Some of the children ran about in the garden, kicking a ball between them and laughing with joy. The Countess had some kind of benefit she had to attend, to which she invited Maria, but she declined the invite. If she were honest, she couldn't have imagined putting on a fancy dress with her body growing the way it was. She also didn't have much interest in joining the society circle there just yet. It almost felt as if they had escaped the social scene altogether when they left home, and even though she knew it wouldn't last forever, she was going to enjoy the quiet while she could.

"Mother, may we go pick flowers for our bedrooms, please?" Liesl and Brigitta stood before her smiling, as the others were deep in their game.

"Of course. Shall I join you?"

"Father said you weren't supposed to for a while after yesterday." She rolled her eyes, nodding her head in agreement. The girls both gave her a kiss upon the cheek in support before they ventured off to pick flowers.

She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting a bit at being left alone upon the terrace. She propped up her feet, knowing that Georg would have scolded her for not having her ankle elevated. She knew she had made a mistake the day before when she and the children were playing games in a wooded area. The ground was rough, and she knew it was foolish for her to be climbing around with the children like she was. All it took was Gretl slipping, she reached down to grab her hand and break her fall, and she twisted her ankle as she fell herself, flat on her backside.

She had tried to play it off as if it didn't hurt, but her ankle immediately began to swell, and she was unable to walk on her own back to the house. Thankfully, Friedrich had become much taller and larger than she in the course of the last year, and she was able to ride upon his back. Georg and John were enjoying some birdwatching nearby, and her husband nearly lost his head in anger that she had been so careless. He had even gone as far as yelling at her in front of the children; she hated when he did that. They all withdrew, backing away as he took her by the shoulders and made her feel quite small, tears falling from her eyes without her control. He looked more than stunned by his own reaction, and he apologized quickly for lashing out and helped her to the house, but she was still very hurt. They had barely spoken for the rest of the night.

"No running about for you today?" John shook her from her thoughts and smiled as she met his eyes, pulling up a chair next to her as he joined her in watching the children play.

"I'm afraid not. My father may send me to my room without supper." He laughed at her tone, and she shook her head to find a better mood. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"You're with child, you can say whatever you please." She laughed, placing a hand upon her stomach and rubbing it absentmindedly.

"I'm afraid that doesn't make a difference. My mouth tends to have a mind of its own, regardless." He laughed, having witnessed it enough by then, she supposed. They sat in silence for a moment, and he gave a small sigh.

"Are you thinking about yesterday?" She nodded, drawing circles across her belly with her fingertips.

"I know I was foolish for being out there. I obviously made a mistake, I didn't need anyone to tell me."

"Your husband loves to tell people when they've been foolish." He took a sip of his tea, smiling at Marta who noticed him and was waving enthusiastically. "You know, Maria, he only reacted so harshly because he loves you. He was incredibly scared when he saw you being carried."

"Yes, I know. His way of showing it though." She bit her lip, looking down to her swollen ankle. She really could have hurt herself or the baby far worse than a twisted ankle, she knew, but his reaction seemed much more harsh than it needed to be. His overreaction scared her, as she recalled their last argument with a shiver.

"Friedrich spoke to me about a rather heated argument he witnessed between the two of you." She turned to face him quickly, her heart pounding a bit faster in her chest. It was hard to believe that the violence of that argument had occurred only a few months prior. It seemed like so long ago.

"What exactly did he say?"

"He said he had never seen such violence."

"John, it wasn't like that. He was in a very bad way, and incredibly drunk." He nodded, taking another sip of his tea. She shook her head and sighed. "I know I only sound like I'm making excuses for him."

"That would explain why he isn't interested in joining me for nightcaps. I suppose he's promised never to drink again." She nodded, afraid that Georg would be seen in a different light if she wasn't able to defend him properly.

"He hasn't since. He's otherwise been nothing but wonderful to me, ever…until yesterday. I just didn't expect for him to yell at me like that." She frowned, looking back to the children. "He isn't a violent man."

"He can be an angry man, and when he can't control his anger, he takes it out on those who he knows will forgive him." She sighed, wishing it weren't true, but it was. She knew she would forgive him anything, and while he did his best not to take her for granted, he knew that too.

"You sound like you've seen it all before." He nodded, sighing as he remembered.

"He and Agathe didn't argue much, he was in charge, and she accepted it. But I have seen him in action many times before, taking his feelings out on her, or even others close to him."

"I thought being away from the politics in Austria would help, but he doesn't seem to be taking advantage of the fresh air like he could." John laughed, obviously having noticed the same thing.

"I would suggest you take him for a stroll, but you're never leaving this terrace again, I'm afraid." He chuckled as she rolled her eyes, smiling along with him.

"I do love that mean, grumpy man, in spite of it all."

"And he loves you very much, otherwise he wouldn't have overreacted like that." She nodded, sighing at her dilemma.

"What should I do?" He was silent for a moment, and she worried that she may have crossed the line by asking for advice. She forgot who she was speaking to at times, that it may have been improper to ask such things.

"You don't have to do anything, Maria. I know I'm in the wrong." They both turned to see Georg standing in the doorway to the house, his hands clasped in front of him. Her heart beat faster at his presence. How long had he been listening?

"I'll leave you two." John smiled, patting her hand as he made his way into the house. Georg shrugged, moving closer and looking into her eyes.

"I'm sorry." He pulled a chair closer to hers, taking her hand in his as he sat. "I'm so sorry. The look on your face yesterday will be burned into my memory forever."

"Which look? Me bursting into tears like a complete fool?"

"I hate to see you cry, Maria. You don't understand how much I hate it." She looked to the ground, his gaze feeling a bit too heavy. "I couldn't control my feelings in the moment. I was so afraid of what happened, what could have happened."

"But in front of the children? You could have taken me aside, and we could have discussed it properly. Perhaps there were a lot of things I wanted to say that I wouldn't in front of them."

"It will not happen again, I promise." He touched her cheek, his fingers tilting her chin until she met his eyes. He couldn't express how worried he was to lose another wife, to see pain, suffering, any form of anything negative happen to her. It scared him to the point of keeping him up some nights, to think of any danger coming to her. He wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his protective arms and never let her go.

"Don't make promises that are so easy to break." He nodded, and she leaned forward to place a kiss upon his lips. "Georg, what's going on in your head? You lashed out because something else is upsetting you."

"I don't know."

"Yes you do, you're just too stubborn to talk about it."

"I…I was simply worried about you and the baby. I lost myself." She narrowed her eyes at him, and he shrugged. He knew he could tell her easily, but he was so afraid to upset her further. She was already upset with him for overreacting to her fall the day before, there was no way she would be able to speak rationally about how he wanted to leave.

"You know, one day you're going to have to stop living in your head so much and let me in."

"I tell you everything."

"Mostly everything. You wait to explode with the rest."

"My work with the navy has been a bit unsatisfying, that's all. Please don't worry about me." She sighed, knowing he was revealing a truth, but she also didn't feel that was everything. He was a very complicated man, deep in his feelings, and there was very clearly more to it. She also knew there was no pushing him to be ready. "Can you forgive me for yesterday?"

"Of course, I already have."