Once again, I'm in trouble with my only friend
She is papering the window panes
She is putting on a smile
Living in a glass house…
Don't talk politics and don't throw stones
Your royal highnesses…
Once again, we are hungry for a lynching
That's a strange mistake to make
You should turn the other cheek
Living in a glass house
But someone's listening in
"Life In A Glass House" Radiohead "Amnesiac" (2001)
It was warm out on the terrace in the mid-afternoon. Even in the shade. But, as Georg turned from his sister Hede to Agathe's glare, it was starting to become stifling. God knows what they'd heard. "Have the children been told anything?" he asked his sister under his breath.
"Of course not, Georg," Hede answered quietly. "We've heard so many stories, most of them not suitable for the ears of young children," she whispered as she arched a brow at him. "We called the villa earlier, but were told you weren't home. They suggested we call back later. But, well, here you are…" she added with a shrug.
Georg moved his attention from Hede back to Maria. Surrounded by the children, they were updating her on all that had happened, everything they'd done, during their week in Italy at their grandmother's. His heart clenched as he watched the children jostling for Maria's attention. As usual, they were all talking at once, with Gretl and Marta letting out little squeals of delight. He smiled. Maria's reaction was just as adorable. She had a way of making each of the children feel special, even as her attention was pulled from one child to another, and back again.
Catching her eye, he gave Maria a wink. He'd been right. The children were so excited to see her. He knew they would be. For a moment, he wondered how the children would have coped if she hadn't returned to the villa the morning after the party. God, how would he have coped?
The sound of Agathe clearing her throat behind him interrupted his thoughts, reminding him that not everyone was happy to see them. But as much as Agathe deserved an explanation, that would have to wait for the moment. First, he needed to introduce Maria and then they needed to tell the children everything. That's if he could get them to calm down.
"Just a moment, Agathe," Georg said quietly as he turned back toward her glare. He could only imagine the kind of vicious rumours she'd been hearing all day in the telephone calls from Salzburg and Vienna. "We need to speak to the children first," he gave her a thin smile, trying to lighten her mood a little. It didn't seem to work one bit.
"Very well, Georg," Agathe agreed, still stony faced and expressionless. "But you have a lot of explaining to do…" she added under her breath.
Georg gave Agathe a nod of thanks and turned back to Maria and the children. He smiled. They would be fighting each other for her attention until they were called for dinner if they were allowed. Not that Maria would mind, she was having more fun than the children. God, he loved how much she loved the children. And how much they loved her. It was almost a shame to interrupt them.
"Alright, everyone!" Georg called out over the din, smiling at the eight silent faces that turned towards him. "There will be plenty of time for us to catch up with all your stories," he announced. Catching Maria's eye, he could still see some lingering concern. He wondered if she'd overheard Agathe or Hede, but quickly decided that would have been impossible over all the noise and excitement. But she'd probably noticed Agathe's reaction to their arrival. Maybe he had been overly optimistic. Still looking at Maria, he gave her the tiniest nod. Everything would be alright, he tried to reassure her.
"Father, why are you and Fraulein Maria here?" Brigitta asked, saying out loud what everyone else on the terrace had been wondering.
"Sit down everyone and I'll explain," Georg answered a little more gruffly than he'd hoped. He reached over and brushed the back of his hand down Brigitta's cheek, bringing back the smile that had disappeared momentarily behind a frown. "Kurt and Louisa, there's enough seats, I'm sure you don't have to fight over the same one…" despite arching his brow towards his two children, he couldn't hide his amusement. It seemed some things would never change.
Eager to hear the news from Salzburg, the children, their grandmother and Hede were soon all seated around the table. Georg couldn't help thinking how the large pot of tea, the dainty china tea set and the half empty plates of tea cakes in the middle of the table seemed a strange backdrop to the seriousness of what he was about to tell them. It wasn't so much that he'd married their governess during the past week while they were at their grandmothers. He also had to break the news that they wouldn't be returning home to Austria tomorrow, or anytime soon. Perhaps never.
