Maria spent the next few days without the children taking the Captain's advice. She had begun making a new dress from material he had ordered for her, which she found to be so beautiful. It was rich, dark purple, a color she wasn't sure she had ever worn in her life, but she had many ideas of what kind of dress she could make from it. She made sure to take her time, knowing she would have plenty of days to herself before the children returned.

She had also been playing her guitar more than she had in years, and she spent the evenings on the veranda reading books from the home library. While she felt a bit guilty indulging in the villa as if it were her own, the Captain continued to reassure her that she was doing exactly what he wanted her to do. Every time he passed her with a book in her hands, he let her know he was glad she was relaxing. It felt so strange, almost as if they were becoming friends.

Mealtime had become a bit strained, however. She would sit in her usual place while the Captain, the Baroness, and Herr Detweiler occupied their places at the table. They would converse and include her here and there, but she felt completely out of place most of the time. She asked Frau Schmidt if she should be taking her meals in the kitchen instead while the children were away, but was told the Captain insisted she continue to join them. She found it amazing that he rarely said much to her, but he apparently had made sure she was to be taken care of in many ways.

She wondered if he would have done the same for the rest of the governesses in the past. He had expressed his gratitude toward her for showing him the error in his ways, which she had to admit was simply her losing her temper, but she couldn't help to wonder why he was being so extra kind to her. She scolded herself for thinking there was an ulterior motive. He gave no reason to think he was doing anything other than making her comfortable while she awaited the children to return from their holiday.

As she sat upon the veranda reading a book, her feet propped up on the chair across from her, she heard raised voices. They weren't raised in the way she had heard as a child, loud and scathing. Instead it sounded as if the argument were happening in a loud whisper, which sounded scathing enough in its own way. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was very clearly the Captain and the Baroness standing on the balcony above her. She wondered if she should move in case they saw her, but was afraid the movement would make her more obvious. Instead, she simply pretended to be engrossed in her book. It must have worked, as she jumped in surprise a few minutes later when the Captain approached her.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt you." His voice had an edge to it, and she shook her head to negate his words.

"Not at all, Captain. How are you this evening?" He scoffed, looking up toward the balcony above her.

"You mean you don't already know? I never thought nuns were interested in eavesdropping." She felt the need to put up a wall in case he decided he was going to take out his frustration on her. She wasn't sure she appreciated his tone.

"I can assure you, I was doing no such thing." He rolled his eyes and came closer.

"You heard none of that?"

"No. I've just been reading." He nodded, still obviously not believing her. She was being truthful, she really hadn't heard a thing they were arguing about.

"May I?" He gestured toward the chair next to her.

"Not if you'll continue accusing me of things." He laughed, for which she was thankful, since she again hadn't been able to control her words.

"I'm sorry, I promise." He held up his hands in defeat, and she nodded her permission for him to sit. As if she had any right, she thought, it was his home after all. "I suppose I'm still frustrated. Forgive me?"

"Of course." She gave him a small smile for reassurance, placing her bookmark between the pages of her book.

"You aren't going to ask me what's wrong?"

"No, it's none of my business." He laughed again, and she wondered why the things others found most frustrating about her were amusing to him. Most people found her honesty very off-putting.

"Elsa is going to a party tomorrow evening for one of her friends in Salzburg, and she has specifically asked me not to attend with her."

"Oh?" She didn't want to ask any follow-up questions, as it truly was none of her business. And she certainly didn't want to give the impression that she would be at all helpful with relationship squabbles.

"She says I am too brooding and cynical for these friends. She says I'm intimidating, if you can imagine that." She tried to hide the smile on her face, but he caught her quickly. "Do you think I'm intimidating?"

"Are you suggesting you're not?"

"I'm not! A bit harsh maybe." She laughed at his lack of self-awareness. There was no way he actually thought he wasn't intimidating.

"You can't be serious."

"When have I ever intimidated you?" She laughed even harder.

"Only every moment of my first day here."

"You're making it up."

"You blew a whistle at me." He grasped for words for a moment before finally giving in and joining in her laughter.

"I can't believe you're taking Elsa's side on this one."

"I'm a neutral party, only speaking the truth." They shared a smile, and she felt glad that he seemed to be in a better mood than when he first joined her on the veranda.

"Are you enjoying your time of relaxation?"

"You know, I am so far. Though I'll be excited when the children return. I can't wait to hear about their trip." He smiled at her, a bit differently than before, but she couldn't say why. Softer, perhaps.

"I haven't heard her mention the children once since they've been gone." She wasn't sure she wanted to respond, but found herself feeling empathetic toward him. While she didn't want to involve herself, she couldn't stop from wanting to make him feel better.

"It's my job to be concerned about the children, sir. Give her some time. I'm sure she'll come to love them as her own." She smiled, and he looked toward her with his eyebrows raised, studying her face for a moment. He then nodded, sitting back in his chair a bit more.

"Now I know why you're always so honest, Fraulein." She raised her eyebrows in question. "You are a terrible liar."