A/N:And we have finally arrived at the night of the party! It's going to be a long night (ie many chapters!) and I hope you enjoy.
For the Maria/Max haters, remember you have to kiss a few toads before finding a prince... :)
Chapter Twenty-NineMaria let the children sleep in the next morning, determined to get as much sleep into them before the party as possible. She could barely believe they were able to sleep through all the racket being caused by the cleaners, caterers, and other myriad of workers that were bustling around the party-central. Gretl and Marta were the first to come downstairs in their nightgowns, and Maria quickly whisked them back upstairs to get them ready for the day. By the time hair was combed and faces washed, the other children were all up and about as well.
Maria tried her best to keep them occupied upstairs so all the men and women could complete their work without disturbance, but the children were too excited to focus on any one task for a length of time. They could hear the voice of their father and Max directing people about, and every so often an exclamation from the Baroness claiming that something "is just wrong, Georg!"
Finally the afternoon came, and by three o'clock it was time to get the children ready for the party. The guests would only be arriving around six-thirty, but Maria knew better than to leave it to an hour before and then attempt to wash, dress and style seven different children's hair.
Maria took a deep breath, and decided to get some order. "Kurt you shower first but do not use up all the hot water in the boy's washroom…your brother needs to clean up as well. Louisa and Brigitta, the washroom in the girl's room is yours. Liesl, would you mind bathing the little ones, and then while I do their hair you can get ready yourself? You can use the bathroom attached to my room. Girls, once you are clean, slip on your nightrobes so your wet hair doesn't ruin the fabric of your dresses. Everyone understand?"
Seven heads nodded, and then left to do their designated chores. Maria was digging through her armoire searching for the hair ribbons she had mended and the shoe she had polished when she heard her name being called.
"Fraulein Maria, I have soap in my eyes!" Gretl ran from the washroom, in nothing but a towel wrapped around her and soap suds trailing from he hair down to the floor. Maria held back a giggle.
"Here, sweetheart, wipe your eyes on my skirt. Better?" she asked. Gretl's lips curled into a smile.
"Now let's get you rinsed off." She could hear the splashing in coming from her washroom and was certain that Liesl would be completely drenched by the end of her chore.
One by one the girls returned to their governess's room, towels wrapped around their hair and hairbrushes in hand. Excitement was palpable in the air as they brushed through their wet locks, with water flying in all directions and soaking Maria's mattress. Kurt and Friedrich, who had little hair to dry, were helping Maria comb through Gretl and Marta's mass of curls, both boys looking thoroughly thankful for their short hair as their worked through the large tangles. Their job complete, they hurried back to their room to get dressed, extremely glad to be away from their five giggling sisters.
Once their hair was passably dry though still hanging loose, Maria and the two youngest girls returned to their where their dresses were waiting. As Maria had suspected would be the case, it was already five o'clock. As she dressed the two, the others girls continued to pop their heads through the door with one concern or another.
"Fraulein Maria, I can't get this zippered up!"
"I just got a run in my tights!"
"Is this bow on straight?"
Maria glanced at her watch. Time was ticking by, and the Captain had made it clear he wanted his children there on time. She realized the boys had been unnaturally quiet for some time.
"Louisa" she asked the girl who had dressed the quickest and was strolling down the hallway looking bored, "I have to go check on the Kurt and Friedrich. Will you help Marta get her head out of the dress's sleeve? I'll be back in a few minutes."
Maria rushed to the boys' room. She almost screamed when she saw the chaos. In all the time they had to get ready, they had clearly left their one chore to the last moment. Comic books sprawled on the bed indicated their distraction.
Different pieces of their suits littered the ground. Combs, shampoo bottles and various other things poked out here and there. In the middle stood Kurt and Friedrich, attempting to pull a shirt onto Friedrich that was obviously too small.
"Fraulein Maria!" Kurt sighed in relief. "Help!"
Maria walked over to them, and took the shirt.
"The problem here, gentlemen, is that this shirt belongs to Kurt." She laughed.
Kurt looked down at the shirt he was wearing, which was halfway down his thigh.
"Oh" he laughed. "That explains it. I didn't THINK a person could shrink!"
Soon the two boys had the right shirts on, and were putting on their blazers and ties.
"Come to the girls' when you boys are finished. And please gentlemen, no more Superman until tomorrow?"
Maria checked her watch. One hour and a half left. Hardly anytime, seeing how she was still in her cleaning dress, and her hair was flying everywhere. Oh well. I don't have a suitable dress anyways. She thought to herself as she walked down the hallway. I'll stay out of sight on the patio until it is time to Marta and Gretl to go to bed.