With all eyes around the table looking at him, Georg stepped across to stand beside Maria. "Firstly," he began "Agathe and Hede," he nodded in their direction before turning to Maria, "I'd like to introduce you to Maria." He reached out to rest his hand on the small of her back. "Maria, my sister, Hede, and the children's grandmother, Agathe."
"It's lovely to meet you, Maria," Hede gave her a warm smile. She'd seen how excited the children had been to see her, and it was easy to see why. Maria had been so warm and genuine in the way she responded to the children. It all made sense to her now.
Hede had noticed the change in the children last week. She'd even noticed her brother was something of his old self when she'd arrived at the villa last week to bring the children down to Trieste. He seemed more relaxed and at ease than when they'd met in Vienna at the start of the summer. She'd been wondering what had happened to them all these past weeks. Obviously, it was all thanks to the woman standing next to her brother. The woman with the gorgeous smile and the unusually short hair. "The children haven't stopped talking about you, Maria," she added.
"It's so nice to meet you both after talking over the telephone," blushing at Hede's praise, Maria managed to smile and nod her thanks. So far, they'd only exchanged a few pleasantries, but she knew instantly she was going to like Georg's sister. She seemed so warm and friendly.
"I'm sure your Grandmother has explained that Baroness Schraeder has returned to Vienna," Georg looked at Agathe, who nodded amid cheers around the table from the children. Their paths had crossed at charity balls, and Agathe's mother had never been particularly fond of Elsa. But he was a little taken aback by the children's reaction. They seemed to have not liked her at all. Tightening his jaw, Georg wondered why he'd ever thought Elsa might be a suitable mother for them.
Perhaps that's why he'd been courting her for so long, why he'd kept putting off inviting her to the villa. In the end, it was only because Elsa had insisted he introduce her to his friends in Salzburg. She'd never shown any interest in his children, but then, until Maria arrived, neither had he since Agathe passed away.
Maria shot a stern look at the children, warning them to settle down. They did a little, but continued to whisper and giggle amongst themselves.
"All right, all right, that's enough…" Georg brought the children's noise to an abrupt end.
"So why is Fraulein Maria here, Father?" Liesl met her father's eyes with a knowing smile and a challenging look. She'd read enough romance novels to realise what had been going on between her father and their governess. She'd noticed the looks that lasted far too long, the smiles they shared when no one had said anything funny. What made it even more strange, she couldn't see any of those little signs between her father and the Baroness, the woman he was supposed to be in love with.
And then, when they danced in the courtyard the night of party, it all made perfect sense! Under the stars, the orchestra playing in the background, it had been so romantic. So obvious. Especially when their father should have been dancing with Baroness Schraeder, not the governess. Today, she'd heard snatches of conversations whispered between her aunt and grandmother. A few times, she'd heard her father's name, at other times it had been Fraulein Maria's. Something had happened. Otherwise, why would they turn up unexpectedly? She gave her father an innocent shrug as his eyes narrowed at her.
"Erhm…" Georg cleared his throat, a little unsettled by the look his daughter was giving him. God, she was growing up to be more like her mother every day. "After you left, well, after the Baroness left, I… erhm…" he flexed his fingers nervously as he turned to Maria who was looking at her toes, her cheeks flushed. He ran his hand up and down her back, and she looked up at him and smiled. "Well, I asked Fraulein Maria to marry me…" he managed to get out before the children all started cheering and jumped from their seats to rush and hug them for a second time.
"Oh, I knew something was going on!" Liesl whispered to Maria as she pulled her into a tight embrace. "When is the wedding…"
"Can I wear a pink dress?" Marta twirled around in a circle.
"Who will be our new governess?" Kurt asked.
"You won't turn into Baroness Schraeder, will you?" Louisa had finally found someone who let her climb trees, ride bikes and swim in the lake. Someone who understood she could do everything the boys did. Only better. She hoped that wasn't all about to change with Fraulein Maria becoming a baroness.
"Will that make you our mother?" Brigitta whispered, tugging at Maria's skirt.
