?" The last statement, from Kurt, caused Maria to burst out laughing, and Georg reached to tousle the boy's hair.
Georg addressed his children. "I promise, as soon as we're done here, we will go have a wonderful lunch, and you can each order your favorite dessert."
"But why are we here, Father?" asked Louisa, suspiciously.
He took Maria's hand, but she spoke before he could answer the girl. "Well, Louisa, we couldn't imagine getting married without all of you children being here with us."
"Married? Here? Now?" the mix of voices once again jumbled the many questions into one loud sound.
The judge banged a wooden gavel on his desk, silencing the children almost immediately. "Good afternoon, children. I'm very glad you could join us here, but if we want to have a marriage, you'll need to stay quiet and just watch. Do you think you all can do that?" The older children smiled, the youngest girls looked very solemn, with large eyes, as they replied, "Yes, sir!"
The children quickly moved to take their seats in front of the Mother Abbess and Sister Berthe. Liesl hung back for a moment to quickly embrace Maria. "I'm so pleased Father found you, and so very happy you're getting married!" Liesl told Maria before quickly adding "…Mother." Maria felt her face flush with emotion and she stole a quick glance at Georg who smiled in return and gave her a wink.
As Liesl took her seat next to Max, Maria and Georg joined hands. The judge began his short speech about the sanctity of marriage as everyone listened intently. There was no doubt for anyone in the room how deeply the couple loved each other, for the looks of devotion and adoration for each other on their faces told it all.
Then it was time for Maria and Georg to say their vows. Maria went first, never taking her eyes off Georg's face as she promised to love and serve him as her husband until the end of her days. Then Georg repeated the same vows, the happiness he felt displayed on his face to all who were witnessing their marriage.
As the judge asked for the rings, Maria suddenly looked alarmed. "Rings? Oh Georg, with the rush to the magistrate's office this morning, I never gave a thought to rings!"
Georg chuckled as he reached inside the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "Darling, no need to worry. I made another stop off on my way here." Georg took out the first gold ring, and slipped it onto Maria's finger before giving her the second one, which she placed on his finger.
Then, as the judge pronounced them married, Georg leaned forward to kiss his bride. His lips pressed gently on hers as he swept her into his arms. He held her there for a few moments as their kiss deepened slowly, the elation and joy they both felt at being married expressed in the sweet and tender kiss.
At once the children began to cheer from their seats, and as Maria pulled out of the kiss to look at her new family, they immediately charged forward to embrace their parents and offer their congratulations.
Maria glanced beyond the children to where the two nuns still sat watching the celebrations. She could see the large smile on the Reverend Mother's face and even caught Sister Berthe discreetly wiping a single tear from her cheek. Maria moved away from the children for a moment to go and embrace the two nuns.
"Maria, my child, you look so happy," the Reverend Mother said. "My most heartfelt congratulations. You have a great capacity to love and I've always hoped and prayed that the Lord would show to you how you are to spend that love. I'm so very pleased that He has brought you to be joined to this man," she coughed, "despite the unconventional way it happened."
"Oh Mother, thank you!" Maria breathed as she hugged the elderly nun again. Sister Berthe also offered her congratulations and assured Maria she would see her again soon before the two nuns took their leave.
A voice cut through the noise. It was Max. "Well, my friend Kurt and I are very hungry. Is it time for lunch now?"
XxXxXxX
After a celebratory meal in a small room at the Hotel Sacher-and true to his word, Georg allowed the children to each order their favorite dessert-Max and the children bid good-bye to the bride and groom and headed back to the villa.
Georg led Maria to the bank of elevators, then down the long corridor to the door of the honeymoon suite. The walk took a bit longer than necessary, as he kept stopping to pull his beautiful young bride to him to share a kiss.
Once inside the suite, Georg locked the door, and took Maria into a full embrace, finally able to kiss her the way she deserved to be kissed. She responded fully, each searching the other's mouth with a tenderness and intimacy reserved for those who love with their entire beings. A few moments later, Georg halted their kiss, running his fingers through her hair and looking deeply into Maria's blue eyes.
"Well, here we are, Baroness," he smiled.
Her eyes darkened. "Please, don't call me that."
Georg nodded in recognition. "Very well, Fraulein," she smiled at what had become a term of endearment, "here we are. No one to bother us, no one to stop us…"
"...and no darkness," she laughed.
"Shall I help you get more comfortable?" He asked, as he slid his hands to the buttons on her jacket, undoing them one by one, then sliding it off her shoulders.
"Then I shall return the favor, Captain," Maria replied, removing Georg's jacket quickly, then reaching to undo his tie. She unfastened a number of his shirt buttons, quickly finding with her lips the place at the base of his throat that she knew would send him reeling. She felt him reach around to the zipper of her skirt, and stepped out of her shoes before the skirt fell to the floor.
Lifting her effortlessly, Georg carried Maria, now clad only in her chemise, to the huge bed which dominated the room; outfitted with soft linens and pillows of ivory, cream, and gold. He laid her down atop it, then sat next to her, still in his shirt and pants. He kicked of his own shoes before settling in beside her, and Maria immediately situated herself in the crook of his arm, her head on his shoulder. He gazed down at her, and as he watched her scrunch her face in an an adorable yet fruitless effort to not yawn, he began to chuckle.
"Darling, you must be completely exhausted. Why don't we just rest, before we have to back to the villa later?" He ran a finger down her cheek, and her eyelids were already fluttering, ready to stay closed.
"But don't you want to…..?" she asked, through a second yawn.
"Of course. And we have the rest of our lives for that." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, pulled her close with both arms, and closed his own eyes, utterly content.