Chapter Fourteen

Maria felt something was wrong before she even opened her eyes. It was hard for her to believe it, but she was barely a week into her life as a married woman and she was used to waking next to him. It seemed perfectly natural to roll into his arms to catch a few more minutes of sleep without even looking at him for permission. He would be always be there waiting for her, expecting her, as if they had been doing it for a thousand mornings.

She lifted her head when she rolled over and found a void where he should be. Even though the space was faintly warm, his absence made her feel cold. She curled herself deeply into the blankets and brought his pillow to her head. It was faint with the scent of his cologne and she inhaled deeply. It brought her quickly to her senses, and she sighed contentedly. He couldn't be far, it was ridiculous to even entertain the idea that he would be. Still, she would be more comforted to be breathing him instead of the pillow and sheets. The very thought made her smile, close her eyes and drift away toward more sleep.

A minute later she heard him, the tune he was whistling happily to himself getting louder as he neared the bedroom door. Suddenly it stopped and she thought she heard him mutter something very Captain-like and she started to giggle.

"Maria? Are you awake? Could you come open the door, please?" She sat up and stared sleepily at the other end of the room.

"Yes, but you'd better leave, Pierre!" she hollered back playfully. "My husband could come back any minute!" She started to laugh at herself when she heard loud banging and rattling against the door with a louder Captain-like word.

"Maria! Please! I need you to open the door quickly!" Maria jumped out of bed and threw her dressing gown on before quickly rushing to aid him.

"Oh, Georg, are you alright? What hap-," She opened the door with a concerned look on her face, only to find her husband standing with a large tray, smugly calm.

"Thank you, darling, I brought you breakfast." He marched into the bedroom and stood by the bed. She watched him from the doorway, pulling her robe around her and crossing her arms in annoyance to keep it closed. He lifted the tray up and then nodded his head toward the bed.

"If you wanted me to stay there, you shouldn't have tricked me into jumping out of it," she groused, though not seriously. He seemed intent on charming her, and she decided she was in the mood to be charmed. Still, she was going to make him work at it.

"Fine. You can have it your way. Tea is getting cold, though, and there might only be enough jam for one." He set the service on the mattress, kicked off his slippers and crawled onto his side of the bed, making exaggerated sounds as he settled in comfortably. "Oh, the bread is still warm! Are you sure you won't…?" Maria bit her lip and narrowed her eyes.

"Well," she hesitated but mostly for effect. "Maybe I'm not very hungry." Georg picked up a tartine and smothered it with jam, the way he had watched her do it for the last four mornings. He waved it at her temptingly. She remained in her spot, only moving to raise her chin in the air in a petulant huff. He shrugged and brought the food to his mouth.

"Don't! Don't you dare eat my breakfast," Maria lunged at him and plucked the bread from his fingers. "I'll take that, thank you." Georg laughed as he licked a drop of jam from his thumb. He lifted the tray while his wife crawled onto the bed beside him and once she settled, he rested it gently across her lap. She reached for the pot of tea, but he smoothly took it from her grasp and began to pour for her. "My, my! You spoil me, Captain." He said nothing at first, simply continued to prepare it. He ceremoniously added a third sugar before stirring and sitting back. Maria just stared in amazement. "You pay very good attention, darling." She then added cheekily, "I suppose that is what honeymoons are for, to see how the other likes tea."

"Don't be silly, I've been watching you put sugar in your tea for months now." He seemed offended. "I knew a lot about your little ways before we came to Paris."

"Such as?"

"I know you chew your bottom lip when you are nervous. When you think no one is looking, you hum a little musical scale when you climb the stairs. You always eat your vegetables first," he cited.

"Well, you fiddle with your dinner napkin almost constantly, can't put a hat on your head without looking in the mirror, and do this most adorable wiggle thing with your fingers when you're concentrating on what to say," Maria countered before taking another sip of tea. "See? I'm just as observant as you."

"Not always," Georg said. He looked at the tray and then back to her. Maria followed his eyes with puzzlement until she finally noticed an envelope with her name on it.

"What is this?" she asked, picking it up for closer inspection. The food was instantly forgotten as she turned and gave him the most endearing smile.

"Why, it appears to be a letter," Georg feigned surprise. "Do you have an admirer?"