"Alright, alright, enough questions!" Georg interrupted, as he looked across the top of the children to wink at Maria. "We can't answer all your questions at once!"
"Oooh, can we see the engagement ring?" Liesl was still holding onto Maria's arm.
Maria had been so self-conscious, she'd been clasping her hands together from the moment they'd walked out onto the terrace, hiding the ring on her left hand. She knew one of the older girls would notice a gold ring had suddenly appeared on her finger.
Glancing up to Georg for an answer, she felt his hand move up and down her back. Georg had wanted to buy her an engagement ring, but she'd convinced him that half of Salzburg would know Captain von Trapp had bought an engagement ring before he was even out of the jewellery shop. He'd kept insisting, but she'd finally convinced him that she didn't need an expensive ring and they should save their money for whatever lay ahead.
"There wasn't time for an engagement ring, Liesl," Georg explained. "You see, it was all a bit of a rush…" he looked from his eldest daughter to Agathe, whose eyes narrowed at him.
"But Father, aren't you supposed to have an engagement ring when you propose?" Brigitta had also been reading romance novels. Surely their father knew what was expected? Fraulein Maria should at least have a beautiful ring with diamonds, even some rubies or emeralds. Perhaps sapphires to match her eyes.
Georg smiled at his young daughter. "Yes, I should have had an engagement ring, Sweetheart," he ran his hand up and down Maria's back, letting her know he'd been right. He'd told her his daughters would be disappointed, even if she wasn't.
Brigitta gave her a father a victorious smile, pleased to hear him tell everyone that she was right. Especially when it meant admitting he was wrong.
"Unfortunately, we've had to do things a little back to front," Georg continued to explain.
"Back to front…?" Louisa and Liesl asked at the same time, quickly glancing at each other.
"What does that mean, Father?" Friedrich asked.
"Ge-org…," Agathe chimed in, her tone suggesting that he should tread carefully. She hadn't heard anything so far to suggest the rumours were wrong or even exaggerated. She knew what was coming next. He was going to admit he had to marry the girl in a hurry. Unexpectedly. How else was it possible to smuggle his pregnant governess across the border? After the first call, she'd laughed off the gossip. But she'd heard the same story from several close friends, one who'd even seen Georg dancing very inappropriately with his governess at Elsa's party. Just how long had this thing been going on for?
Georg stared at Agathe. God, did she really believe the vicious lies she'd been told? Did she really think that little of him? He would be the first to admit that all those years ago she'd had good reason trying to convince her daughter not to marry him. But that was a long time ago. That was seven beautiful children ago. Before he became a devoted, faithful husband. His reputation as a womaniser before his first marriage was well-deserved. But he'd never intended to marry, had never planned to settle down. Perhaps he couldn't blame her for thinking he may have gone back to his old ways. But Maria, she deserved so much better than that. His thoughts were interrupted by Maria turning to look at him.
"Father…?" Liesl asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice. "Is everything alright…?"
"It is now that we're all together…" Georg said quietly as he reached out and cradled Gretl's head against him as she hugged his leg.
"Georg…?" Maria whispered hearing his voice catch. She searched his eyes, wondering if he would be able to continue.
Georg looked at Maria, seeing a mix of concern, encouragement and pride in her eyes. He wondered if she realised how much strength he drew from her, how much he needed her. It was why he'd been lost for so long. It had been the same with his beautiful Agathe. After a few deep breaths to steady himself, he was ready to continue the explanation.
"Two weeks ago, the Germans asked me to join their navy…" Georg went on, trying to ignore Agathe's cold stare.
"But Father, you can't join the Nazis," Friedrich interrupted.
"Don't worry, I turned them down," reaching out and squeezing Friedrich's shoulder, Georg couldn't have felt prouder of his eldest son than he did at that moment. "Earlier this week, they asked me again. They made it clear I should change my mind. If I didn't, they would change it for me..."
"But how can they do that?" Liesl asked, a frown forming on her brow.