To her relief, the girls were dressed by the time she got back to the older girls' room where everyone was gathering, and were adding the final touches on their hair and, for Liesl anyways, makeup. Maria gave the eldest von Trapp a wink to let her know the Captain would hear nothing about it then tackled arranging Gretl's hair.
Half an hour later, the seven children were lined up in front of Maria, looking very sharp indeed.
"Kurt, your hair needs a little brushing, Louisa, please could you tie that bow a little nicer. Gretl please stop twirling about, you will make yourself sick, and Brigitta, the book goes away. Not tonight, darling. You all look wonderful!" Maria exclaimed. "And you now since we have half an hour perhaps we should go over the song once as well."
Liesl looked at her governess. "But Fraulein, don't you need to go prepare for the party?"
"It's okay, Liesl. I will come down later."
Liesl shook her head. "Friedrich and I will look after everyone. You go get dressed. We'll go through the song a couple times. Go!"
Liesl pushed her out of the room with a "father insisted".
Maria walked towards her door, planning to use her time to take a fifteen-minute nap rather than "preparing" in a dress that she did not have. Perhaps she'd slip on something dry if nothing else than comfort as she waited outside for the children's bedtime.
Walking into her room, she noticed a brown package on her bed, tied up with a white string. It had been strategically placed between the water spots caused earlier by the children. A paper with one word was written on it
Maria.
Intrigued, she pulled the string from the paper. Inside there was a note.
Fraulein Maria,
There aren't words to describe the immense impact you have had on my family and myself. There is no way I could thank you properly for giving me back the things I most cherish—my children. You are truly a gift from God. I realize you didn't have time to find a dress for tonight's party because of your constant selfless acts of kindness, and have probably decided you didn't want to come. I am sorry to inform you that you no longer have an excuse, and I expect to see Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Brigitta, Kurt, Marta, Gretl and yourself (last again!) to be downstairs once the party begins. On time, please, fraulein?
Please accept this small gift as a token of my eternal gratitude.
Georg
Maria chucked and reached inside the box and pulled out the most gorgeous dress. It was sky blue with a faint flower pattern. The sleeves were a hazy/clear material that looked as though it would sway around her arms.
Maria gasped in delight. It was the most delicate dress she had ever seen, including the gown Max had purchased for her. Anxious to put it on but wet and dirty, she ran to the shower. Spending the minimum amount of time washing herself, Maria scurried out, dried off, and stepped into the beautiful dress.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Maria was pleased with her appearance. The dress was somehow transforming; not necessarily physically—though she looked beautiful—but the moment Maria saw herself, she could imagine clearly for the first time in her life, that she belonged- in the house, as part of the family, at the party going on downstairs. It was nowhere near as elegant as the dress Max had bought for her in Vienna, but whereas she had felt like an imposter in the cream gown, in this blue dress she felt at home. It was not as flashy, and yet again Maria was reminded that the most beautiful things in the world were often the more simple.
The clock downstairs chimed six and Maria's heart leapt with joy and excitement. She had only fifteen minutes left before she had to go make sure the children were ready to join the party.
Liesl had slipped her governess the contraband makeup case before pushing Maria out of her room, so with a couple swipes of the mascara brush Maria deemed herself ready for the party. When she looked in the mirror this time, unlike in Vienna, she recognized the face smiling back at her, and it was exactly as she had imagined all those years ago when she was on the mountain. She could hardly believe her fortune at living in this house, surrounded by people she loved, about to go to her second ball that week.
The clock was chiming on the half hour as Maria ushered the von Trapp children out of their rooms. When they had seen Maria, they had all begun to talk at once, but Maria refused to listen to their compliments—brushing it aside with a "it's just the beautiful dress" and instead flattering them each individually on how grown up they all looked.
As per the Captain's directions, the troop used the stairwell at the other end of the house to descend to the main level so that the gathering crowd in the main entranceway and ballroom would not see them. The stairway ended through the backdoor of the small living room where they had the night before listened to Maria and their father sing Edelweiss. There they waited for their signal from the Captain.
Louisa poked her head around the corner, which lead to the front entrance.
"Oh my gosh, there must be a thousand people out there!" she gasped, and immediately another seven bodies surrounded hers to get a glimpse of the crowd. Maria was shocked by the turnout – she didn't think she had ever met this number of people in her life, let along know them intimately enough to invite them to a party. Her stomach flipped slightly with nerves for the children's performance. Perhaps her idea had not been that well thought-out…
A figure immerged from the crowd, styling a new suit and hair combed neatly. Max. Maria felt her heart flutter and a smile crossed over her face, his laugh as he saw the eyes peeping out of the doorway easing her anxieties.
He glanced over his shoulder, almost as if to check if anyone was watching him, then turned and came towards them.
