They sat at the breakfast table, a deafening silence enveloping them all. The Baroness and the children had words again, causing Maria and the Baroness to have words, and then there they all were in silence. Maria took a bite of her eggs, risking a glance at the Captain, who looked very annoyed by the entire situation. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she gave him a very small smile.

The argument was about them being too noisy, yet again. The children had entered the room chatting away, and the Baroness was quick to jump down their throats for being too loud. Something about children being seen and not heard was enough for Maria to step in, reminding the Baroness that she was a guest in the children's home, not the other way around. The children seemed appreciative at least, until once again the Baroness put her in her own place, reminding her of her position as the help. The Captain entered the room and stopped the bickering with a booming command, obviously able to hear the raised voices from the hallway.

He watched her from across the table, her obvious frustration hidden by the smile she gave to the children when they would meet her eyes. Even angry, he found her smile beautiful, enough to calm the storm of moments prior. If he didn't know her better, it would appear that she was completely unaffected. No wonder she was such a source of comfort for the children, he thought.

He looked over to Elsa, prim, subdued, and under the impression she had done no wrong. He sighed; he could have ended it with her easily, sent her home and been done with it all. There was a possibility for them to maintain their friendship if she never found out about his affair with his governess, he supposed. But he shook his head at the notion, always finding himself unable to end things...and equally unable to move them forward.

If Maria was leaving in September, which she had reminded him repeatedly that she was, then he would need assurance that he would not be alone. Loneliness for him was a deep, dark pit of despair, and one of the few things in his life he truly feared. Not that Maria would have filled the void either, he had to remind himself. She was very clear from the beginning that they would carry on without feelings, and he had agreed to her terms. So, with those terms in place, he would continue his relationship with Elsa. Eventually, she and the children would come to an understanding with one another. He simply knew they would get along once their governess was out of the picture.

He sighed, he and Maria were barely even compatible at all, he thought. She was good and pure and kind, and he was brooding and angry; it would have never worked between them anyway. With an affair, they could overlook the qualities they didn't like in one another, as if she were anything other than perfection, he reminded himself. No, Elsa was the perfect match for him. They understood the same world, the same lifestyles, and they knew what a marriage between them would look like, they had even talked about it on and off. He would propose to her soon...but he wouldn't feel right doing so while he was distracted by someone else. He would propose when she had his full attention again.

Maria quietly stood from her chair, taking her water glass to the bar for a refill. She didn't really need more water, she simply needed to remove herself from the tension for a moment. The silence was unbearable. Suddenly, Georg was standing beside her, a little closer than she expected. They didn't acknowledge one another, and he chose something else to drink as they both began to pour. He quietly reached between them on the counter, taking her hand in his own and giving a gentle squeeze, his fingers lacing over hers for a moment. He pressed his shoulder against hers, smiling when she playfully pressed back.

The exchange couldn't have lasted more than a fraction of a second, and they both returned to their chairs, never once making eye contact. What they didn't see was Liesl looking at them with much confusion. She had never seen her father stand to refill his drink when someone else was doing the same, particularly not her governess. If she were forced to think of a moment she'd seen them standing close to one another, she wasn't sure she could. They hardly ever spoke, let alone touched. Sometimes she would wonder if she saw them sharing looks between them, particularly on nights when the family would join together and sing, but the looks were always so fleeting that she could have easily imagined it all.

After eating quickly, Maria and the children left the tension-filled dining room to go outside. The days were becoming quite hot in the afternoon, so they had been going outside straight after breakfast to enjoy the weather while it was fair. The children ran off the veranda and began kicking a ball around in the garden, laughing and carrying on without a care in the world. Maria smiled at the sight, enjoying every moment of their childlike happiness.

"Fraulein Maria, may I have a word with you?" She turned to see Liesl standing off to the side, appearing nervous.

"Of course, what's the matter?" She stepped closer, giving her a smile to try easing her nerves.

"It's silly, I'm sure." She didn't continue, and Maria placed her hand upon her arm in comfort. Their eyes met, and Liesl shrugged. "I thought I saw Father touch your hand this morning at breakfast. He was standing very close to you."

"Oh..." Her heart sped to double its usual pace, but she did her best to hide her surprise.

"It just seems odd. Am I missing something?" She gave a laugh, trying to make it sound believable.

"He and I had a nice conversation after you all went to bed last night. I suppose he was just showing gratitude."

"It seems so out of character for him...and you, actually." She shook her head, doing her best to negate everything that was being said without being too forceful about it.

"He has changed so much, even since I've met him. I imagine there's a lot more tenderness there than meets the eye." She smiled, and Liesl seemed to accept her answer for the moment.

"I suppose that could be. He has given a lot more hugs since he returned from Vienna." She quickly looked into Maria's eyes, appearing nervous once again. "I hope you aren't offended. I didn't mean to imply anything."

"Not at all, I promise." She smiled, seeming relieved that there was nothing amiss. "I haven't seen any telegrams come lately. Have you spoken to Rolfe?"

"Yes, I saw him when Uncle Max took Friedrich and I into town with him the other day. I told him I had some things to talk about, but I don't know when he'll come around again." They began to walk down the steps together, following the group of children that had run further into the grass. Brigitta and Louisa had broken off from the group, sitting on a bench by the gazebo while the boys kicked a ball with the younger girls.

"You seem to be doing much better."

"Yes, thank you for your advice. I'm taking things one day at a time." She smiled, wrapping an arm around the girl and giving her a hug before they joined the others.

Her heart was still pounding, but she thought she recovered very well, given the circumstances. She didn't deny that his hand was upon hers. She didn't deny anything, really, simply redirected the conversation and moved past it. She was not ready to put an end to what they had together, so she knew she would have lied to great degrees if it had come to that...which made her feel terrible to think about.

She smiled and continued the day of playing and laughing with the children, simply doing all she could to enjoy the time spent together. The time they had left.