Maria's body plopped down on the soft mattress of the bed in her new room. She was exhausted, and she had barely been in the von Trapp home for three hours. She felt completely and utterly drained mentally. She had felt relief wash over her when Mrs. Schmidt had come to tell the children that they were still expected to do their required reading. The woman had been kind enough to show Maria to her new room.
"You'll get used to it. They aren't bad children, my dear. Just troubled and confused," Mrs. Schmidt had told her. She wanted to believe it. She had always tried her best to see the best in people, but the children had spent the couple of hours of them 'getting acquainted' using every tactic in their arsenal to intimidate her. She shuddered as she thought about her encounter with them.
They were as cold and stony faced as their father had been. At first, they spoke very little, only telling her their names, ages, and for most of them, how much they felt they didn't need her in their lives. Maria couldn't help the first genuine smile since she had arrived at the house spread across her face when it seemed the two youngest girls had taken to her. They just seemed excited to have someone asking them questions and paying attention to them. God knows they don't get enough attention from their father, from what Mrs. Schmidt had insinuated.
The silence of the older ones ended quickly once Maria confessed that she had never been a governess before. She had barely known that governesses were still used until she had seen the ad online.
Kurt, Friedrich, and Louisa were quick to tell her the 'rules' of the house, though Maria very much doubted that any of them would be accepted by their father. They told her that she should always walk around with her phone in her hand to look busy, to never be on time for meals as the times were relaxed and everyone was always late anyways, and to frequently question everything their father says.
She understood their hostility towards her. To them, she was just another governess coming to make sure they follow their father's rules, when all they wanted was for their father to pay them some attention. However, she was determined to keep this job. She was heavily in debt with her student loans and needed to start paying them off. She just wasn't sure how to get the children to warm up to her. They seemed quite set in their ways.
Not twenty minutes after meeting them, she had found a toad in her small tote that was filled with lesson plans. She carefully and quietly took the creature out of the bag and put it outside, not saying a word to the children who had looked at her with hopeful eyes. They were likely hoping it would scare her. She was not scared easily though, much to their dismay.
The next couple of hours seemed to drone on. Maria sat with the children in a sitting room, mostly in silence. The older four all scrolled through their phones absentmindedly, while Brigitta had pulled a book off one of the side tables. The youngest two seemed content in chatting between them, playing with dolls. Occasionally, each of the older five would take a turn to shoot a cold stare at their new governess, which made Maria feel quite unsettled. They certainly had menacing looks for such young children.
But when they were not glaring in her direction, Maria studied them carefully.
Liesl seemed bored and disinterested with whatever she was looking at on her screen. Friedrich and Kurt sat beside each other playing some sort of video game. The only sounds the boys made were grunts of disapproval or small sighs of triumph. Louisa was concentrated on her phone, so much so that Maria doubted that she would even notice if a fire started in the room. Brigitta seemed very content with her book, it looked to be some sort of mystery novel and Maria briefly wondered if it was age appropriate. Gretl and Marta's squeals while they played were the only sounds that filled the room.
The awkward and tension filled hours had ended once Mrs. Schmidt had found them. Maria was glad to be able to leave the children for a little while. She needed to think about how to break down the walls they had so clearly built up.
When Mrs. Schmidt had finished showing Maria her room and left her to settle in, Maria began to feel the anger rise up in her chest. Those children were basically left on their own. They were cared for in terms of food, shelter, and clothes yes, but even with their stoic attitudes Maria could see they were deprived of affection.
She couldn't imagine a father neglecting their children so harshly. Not that she had much to go by. After her parents had died and she was sent to a distant uncle, she was frequently neglected. But her parents would have given her the world, her father especially. She was his little girl and he would have gone to the ends of the Earth for her. It made it difficult for her to imagine why this man had iced out his children entirely.
She understood to some degree that he would be upset about losing his wife, but wasn't that more of a reason to stand by your children and keep them close? Perhaps not.
He was an enigma in himself, she reflected.
When she had turned in the foyer to be met with a pair of piercing blue eyes that had been imprinted on her mind for months, she could hardly believe it. Of all the jobs, she had stumbled under the employ of a man she had barely known, but a man she had a history with. If you could call it a history.
She remembered that February night quite clearly, despite the few martinis she had consumed. She could remember how warm and kind he had been that night. He had indulged her with his stories of travel and adventures and had listened to her list off all the places she wanted to go and why. She had found herself smitten after only a couple of hours in his presence.