As he rounded the corner, Maria greeted him. "Good evening, Max! Having a good time at the party?"
"Better than you lot stuck here!" he joked. "And may I say, Maria you look beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Maria bit her lip as she noticed the children staring at them like an attraction at the zoo.
"Save me a dance for later?" Max asked. Maria smiled.
"Of course."
Max gave her a small, almost unnoticeable wink and stated, "Oh, I was talking to Gretl!" With a squeeze of her hand and a warm gentle smile that reminded her how much she cared for him, he walked into the crowd.
"I'll be waiting, Uncle Max!" Gretl called after him, and the children all laughed.
Her focus turned to the ballroom, where the Captain stood, looking very handsome in a tux. One of the first men I've ever seen that does not resemble a penguin in one of those outfits. She giggled to herself. One of the most handsome men I've ever seen, end of sentence. She also admitted to herself before noting he was looking straight at them.
Careful not to attract any attention, the Captain motioned to her to bring in the children with a wave of his hand. She half expected him to hoot like an owl, Gretl's warning signal someone was coming while practicing for the puppet show, their entire entrance seemed so secretive and mapped out. Elsa's planning undoubtedly. She quickly herded them up to the doors that led to the entrance to the ballroom, where there was a man announcing the names of all the guests entering the golden room.
When they got there, Maria leaned over and told the man who they were. He smiled widely at them and announced in a loud voice, "The children of Captain von Trapp Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl and their governess, Maria Rainer."
Maria laughed to herself. If it weren't for all the guests, she would have questioned why she was always last. At least they were on time.
The Captain glanced up as his children were announced. They all look wonderful! He thought to himself. From behind Liesl immerged a thing of beauty. Maria. Fraulein Maria. He quickly corrected himself. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. He was pleased to see she had found the dress. It was not as fancy as most of the other ladies', yet her beauty and grace outshone every other woman he had greeted that evening… just the way the Captain had thought she would when he bought it. The dress paled, however, to her expression of pure excitement as she took in the splendor that had been so carefully planned.
Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she vanished, the children in tow.
No sooner had they arrived, Maria and the children left the party to gather out to the terrace, as the Captain had instructed Maria. He had been hesitant to tell her, but finally that morning had broken down and admitted that the Baroness did not want the children running around with the members of parliament and people of high society. Elsa did not think this to be 'sophisticated'.
His tone and expression had informed Maria that the Captain was not looking forward to having all these high-status people in his house, critiquing every part of the party. For some reason, the idea of a quiet night with close friends seemed like a better idea to the Captain, which he had told Maria, but he was willing to do it for Elsa.
"Now what do we do?" asked Kurt, already bored. "Sit here for the rest of the night, while all the adults are inside having a good time dancing, drinking, and eating? What a party."
Maria laughed. "Well, what would you like to do Kurt? I'm open to suggestions, though they can't get your dress clothes dirty. Dinner will be served in about an hour I was told, and you would hate to miss it because you were changing." Her eyes twinkled in the setting sun.
"I'm fine!" Kurt assured her, images of roast, potatoes and thick chocolate cake drifting through his mind. He knew the menu for the festivities almost as well as his Uncle Max. Two prime examples of a one-track mind.
Brigitta, Louisa and Gretl were standing by the doors of the terrace, looking in at all the guests dancing.
"The women look so beautiful." Brigitta remarked, sighing.
"I think they look ugly!" Friedrich grumbled, joining their conversation. He was angry, because he didn't want to be standing outside in an uncomfortable suit all night, when he could be inside tossing around his new basketball or finishing the Superman comic that was lying on his bed. The excitement of the ball had quickly faded as soon as the children had realized how little there was for them to do.
"That's because you're scared of them!" Brigitta teased.
Kurt laughed. 'Don't be ridiculous, Brig. Only grown up men are scared of women."
Maria laughed. Trust Kurt.
"I think the men look beautiful" Gretl smiled at Maria.
Louisa laughed. "How would you know?"
Okay, time to do something before they begin another argument. Maria decided to herself, but she noticed a pair of eyes following the moments of the eldest von Trapp girl. From partially behind a pillar, a young blond man that Maria had to assume was Rolf by the way his eyes were focused solely on Liesl emerged.
"Liesl darling, you have company" Maria spoke so only the girl could hear her.
Liesl's eyes darted around until she saw who her governess had just seen, and her cheeks turned a slight pink with pleasure.
"It him!" she tried not to squeal, and Maria laughed.
"Go get him" Maria poked the girl in the ribs.
"Really?" Liesl gasped. "But Father…"
"What your father doesn't know cannot possible harm him," Maria reasoned.
Not needing more encouragement, Lisel took off towards the house.