"Liesl, these aren't nice men," Maria turned to explain, her tone gentle, but laced with memories of Herr Zeller, both from the party and his visit to the villa. "They're more than happy to use us to change your father's mind," she added, giving Liesl a look that suggested she couldn't go into details in front of the younger children.
"Oh!" Liesl brought her hand to her mouth. "Surely they wouldn't…" she couldn't imagine Rolf being part of such a thing.
"I'm sorry, Liesl," Maria hated seeing the look in her eyes. "I heard their words myself…"
"We had to leave," Georg confirmed, reaching out to cup Brigitta's cheek, trying to allay some of the fear in her eyes. "That's why there was no time for engagement rings, or why we couldn't telephone to tell you we were on our way. We couldn't even risk sending a telegram."
"We had to keep everything secret," Maria added. "Only Frau Schmidt and Uncle Max knew our plans," the children's frowns turned to smiles at the mention of their beloved housekeeper and favourite uncle. Stealing a glance in Agathe's direction, Maria noticed that she still wore a steely stare, so quickly looked back to the children standing around her. "We wish we could have told you, but we had no choice."
"I had already asked your Fraulein to marry me," Georg turned to Maria and paused to smile at her. "If we came straight down here to join you, she would have been turned back at the border," he was still looking at her, losing himself in the love and adoring look he found in her blue eyes. It was a simple reminder that nothing else mattered. They had each other. They had the children. "That would have been unthinkable…" he whispered, the thought implausible. "We had to get married first…" he added as he turned back to the children.
"You're already married…?" Brigitta asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, we are, Sweetheart," Georg confirmed, his hand finding its way to Maria's waist, pulling her closer to him.
Suddenly, the children were hugging and kissing Maria and their father all over again. The girls wanted to see Maria's wedding ring and hear about her dress. Marta asked Maria is she had worn pink flowers in her hair. Kurt wondered what they ate, making everyone groan and roll their eyes.
"We're sorry you weren't there to share it with us," Maria said to the children, then looked to Hede and Agathe to make sure they knew she was including them. "Your father and I have already talked about having a second wedding…" In an instant, the girls were overwhelming her with a barrage of ideas, bringing a smile to Maria. She looked across to Georg, who rolled his eyes at her, making her laugh.
"But Father, you said you had to leave. What does that mean?" Friedrich suddenly asked. "Aren't we going home tomorrow?"
"Yes, Father, when are we going home?" Liesl asked, tightening her grip on Maria's arm.
"I wish we were going home tomorrow," Georg reached out to ruffle Kurt's hair. "Unfortunately, it's not safe at the moment..."
"But what about school?" Brigitta asked, her eyes starting to fill with tears at the thought of not starting classes in two weeks.
"We're not going home?" Marta asked in a little voice, confused by the conversation going on around her. Surely that couldn't be right.
"We don't have a home anymore?" Kurt questioned.
"I don't believe you!" Louisa burst out. She'd been quiet until now, but her face was becoming red, as she started to swipe away tears.
"Come now, Louisa," Maria said soothingly, Georg's hand dropping from her waist as she stepped towards the upset girl with open arms. "We all want to go home, I know I'd love nothing more..." she whispered as she pulled Louisa into her arms and held her tight. Somewhere, over Louisa's tears and as she pulled Gretl to her, she could hear Georg consoling the other children. "The important thing is we're together," Maria ran her hand up and down Louisa's back. "It just isn't safe in Austria. Not for any of us..."
The words were meant to soothe Louisa, but they left Maria feeling hollow. Saying the words out loud, it was a reminder that they really had left their old life behind. Countless times over the summer she'd found herself wishing her idyllic existence at the villa would never end. And now, they would never experience life there as a family. As much as she had to be strong for the children, it just didn't seem fair. With tears starting to sting her eyes, she reminded herself that the important thing was that they were safe, and they were together.