"I hope so."

"I know so," he answered, no longer teasing. "I wrote you a letter. I don't think I answered your last one."

"You most certainly did. You came home." Maria stared at the missive in her hand. The words 'to my wife' were scrawled neatly in his distinct hand, producing a soft smile. Her name underwent a vast transformation in the last week. Fraulein Maria was shed like an old coat and she was quickly adorned with a new name; Mother. Added to that was a title, Baroness von Trapp. It was the second half of that moniker that soothed any apprehension brought by the first half. She would learn in time what it meant, but she was in no hurry. Not when the words on the envelope were all she cared about at the moment. Wife. His wife. Her heart began to swell just as much as it had the first time she heard him say it. Suddenly she had an idea.

"Read it to me."

"What?"

"Read it to me, please."

"Well, I… it's a love letter. I mean, aren't those supposed to be read privately?"

"There are rules? Oh, well… you know me and rules." She quirked an eyebrow and he nodded that she had a point. "Darling, I have enjoyed reading what is in your heart in all your letters. Just this once I want to hear it." Georg took the letter with a bit of hesitance but he knew what she was saying was true. The letters that they sent when he was in Italy were from the secret places in the heart, affection much harder to express face to face. She wasn't complaining and her request was easy to fulfill. He opened the envelope and removed the letter. He turned and sat on the bed to face her, reaching out his hand to take hers. He cleared his throat and glanced at the page.

My dearest wife,

The world is starting to wake up. I can hear the early sounds of morning in Paris drifting from the streets below our suite windows. The sky promises a beautiful day, one that should not be spent in doors. You, my darling Maria, are still tucked away in sleep, so peaceful that I cannot bring myself to wake you. You are my wife, my Sleeping Beauty.

Besides getting you alone to myself after the wedding, I could hardly wait to introduce you to someone—anyone – for the first time as my wife. That distinct honor happened to go to the hotel doorman and to his credit as a man, he was duly impressed. How can that surprise me? Surely no one could possibly wonder what it is I see when I look at you. You are truly a woman of charm and beauty. Even while you lay there in slumber you take my breath away.

I must not fool myself. I am most definitely proud that you are my wife, but how could that set me apart when it was the easiest thing in the world to fall in love with you and ask you to marry me? No, my pride comes from two other little words; your husband.

The miracle isn't that I did what any man with a decent mind and adequate eyesight would do given the chance. What amazes me is that you chose me. You found something to love in a broken sea captain. It is a mystery, one that I will never take for granted or question with anything less than full gratitude.

Thank you for becoming a mother to my children long before you acquired the official title. I thought I was doing my duty as a father by making sure they were given proper supervision and discipline, but I neglected the fact that they needed nurturing and love much more. You saw their pain and made it your job to see them through it with attention and warm understanding.

Thank you for breaking through the stone cold walls I had built around every part of me. Thank you for bringing me back to the world of the living, where there is healing to be found in the laughter of my children, the sound of music and the tender love of a beautiful woman. Thank you for believing there is something good in me and never holding my shortcomings against me. You forgave me and then you took my hand and walked alongside me until my heart could beat free from its bonds of grief and guilt.

I used to tell people that meeting a woman like Agathe made me believe in myself, and considering the man I was in my foolish youth, it was true. But you, my dear Maria… the way you love me makes me believe in God.

That you came into my life and changed my world…

That you loved me enough to forgive me and then loved me even more…

That you are here now, sleeping beside me as I write this letter giving me a peace that shall last me all my days…

You are a blessing from God. And I will live every minute until eternity striving to be worthy of you.

Yes, the sky promises a beautiful day, one that should not be spent indoors. But that is exactly what I hope to do. That is, if you ever wake up.

All my love,

Your Husband

Maria was silent as he folded the letter and slipped it back inside the envelope. When he finally looked at her, every nerve and muscle ached with longing. She thought she already loved him more than she ever could, but in that moment he made her heart fit to burst.

"Georg, do you want to make me cry?" She asked, her eyes glistening with complete adoration.

"No, I want to make you breathless," he whispered as he inched toward her with a searing kiss.

THE END

A/N: Thanks for reading, for all the reviews, follows and faves. Please let me know your thoughts one last time. Peace.