He was strikingly handsome, she had realized that within minutes of him spilling that drink on her. Tall, dark hair slicked back, bright blue eyes, and boyish dimples to top it all off. Maria didn't have much experience with men, but she knew a handsome man when she saw one.
She had no expectations, of course. He was just a man who felt guilty about drenching her in martini, so he tried to follow it up with kindness. She hadn't really expected him to follow her outside. But he had. And for the life of her she would never be able to forget what had happened next.
They had just been talking and then suddenly, he was everywhere. His lips were on hers and his hands seemed to be all over her and nowhere at once. She had been shocked when he first kissed her, wary even. But he made her knees go week and her brain turn to mush. She couldn't have stopped him if she wanted to. He made her feel things she couldn't even describe and her whole body kept screaming for more.
And then it all stopped. Just as she had felt his hand travelling to an intimate area of her body, he was pulling away at the sound of his name. Maria had never felt so embarrassed. She had been pushed up against a wall and trapped like some sort of animal while his lips relentlessly kissed her over and over. But the worst part, was that she had let it happen. She had meant it when she told him she didn't do things like that. She had never done anything like that in her entire life, and as hard as she tried, she couldn't forget it either.
She had walked away from him that night, feeling ashamed and horrified at her actions. She had thought about looking for her friend, Jane, back in the nightclub, but all she wanted to do was leave. She wanted to make it back to her dorm room and just go to sleep, to try and forget about the whole incident. But sleep had never found her that night, or for many days afterwards. Jane, being her roommate, noticed quickly that there was something wrong with Maria when she stumbled into the dorm the next morning, but Maria claimed she had drank a little too much.
She avoided all of Jane's questions about what she had done and where she had gone to, instead asking Jane how her night was. Jane was a talker, she loved telling stories, so it was easy to get her off track. Maria had absently listened to Jane's tales of what happened the night before in the nightclub, but her mind kept coming back to a pair of hauntingly blue eyes and a set of unnaturally soft lips.
The next few months, Maria buried herself in homework. She was determined to distract herself from any thoughts of Georg and that night. She was relentless. She studied harder than she had ever before, purely because if she gave herself a moment of ease, he would always return to her thoughts.
The nights were the hardest. She would fall asleep trying desperately to get him out of her mind for long enough to get some peace. But she never found peace. He began to show up in her dreams only days after the incident. She would dream about running into him in the most random places. She would be on her way to class or at the store, and there he was, all tall, broad shouldered, and handsome, just staring her down with those beautiful eyes.
The dreams contained no substance. She never talked to him, she never touched him, he was just there, watching her. It unnerved her deeply in both her subconscious and her conscious mind.
Her final semester came and went, and she had passed all her finals with high grades. She was content, happy even with the fact that she was finished school. But she hadn't given much thought to where she would go afterwards. She needed money. She needed a job. School was only just ending for children, so it wasn't likely for her to get a teaching job just yet. She had found ads online for summer school instructors, so she applied. But she kept her options open.
It was pure luck, or perhaps bad luck no that she thought about it, that she had stumbled upon the governess position in Aigen. It paid more handsomely than any of the summer school teaching positions and was a great way to get some experience. She applied and was contacted only days later.
Imagine her surprise when she found out that the children she was to teach and care for over the summer were the children of the man who had been haunting her dreams.
Over time, she had let her frustration at the memories of that night turn in to resentment towards Georg. He had made the first move, he had kept kissing her like her life depended on it, he had infiltrated her every thought. When she saw him again, she wanted to throttle him. She wanted to scream at him and ask her why he had done this to her, why she couldn't close her eyes without his image popping up clearly behind her eyelids. But she didn't do any of those things.
Maria had tried desperately to keep herself composed even though she felt like her heart was beating a mile a minute. She thought briefly about quitting while they stared at each other in disbelief, but she needed the money and the experience, and she had already made the commitment to the job.
And then he opened his mouth and all the warmth and kindness was gone. He was condescending and arrogant and Maria wanted to smack him when he spoke of the rules he had for his children. He kept them caged like animals. They were forced to study and read all day with a brief outdoor interlude. It seemed as if he were running a ship rather than a household. But, Maria mused, with his Navy background, which she was surprised to find out about, perhaps running his house like a ship was second nature to him.
