She placed gentle kisses against his neck, taking in his scent as they came down from intense waves of pleasure, her body having collapsed atop his only moments before. His hands spread across her back, moving over her flushed skin and holding her close. His body felt strong and hot between her legs, and she squeezed her thighs tighter against him to keep him close for just a bit longer. She always hated the moment when they would inevitably untangle their bodies from one another.

"You're so perfect, Maria." His whisper touched her ear gently, his swollen lips kissing her cheek. She chuckled a bit, always feeling extremely far from perfect. She moved to kiss his lips, slowly savoring the feeling of his mouth against her own. He pulled away, pecking her lips once more before looking into her eyes. "Now you're the one who is different."

"Am I?" She raised her eyebrows and pulled back, but he continued to hold her close.

"You are. Something's changed."

"I've just missed this. It's been a few days." He simply smiled. Yes, she had changed, she had finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him, and she had no idea what to do about it. She was desperate to tell him, but was too afraid of what would happen next. Would she be rejected? She felt that he could love her in return, but what if he didn't? Would he toss their rules in her face and remind her that she was breaking them? Her heart would surely break.

"You are a terrible liar. Where are you right now?" She blinked heavily, meeting his eyes once more.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a mess at the moment."

"You know you can tell me anything." She took a deep breath, her eyes looking deeply into his. She had to tell him.

"Georg, I...um." She cleared her throat, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. "What I mean to say is, I...I'm...ugh." She groaned, pulling away from him and disconnecting their bodies. She went straight to her bathroom to clean up and splash some water upon her face. She had never said the words to anyone in her entire life, but certainly they couldn't be so difficult to say. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she tried to give herself a bit of courage. 'You need to do this.' she said to herself. The truth couldn't only remain in her heart, she needed to let it out. At least then she would know how he felt, no matter what that meant for them.

He looked concerned when she finally returned to her bedroom, sitting upon the side of the bed. He hadn't bothered to put on any of his clothes yet, leaving himself bare and vulnerable to her. She came to sit next to him, not bothering to redress either. His arm immediately wrapped around her shoulders, bringing their warm skin together again. She placed her hand upon his bare thigh, squeezing a bit before running her fingers across it.

"Is it something that happened yesterday at the Abbey?"

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. I'm a bit shaken by the conversation I had."

"I'm sorry it was difficult, darling." He placed a kiss to the side of her head, and she smiled. For a moment she could imagine that they were a real couple.

"It was unbearably truthful." She sighed, knowing she needed to get out of her own head. "I have something I want to tell you; I need to tell you."

"You're making me nervous." She pulled away to look into his eyes, smiling softly to ease his nerves.

"No need to be nervous, I just...it's really hard for me to say, for some reason."

"Are you afraid I'll react harshly?"

"Perhaps. I'm afraid of a lot of things, honestly." He kissed her lips for courage, and she sighed. "Georg, I lo..." A heavy knock upon the door made them jump, quickly standing and gathering their clothes. He rushed into the bathroom with his belongings as she pulled her nightgown over her head, quickly stepping into her panties. She tossed the covers back upon her bed, making it up the best she could as another loud, impatient knock echoed against the door. She quickly opened it, expecting to find one of the children.

"Fraulein Maria, we need to talk." The Baroness looked pristine in a lovely, light pink dress, her eyes sparkling a bit as if she and Max had been sharing drinks and laughs only moments before. She also seemed to have an agenda.

"At this hour? I was preparing for bed." She received an eye roll in response as her visitor pushed past her into the bedroom. She closed the door, doing her best not to look too nervous as she turned to meet the eyes of the Baroness. Her heart was pounding with the awareness that Georg was just on the other side of the bathroom door.

"You are such an old woman for your age, you know." She walked over to her dresser, running her finger over her Bible and touching her rosary. She picked up the bottle of perfume that Georg had given her as a gift, reading the label. "With expensive taste. Where on earth did you get this?"

"Baroness, if you don't mind, I'd like to get to bed soon."

"How much does he pay you to afford something like this?" She wasn't sure how to get out of the question, finally deciding to use her heavily guarded past to her advantage.

"My mother sent it as a birthday gift." The Baroness nodded, placing the bottle back upon the dresser. She clearly had no idea that her mother was dead and her birthday wasn't until January.

"Happy Birthday, dear."