As Marta wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder, Georg looked across to Maria. This was when the reality would set in for both of them. When they told the children, consoled them, tried to convince them that everything would be alright, despite having no idea what their future held, or even where it would be. Swept away on the euphoria of finally finding each other, it had been easy to push their concerns aside. But now, surrounded by the children's grief for the home they would probably never see again, the reality was starting to set in for all of them.
Trying to ignore his own feelings, he saw that Maria had pulled Gretl to her while she was still comforting Louisa. Liesl now had her arms around Gretl, and Friedrich was doing his best to remain strong. Georg's eyes moved to Hede, who gave him a nod of encouragement. They'd grown up together at the villa. A childhood that few could ever dream of. One that he'd wanted for his own children. His sister would also be feeling the loss of her childhood home, filled with so many magical memories.
Getting to her feet, Hede walked over to Maria and placed a comforting hand on Louisa. "Welcome to the family, Maria," she kissed her cheek, and with her thumb gently, quietly wiped away a stray tear that was starting to track down Maria's cheek. "Why don't we take the children inside?"
"Thank you," Maria whispered, giving her a tiny smile. "Come on children," she called out to all of them, mustering all the cheerfulness she could. She had no idea where inside they would go, but at least it would be away from Agathe's disapproving look, which was becoming sterner and more difficult to ignore. Maria watched on as Georg placed Marta on the terrace floor and Hede took the small girl's hand, wrapping her arm around Brigitta's shoulders. Maria followed her towards the doorway with one arm around Louisa and the other around Liesl, who was carrying Gretl. As usual, the boys were trying to be brave in front of their father. They always were. But she could see the worry and sadness in their eyes.
Georg looked on as Maria, the children and Hede made their way towards the doorway to the villa. His eyes were on Maria as she stopped and turned to look back before disappearing through the double doors. She gave him a thin, watery smile. He gave her a reassuring nod. The children were ecstatic she was part of the family. He'd promised her they would be. But, understandably, they were upset at the news they wouldn't be returning to Austria. Maria nodded back before turning her attention to the children and ushering them inside ahead of her.
Georg waited until Maria had followed the last of the children inside before turning back to their grandmother. He walked over to the large table where she was still seated. "Thank you again for taking the children at such short notice, Agathe," he said as he stopped across the table from her.
"You've always known I will take the children anytime, Georg," she answered, remembering dark days when it seemed she would have to take the children under a more permanent arrangement.
"I'm sorry we've turned up on your doorstep unannounced," Georg continued, not wanting to dwell on their past disagreements.
"Well, the children are certainly happy to see you," she answered bluntly.
"Erhm, may I?" Georg motioned to the high-backed chair he'd been nervously drumming his fingers on. Agathe gave him a curt nod, and he sat down.
Looking across the table at her, Georg could see that Agathe had lost little of her frostiness. He tugged at his ear, trying to find the words. "I apologise, for all of this. I wish I could have spoken to you earlier. About everything…" he began. "I owe you that, and so much more."
"Was it really as bad as you say, Georg?"
"Bad…?" She was doubting him? About the Nazis?
"Was Maria really that ill with fever?" Agathe decided it was best to just be direct. She was too old waste her time dancing around a conversation. "Has Austria really become so dangerous?" Agathe questioned, barely concealing her disbelief. "Or was it just an opportunity you couldn't ignore?"
"What…?" Georg was surprised by her words, her tone, by what she was implying.
"Sending the children down here, getting them out of the way, like you've done so many times before…" she continued in a calm, accusatory tone.
Georg stopped to take a deep breath. He deserved that. God knows how many times he'd sent his children away just to avoid their questions, the painful memories, the unbearable hurt in their eyes. If he wasn't sending them away, he was running away from them.
"Agathe, I'm the first to admit that there's things I wish I'd done differently…" he looked down at some crumbs on the plate in front of him, unable to withstand the withering glare from across the table. It hadn't lost any of its sting. "I wish I had been stronger…" he added, looking up and away into the distance. "But believe me, Agathe, Maria seriously ill with cold and fever. The doctor was concerned it could turn in pneumonia…" he had to stop to catch his breath against the memories that were threatening to overtake him. "The invitations from the Reich were real. Their threats this week were very real…" he whispered, holding her stare.
