The Captain was already awake when the sun started to show over the mountains, and was occupying his time in an activity he hadn't done in years – making breakfast. Not for himself or the children – anything that complicated would have ended disastrously, and the cook was hard at work beside him, trying desperately not to show his dismay at the Captain's presence.
On a tray, he placed a small dish of yogurt and another of fruit he had peeled and cut into small pieces. One slice of toast and a single scrambled egg was added to the tray, as well as a cup of Maria's favourite tea. In the middle of the tray lay a single edelweiss flower he had picked from the yard.
Though he had no idea when Maria would be waking, he was willing to continue to scramble her eggs and toast her bread until she woke up. He was that determined to get her to eat.
Footsteps on the stairs were heard, and Liesl entered with red cheeks. She didn't have to say anything for the Captain to get her message – Maria was awake, and he wouldn't be re-making eggs all day after all.
The Captain thanked Liesl for the message, told her to get some rest in her own bed for a couple hours before the others would be up, and made his way to the governess's room, tray in hand.
"Good morning." He announced himself, as he knocked slightly on the opened door.
Maria pulled her quilt up more snugly around her and offered him a slight smile. The Captain's stomach settled immediately as he saw just a touch of light in her eyes and he marveled at the healing powers of sleep.
"How are you feeling?" he asked as he placed the tray on the dresser. They could get to that soon enough.
"Tired, which I know is ridiculous." Maria answered honestly.
"Not in the least. You haven't slept in days." He responded, taking a seat in the chair where Liesl had slept after pulling it alongside the bed.
"Or nights" Maria responded with a smile to let him know she was joking. Though he knew there was truth to her statement, her attempt at a joke made the Captain laugh out loud out of pure relief.
"It is very early – would you like to sleep for another few hours?"
"No" Maria shook her head. "I have been horizontal for too long already." She pushed herself up into a sitting position so her back was resting on the headboard.
"In that case, could I possibly interest you in some breakfast?"
The Captain felt the atmosphere of the room shift, as Maria turned a little green at the thought of the heavy breakfasts, filled with fried meats and heavy breads that the children usually enjoyed.
"Not a meal, just a snack." He corrected himself, as he gestured to the tray that he brought in. "I didn't know what you would feel like eating, so brought up some yogurt and fruit, and just a little egg and toast. They are all very easy on the stomach. If any of it looks appetizing, it is all yours. I won't be insulted if you can't, though. If there is something else that you would like I'll go down to the kitchen and make it right away."
Maria recognized his efforts – Dr. Saeger had naturally informed her of the meal plans for the next few days until her stomach settled, and Maria could see the effort the Captain was making to accommodate.
"That sounds wonderful." She agreed, more out of a desire to thank the Captain for his kindness than hunger.
To Maria's surprise, after the Captain set the food down in front of her, he took a seat in the chair.
"Captain, I'm sure you have better things to do than watch me eat." In all truth she was happy to have him there. The sleep worked wonders, but the long discussion with Dr. Saeger the day before had been a turning point. Unbeknownst to the Captain they had discussed many of the worries Maria had recognized the night before in the storm. Though they had not come to any conclusions, the simple act of giving her innermost worries a voice had helped to reduce some of her anxiety. Far from perfect, she felt better than she had in a couple weeks.
"Not a thing. The children are all asleep, and I am always looking for an excuse to get out of paperwork."
"Paperwork?" Maria asked, and the Captain was relieved to see her picking up the fork to eat a mouthful of egg.
"Bills mostly. A few letters to write to some old friends from the navy."
"You must have met some incredible people in the service" Maria noted, biting into the toast.
"There were some very good men. None with boating skills akin to your own though, lucky for all of us." The Captain didn't want to get into a serious subject like war over breakfast, and was overjoyed to hear her laugh again. Distracted by his dialogue, she was eating and he was ecstatic.