"Oh, um, thank you." She looked around, unsure what was meant to happen next. She felt entirely unarmed.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I have something to say about the party tomorrow." She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her as the Baroness eyed her bedroom suspiciously, looking for something incriminating or perhaps personal, she supposed. "Georg and I were just speaking about how we think it would be best if you were not in attendance."

"Oh, I see. You've both decided this just now?" She crossed her arms, hoping Georg could hear what was happening. The Baroness was typically on much better behavior when he was around.

"Yes, I've just come from his study. I hate to ask you to miss out on the party, but he really does not want a member of his staff acting as if they are a guest. You understand."

"Of course. And will you be supervising the children in my absence, then?" She raised her eyebrows in question, which seemed to surprise her company.

"I should say not! They will make a brief appearance, and then they will need to be out of sight as well." She stepped forward and placed her hand upon Maria's shoulder. She fought the urge to shove her away. "I know it seems harsh, dear, but you really aren't suited for such an affair."

"May I ask why not?" The Baroness raised her eyebrows, almost as if she had hoped the question would be asked.

"Well, for starters, you likely have nothing suitable to wear. You dress like a child, you know. Not to mention the conversations you would be expected to have; you're far too whimsical to keep up with the rest of us." She laughed, as if Maria were in on the fun as well.

"Yes, and I'm quite plain-looking and vastly undereducated. I probably wouldn't fit in at all." She glared harshly at the Baroness, knowing for a fact she had completed much more schooling and had a higher education than she.

"Exactly, I'm so glad you see where we're coming from." She smiled, making her way past Maria, as if her job was done. "Apologies for keeping you up past your bedtime, dear. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Maria bit the word between her lips as the Baroness closed the door behind her, the clicking of her expensive heels sounding down the hallway as she left. "Bitch."

"What did you say?" Georg exited her bathroom, fully dressed and looking perfect as usual. Maria crossed her arms over her chest, meeting his eyes matter-of-factly.

"Nothing." He smiled, obviously knowing.

"That was not who I expected."

"She was just in your study talking to you."

"Yes, I heard. Quite interesting, isn't it?" He chuckled a bit to relieve the tension, but Maria only rolled her eyes as he tied his robe. "You know I disagree with everything she said. I would love for you to join the party tomorrow."

"I know my place, Georg. I don't need to be reminded." She walked to her bed and turned it down, rearranging a few pillows to her liking.

"Your place is anywhere you wish it to be." He wrapped her in an embrace from behind, placing soft kisses to the back of her neck. "I would like you to join."

"Tell her that."

"Maria..."

"No, I'm sorry." She pulled out of his embrace, turning to meet his eyes. "You hear how she talks to me. She treats me horribly, and you say nothing."

"Well I don't think it would have done anyone any good for me to come to your defense tonight." He tried to take her hands in his, but she pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think it's best if you go." He seemed surprised, his eyes widening in question. She had never sent him away before, but she felt the need to place distance between them all of a sudden. She nearly confessed her love to him, and then the Baroness had arrived to remind her that he belonged to her. If she had been looking for a sign, it could not have been more obvious.

"You had something you wanted to tell me."

"I don't anymore. It was foolish." He looked hurt, his eyes boring into hers in question.

"Foolish because she showed up?"

"Foolish because nothing I say or do or feel matters in the least." Her eyes felt hot, her heart pounding with frustration. "I am only the help, after all."

He rushed forward and pulled her into a knee-weakening kiss, his arms tight around her waist. He massaged her lips with his own until she sighed against him, uncrossing her arms and pulling him close. He ran his fingers through her hair, sliding his tongue across her lower lip, before pulling away and meeting her eyes.

"You are so much more than you will ever know."

"Then tell me." He didn't expect her to ask him to elaborate. He pulled her closer and looked up for a moment to think.

"You're engrained in this family. You're our savior, you're our friend, confidant, guidance." He kissed her gently. "You're my lover, a wonderful lover. Some days I swear you're the only reason I get out of bed in the morning. You're breathtakingly beautiful, bright and charming and funny..."

"Okay, that's enough." She laughed, blushing.

"I could go on forever." She smiled, leaning forward for another kiss. She placed a hand upon his cheek, running her thumb across his skin.

"Georg, I...thank you." Perhaps she needed more time to think.