Twenty-Five

Maria had only been in her room for ten minutes before she felt she just had to get out. Not that there was anything wrong with her room for the night; it was lovely, and the view was just as lovely as she'd been told it would be. But Maria, fraught with worry and fear for the future, felt she either had to be moving or couldn't be alone. She considered knocking on Georg's door, but quickly dismissed that idea. As she had concluded before, she'd played all of her cards, and could only wait for him to play his now.

So, instead, she decided to wander downstairs and possibly go outside and explore the back gardens. As she looked for a back door, she ended up at the door to a well-kept, cozy kitchen, in which Anna Bates was cleaning some dishes while waiting for her water for tea to boil. She spotted Maria when she reached the doorway. "Hello, dear!" she said cheerily, not seeming to mind being interrupted. "Can I get you anything?"

"Oh, um…" said Maria, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't want to disturb you, Mrs. Bates –"

"Nonsense," said Anna, waving her hand dismissively. "You're no disturbance. Want to join me for a cup of tea? I hate having one alone, since my husband is behind the bar until late."

"Oh, thank you, that would be lovely," said Maria, glad to have some company. "Can I help you with those dishes, Mrs. Bates?"

"Oh, no, dear, you just sit yourself down," said Anna, motioning to the tiny kitchen table. "And please call me Anna." She smiled a secret smile. "Truth be told, I only like it when my husband calls me that."

"All right then, Anna," said Maria, smiling. The water from the kettle came to a boil just after Anna finished drying the last dish. "But please let me know if there is anything I can do; I like to feel useful."

Anna smiled at her as she filled two teacups. "You're a farm girl, too, then?"

Maria was surprised. "How could you tell?"

Anna laughed as she brought the cups to the table. "Like me, you like to be useful whenever possible, and don't like just sitting still. We always have to be doing something, or we feel useless. I grew up on a farm in Yorkshire, which is in the north, before coming to work as a maid on a grand estate called Downton Abbey."

Maria laughed and nodded. "Yes, you're right. I grew up on my uncle's farm just outside of Salzburg, Austria. That's where we're from."

Anna nodded as she set down a plate of biscuits for them to have with the tea. "Then what brings you here, if I may ask?" she asked. "You needn't worry about me; I don't gossip, and I don't judge."

"Well," said Maria, picking up her teacup. "It's a long story…"

"Well," echoed Anna, picking up her own cup. "We've a whole pot full of tea to go through. May as well start now."

Georg too felt restless after he'd settled into his room. He knew he needed to talk to Maria, after what had happened on the ferry. The problem was that she had taken him completely by surprise – though, the more he thought of it, he realized he shouldn't be surprised because it fit exactly into her nature and personality. This had to be resolved before they reunited with the children, that was certain. The problem was…Georg had no idea how he would approach…well, approaching her.

Deciding to move around for a bit before seeing her, to at least calm his nerves and gather his thoughts. He left his room and went down the stairs to the ground floor of the small hotel. The sound of a piano being played drew him into a spacious parlor that had been transformed into a dining room/bar for the guests. A few men sat at tables, enjoying a drink and smoke, and the lad William was playing what sounded like a traditional English tune at the cabinet piano that suited the lazy, easy atmosphere. Behind the empty bar, he saw Mr. Bates cleaning some glasses with a rag, whistling softly to the tune his son was playing.

After sitting on a stool at the bar, Mr. Bates looked up from his task and offered Georg a friendly half-smile. "Can I pour you anything, mate?"

"Umm…" said Georg, looking at the selection of bottles behind the bar. "A small glass of something to settle my nerves, but not enough to make me tipsy."

Bates chuckled, and poured him a small glass of light beer. "Here, this should do it," he said, setting the glass before Georg.

"Care to join me for one glass?" asked Georg, who had taken an immediate liking to the man.

Bates shook his head. "Gave up alcohol a long time ago. My past with it is not exactly honorable. Thought it would help me deal with my memories and wounds of the war," He lifted his walking stick in indication, "and in the short-term it did, but the long-term effects nearly destroyed me."

Georg nodded in understanding. "Did you serve in the Great War?" he asked. If he had, that would have meant they'd have been enemies at one point, but twenty years later that hardly mattered to either anymore.

Bates shook his head. "No, by the time that came along, I'd had my cane for a while. I'd have been useless to the armed forces. I served in the Boer Campaign in Africa, round the turn of the century."

Georg winced. "I've read about that, and what I did read painted a very brutal picture."