"If I remember correctly, Captain, I am not the only person in this room who has tipped a canoe in the past couple of months." The eggs were gone, and she lifted her spoon for yogurt.
"Can I help it if my crew pulled rank on their captain and threw me out to sea?" He laughed. "If only my men had their cunningness."
"Excuses, excuses." Maria smiled slightly, surprised at how light-hearted she felt talking to him. She had dropped the spoon and was using her fingers to dip the fruit into the yogurt. This is what she had needed all along – a sense of normalcy. The only person she had to talk to was the Captain, and since walking in on Elsa and Max, all their discussions had been solemn and miserable. His good spirits seemed to be contagious. "And if your men would have had even a shred of the children's ability to scheme, I imagine that you would have been fearing not only for your life, but for your sanity by the end of the war."
"I see you heard the stories about their pranks on their previous governesses."
"They were both pleased and proud of their results. But really- where they got those ideas?!" The Captain couldn't believe the change he was seeing in her. It gave him hope that Dr. Saeger was right and her low mood may not be a true, lasting depression after all. He would talk to her nonstop for weeks if that could cause such an improvement.
"Their ability to analyze personalities within varying contexts, and determine the best course of action to achieve the maximal desired response is truly remarkable. Or at least that's how Brigitta explains their collective scheming technique. I remember when Agathe was expecting her – Kurt was just a baby, but Louisa and Friedrich led by big-sister Liesl were plenty to cause problems. Liesl, in her five-year old mind was determined that bringing a fourth child into the household was unacceptable. At the time she, of course, had no idea where babies came from and was under the impression that they were bought from a store in Switzerland. Years later when I asked her where she got this idea, she explained that she would watch Agathe and I leave, remembered us being away for a few days, and then return with a baby, and the furthest destination that she could think of that we could be going was Switzerland. Anyways, on this occasion she was determined to stop us from 'purchasing' another child – and it was quite the plan for a five year old. She could tell that her mother was more tired than usual, naturally due to the pregnancy, and believed that if she wore out her mother enough, she would not want to make the long trip. She sent little Louisa up to the bedroom with strict instructions to ask Agathe to play with her, and cry whenever Agathe mentioned she wanted to go to bed. With part one going on, Liesl also Friedrich pretend to be sick in his bed and calling for me, hoping that I would not leave a sick child at home. With both her parents busy upstairs, Liesl carried out 'phase three' which consisted of emptying the fridge completely so that the food all went bad, and hiding the guitar. She later reasoned that those were the two things that we would miss the most, and be willing to spend our money on instead of another child."
Maria could feel the warmth of happiness spread through her, and it was like welcoming back an old friend.
"And despite all that planning, I ended up with not only one, but three more sisters and one brother" Liesl had joined them at some point during the Captain's story and was standing in the doorway while curiously watching the strange interaction between the Captain and her governess. The Captain very rarely spoke about the events from the children's childhoods, and she was certain that Kurt, and all the children born after him, had never heard about these times.
"I just came up to see if you would be joining us for breakfast, or if we should go ahead and eat. Everyone is dressed and downstairs already."
The Captain was surprised to see that it was already nine in the morning – he had spent almost two hours with Maria.
"Please go, Captain. I'll get dressed and meet you all downstairs once you are finished."
"You are more than welcome to join us"
Maria looked down at her plate, where all that remained was half a piece of toast.
"I am completely full – though surprisingly not feeling ill. Thank you so much for breakfast and the story, Captain."
"Any time, Maria."
Taking the tray with him, the Captain followed his eldest daughter out of the room, and once the door clicked closed the warmth that Maria had begun to feel disintegrated as she was once again alone.
The day passed like all the rest in the near past. The Captain had such high hopes after their conversation that morning that the Maria who had taken him and his children all over Salzburg and the countryside all in an effort to promote the children's education would emerge down the stairs, but instead her eyes were downcast, her shoulders hunched. He did notice some colour to her cheeks, and chastised himself for hoping for so much so fast – baby steps.