"Really?" Agathe was in no mood to be treated like a fool. "In all the calls today, no one else mentioned the Germans. All I heard about was you and the governess."
"Probably because none of your gossiping friends had been invited to lead the Nazi's fleet of U-boats!" Georg retorted. He could feel his anger slipping away from him, out of his control. He tightened his jaw before he said anything he might regret.
"Georg, are you sure you didn't see an opportunity to send the children away so you could marry their governess?" Agathe asked him. "Honestly, what on Earth were you thinking?"
The implication that his marriage to Maria was a monumental mistake stung. He had to look away. Maria had warned him that cruel, heartless people would spread rumours. Clearly, they'd been doing that. But these were people who he'd consider more than mere acquaintances, possibly even friends. He'd never cared what people thought of him, he never wasted time on their opinions. But, he'd be damned if he was going to let anyone pass judgement on Maria, unfairly destroying her reputation to satisfy their need for gossip and scandal.
"I don't know what stories you've heard. To be honest, I don't want to know," Georg looked back to meet Agathe's eyes. "I don't care what lies people have made up. I know the truth."
"But, Georg, the governess? Really?" It wasn't a question, much more an accusation. "As if that wasn't bad enough, she was also a nun for heaven's sake! Have you completely lost your mind?" she whispered, still mindful that the children or staff might overhear.
Lost his mind? God, after all this time, he felt like he'd only just found it. Georg tightened his grip on the arms of his chair, trying to control his anger.
"It's true, Maria was the governess, but she was never a nun," Georg struggled to keep his voice low. "I sent a request to the Reverend Mother asking her to help find a governess for the children. She sent Maria, who hadn't yet been accepted as a novice. She was hardly a nun."
"But Georg, you must understand how this looks," Agathe continued. "A young girl under your care, looking after your children. She's barely older than your own daughter," she shook her head disapprovingly.
"What?!" Georg hissed across the table. "Maria's in her twenties, hardly a teenager."
"Be that as it may, while all this is going on in front of your children, the woman you're supposed to be courting is staying under the same roof."
"I can assure you that there was nothing going on. For God's sake, Agathe, I ended things with Elsa first," Georg said. "I really don't like what you're suggesting."
"Georg, I never thought Elsa would be a suitable mother for the children, but at least she wasn't… how should I put it…? Compromised…" Agathe finally settled on a word that summed up all the stories she'd heard over the past hours.
"Compromised?!" Georg's eyes narrowed as his voice took on a cold, dangerous tone. What in God's name had people been saying? "That's it, Agathe! I've heard enough! I will not have you talk about Maria like this," Georg stood and turned to leave.
"Georg…" Agathe called after him. "Don't you dare walk away. Not again…"
"It saddens me, but you've made it very clear how you feel," Georg's tone was cold and menacing as he turned back to face her. "We won't impose on you any longer. Maria and I will help the children pack their bags, then we'll be on our way," he turned and started striding across the terrace.
"Wait! Georg!" Agathe called out after him. "That won't be necessary. Please…" he turned around again to face her. "Please, for the sake of the children, at least stay tonight..."
Thank you everyone for continuing to read and review.
When I started this chapter, I really didn't want to stereotype Agathe's mother as the awful mother-in-law. Unfortunately, by the chapter's end, that's what she seemed to evolve into. (And sorry, it's so annoying that she's also called Agathe…)
I really didn't want to finish here, but there was so much that Maria and Georg had to explain to everyone – it all just took longer than I'd hoped.
Please check out "Life In A Glass House" by Radiohead, it has a wonderful jazz sound. It was a song written in response to people (in particular, through the media) prying into people's personal lives, distorting the facts and blowing them out of all proportion. Of course, people who criticise others and find fault with them, are usually hiding their own faults (hell, we all have them!). It's a play on that wonderful saying: "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
Clearly, I don't own TSOM, just having a lend for little bit longer!
"Immerse your soul in love"