Bates shook his head as he wiped a glass. "Doesn't even to begin to describe it. It's a miracle I managed to make it out alive." He looked at Georg again. "And you, Mr. Von Trapp? I can tell you're a military man by your bearing. Were you in the Great War?"

Georg wasn't surprised that a fellow soldier could recognize a comrade, even if they were from different countries, and nodded. "Yes. I was a submarine captain, and it's a miracle that I made it out alive after most missions." Georg heaved a sigh. "But the country I served is gone now…"

Bates gave a sympathetic but respectful look. "So you don't support Hitler, then?"

"Absolutely not."

The older man nodded approvingly. "You're a brave Austrian, then, and good for you for making it out."

"Well, it certainly wasn't easy…" said Georg distantly.

Bates gave him a close look, set down his rag, and took his seat behind the bar. "If you need someone to lend an ear, I'd do it happily."

Georg looked at Bates, and knew that this would be a good idea. He felt that talking about his situation would help him, and felt in Bates a kindred spirit as a fellow soldier and family man. "It's a long story, I warn you."

"Believe me: I'm a patient man."

Anna Bates truly was a good listener. As Maria told of how she'd come to know the Von Trapp family and how they had escaped Austria, Anna listened attentively and with empathy. Maria could even tell her of the accident that had nearly destroyed both herself and her Captain.

"Oh, dear girl…" said Anna, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "Your bravery is extraordinary, just as you are." She sighed deeply. "Thank goodness the two of you escaped. Every day, Mr. Bates and I hear worse and worse things about that man and his horrible followers…makes me terrified of the future."

"All of us are," said Maria gravely. After a moment of silence, Maria decided to try and change the subject to a lighter topic. As she poured herself a new cup of tea, she asked, "Why do you call your husband Mr. Bates? It seems so…formal."

Anna laughed. "I suppose it may seem odd to you. If anything, it's habit. I knew him for seven years before we married. We both worked at Downton, him as valet to his Lordship and me as head housemaid and then lady's maid to the eldest daughter after she married. That's how we all addressed him. Even to this day, after so long, I only call him by his Christian name in private." She shrugged when she finished.

Maria nodded. "I'm still getting used to calling Georg by his name and not Captain, so I can understand…" Her voice faded as she thought of what had happened today. She had yet to tell Anna about that.

"What is it, dear?" asked the older woman gently. "I can see you're still troubled about something."

Maria nodded. "I did something today that I'm not sure was the…the proper thing to do…"

Bates was true to his word: he was a patient and very good listener. Georg found it surprisingly easy to tell the entire story to Bates, even about his time being trapped and beaten.. He knew Bates was a man who could understand something so dark, and would get no pity, only understanding.

"Wow, mate…" said Bates softly, shaking his head. "I certainly know what it feels like to be an innocent prisoner…Is there no limit to that party's cruelty?"

Georg shook his head, disgusted.

Bates gave a heavy sigh. "It only serves to remind me that war with them is inevitable…England can only stand by for so long as Hitler sets his sights on us…But what I fear the most is what we will have to give to stop him…" The eyes of the older man landed on his son across the room, still playing a gentle tune at the piano. Georg followed his gaze and felt an immediate kindred sympathy, thinking of his own sons.

Thankfully, Bates stopped them from dwelling on these dark matters by changing the subject to a more immediate one. "You're a lucky man to have made it out of there," he said with respect.

Georg shook his head. "It's only because of her…if it hadn't been for her, I don't think I would have made it through that terrible imprisonment."

Bates smiled softly. "I know how that feels, that's for sure…" he murmured, more to himself than to Georg. Then he spoke up a bit and addressed Georg directly: "So, what's got you so spooked now that you needed that shot of liquid courage? Must be something, can't be nothing."

Georg gave a dry laugh, and told Bates about what had happened on the ferry.

To Maria's great surprise, Anna's reaction to her account was soft laughter. But before Maria could feel offended or hurt, Anna held up a reassuring hand and said, "Don't mind me, dear girl. You just reminded me so much of my twenty-seven-year-old self for a moment. Sounds exactly how I told Mr. Bates of my feelings."

"Really?" said Maria in surprise, also relieved that another woman besides her had done this.

"Oh, yes," said Anna, settling her chin in her hand, a fond smile crossing her face as she remembered. "We'd known each other nearly a year and a half, and friends from the start. But for some time I'd felt something much more, and I felt he did too. But back then, he never spoke of his past and history to anybody, just giving dark hints. Finally, one day, I confronted him about how he kept secrets and wouldn't confide in me. I was a bit angry to be honest; we were such good friends, and I couldn't understand why he couldn't trust me completely. All he could say was he couldn't tell me what he couldn't say, and so, on a whim of bravery, I confessed I loved him."

"Goodness…" murmured Maria, having a new admiration and kinship with Anna. "How did he say he felt?"

Anna chuckled. "He didn't. Well, couldn't really, but I didn't know that at the time. He didn't tell me his true feelings for three more years."

"Three years?" exclaimed Maria, much the same way she had once exclaimed: "Seven children!"

Anna nodded, smiling in reminiscence. "Believe me, it was hard at times. But our friendship never wavered, only strengthened, and when he did finally tell me…it was that much sweeter."

"But how could you wait that long?" asked Maria in awe. "How did you not go mad? I feel like I'm going mad and it hasn't even been a whole day."

Anna smiled gently and patted Maria's hand. "Our circumstances were quite a bit different than yours, dear. And…I suppose what got me through that time, and the next three years we had to wait to be married…was that deep down, I always knew my love was returned. I could see it in the way he looked at me, when he talked to me, whenever we interacted, really…It started from the very beginning, so by the time we finally were married, our foundation was very strong. God knows it needed to be, our first year and a half was…so hard…" Anna seemed to lose herself in a melancholy memory for a moment, but then pulled herself out of it. "But we pulled through it, and made the life we dreamed of, with our children and each other." She finished with a peaceful and happy smile.

Maria looked at this woman in awe. Seven years she had to wait to be with the man she loved…She was quite curious about what Anna didn't say, like why Mr. Bates couldn't admit his feelings for so long, or why their first year of marriage was so hard, but wisely held her tongue. She could see in the older woman's eyes that it would be too prying to ask right now, possibly always.

So, feeling all talked out herself, Maria sighed and asked, "Mind if I walk in the garden for a bit? I want some fresh air before I turn in."

"Not at all, dear," said Anna. The women got up from the kitchen table, and Anna led Maria to the back door in the kitchen. Before Maria exited, Anna gave her a comforting hug. "Have faith, my dear," she murmured. "I know he will do right by you."

Maria couldn't describe the comfort she felt from this woman she felt such a kinship with after knowing her for only one evening. "Thank you."

The reaction Bates had to the account of the ultimatum on the ferry was the same as his wife's reaction had been, and he too had told Georg of how his wife had done so similar a thing. He was still chuckling when he was done. "My wife's found a kindred spirit in your girl." He smiled at Georg. "We're lucky men to have such stubborn women love us, because you know they'll never let you go or give up on you – or, more importantly, never let you give up on yourself."

Georg slowly nodded, and then slowly shook his head. "I'll never understand what I've done to deserve her love…"

"I hear you, mate," said Mr. Bates. "Every day at least, I look at Anna and think, How did this happen? How could I be so blessed, with the life and our children that we've created together? Our love? For so long, I couldn't act on my feelings at all or do honorably by her, and even when we did come together, it was anything but easy at first. But we pulled through it.I don't think I'll ever get an answer to those questions I ask every day…and I don't really want to, if I'm honest."

Georg listened in silence, his respect for the man growing with each word he spoke. He could see that Bates was a man of few words by nature, and that every word he chose to speak was chosen deliberately.

He sighed deeply before he could respond. "What happened on the train will always haunt me, I think…can you blame me for being terrified of being entrusted with something so precious?"

Bates slowly nodded, his gaze intent on Georg. Then, he leaned his forearms on the bar, folded his hands, and asked simply: "Are you married?"

"No, a widower," responded Georg automatically.

"Is there anything concrete that would stop you from marrying her?"

"No…" Georg was quite confused as to where these simple questions were leading.

"Does she blame you at all for what happened?"

"…No."

"Would you put her in danger by being with her?"

"No, if anything…" If anything, I would put her in danger by turning her away…Georg felt he finally understood why Bates was asking these questions.

"Finally, and most importantly: Do you love her?"

His path finally clear, he looked directly into Bates's hazel eyes. "With all that I am."

Bates smiled ever so slightly. "Then what the hell are you still talking to me for?"

Less than a minute later, Anna was startled by Georg coming abruptly into the kitchen, an almost wild look in his eyes. "Can I help you, Mr. Von Trapp?" asked Anna in worry.

Georg simply asked, "Where is she?"

Anna's eyes lit up. "You come to your senses, young man?"

Georg nodded.

She smiled in relief and satisfaction. "Out in the garden. Wouldn't waste any time, if I were you."

And with that, Georg was out the back door, and Anna shut it with a happy laugh.