She didn't approve, but they weren't her children. She had to tell herself to keep her comments to herself while he prattled on about discipline. No wonder they were so hostile! They weren't even treated like children, but rather like machines.
It was like he was a completely different person. He was nothing like the man she had met that night. He was cold and intimidating and he didn't want to hear anything she had to say. Perhaps that made it easier. She might be able to pretend like nothing had happened between them if he acted like a complete ass.
She pulled herself from her thoughts and reached into her pocket to grab her phone. She turned it on, looking at the time. Mrs. Schmidt had told her that dinner was at six, which was half an hour away. She looked down at her clothes. She supposed she should change, considering Georg's adamant dislike for such casual attire. His pompous attitude agitated her.
She walked over to the small suitcase that held all of her belongings. She grunted as she lifted it to set it on the foot of the bed. She unzipped the case and opened it, looking through the articles of clothing. She didn't have many clothes, she had never needed many. Maria wasn't fashion oriented when she shopped. She opted for clothes that were functional and comfortable, clothes she could wear wherever she went.
She dug through, pulling out clothes to look at before placing them on the bed with a frown. She only paused when her hands rested on a white blouse. It was the blouse she had worn that night. Her frown deepened on her face at the memory. She had kept it. She had removed the stain, which was quite easy considering the drink he had spilled on her was clear. She hadn't worn it again, though, feeling as though if she wore it, she would be able to feel his fingers caress her through the material.
She tossed the shirt aside before pulling out a lavender blouse and a pair of dark jeans. It wasn't exactly the most elegant, but it was better than what she had on at the moment. How dressed up did she have to get for dinner anyhow?
She slipped out of her clothes and put on the newly chosen outfit. She figured she should freshen up a little before dinner. In all honesty, she was rather nervous to be sitting down for a meal with all of the children and Georg. While she didn't usually care about her appearance, Georg obviously cared about the presentation of his employees. And whether or not she thought he was an ass, she was still her boss and she wanted to live up to his standards as best as she could.
She grabbed her hair brush from her bag and walked over to the door of the attached bathroom. Upon opening the door, she caught a whiff of something that smelled quite terrible. It almost smelt as if something were rotting in the bathroom.
Cautiously, she looked in the sink. There was nothing suspicious. She glanced into the toilet, but again, there was nothing. Pulling back the shower curtain, she peered in, and there it was; a dead fish laying in the bottom of the tub.
Maria wrinkled her nose at the sight and smell of the fish. She asked herself how it would have gotten there but it only took a few seconds for the answer to appear before her. The children. Their goal was obviously to drive her away. While the toad hadn't worked, she supposed they had thought a dead fish might do the trick.
Her next question was what she should do with it. She couldn't very well leave it there to rot in the tub. She needed to get rid of it somehow. She thought briefly about flushing it down the toilet, but it looked to be a rather large trout; flushing it would likely just cause pluming issues. She could take it outside, she thought. She could throw it back in the lake, where she suspected it came from. It was definitely not the best way to dispose of the creature, but it seemed like the best idea she had, especially because she knew she was running out of time before she was expected for dinner.
While she wasn't happy that the children had pulled something like this in hopes of Maria's departure, she didn't want to get them in trouble. She certainly wouldn't earn their trust if she snitched on them on her first day.
She sprang into action, picking up the fish in a cream-colored towel she grabbed off one of the shelves. Slowly and carefully, she retrieved it from the bottom of the tub, trying her hardest to keep the bile from rising in her throat. She walked to her bedroom door, opening it just enough to peer into the hallway to make sure no one was coming. Satisfied that there was no one around, she quietly made her way through the corridor and down the stairs.
Maria tiptoed across the foyer to the back door, opening and closing one of the doors with the upmost care. The last thing she needed was one of the children, the staff, or god forbid, Georg to catch her walking around with a dead fish.
She took hasty steps across the terrace, down the steps, and to the lake. It was a beautiful day, she mused. She loved days where the sun shone warmly against her skin while a cool breeze caressed her hair. She loved watching the green of the earth dance in the wind. She loved looking at flowers of all colors and sizes as they bloomed with impressive speed. She did not, however, enjoy any of this while the rancid smell of a rotting fish wafted up into her nostrils.
Taking one quick look over both shoulders, she was satisfied that no one was around. She leaned over the iron gate and let the fish free from the towel and into the lake with a plop. She watched as its lifeless body bobbed away from shore.
She sighed in relief. At least that was taken care of. Now all she had to do was try to make it on time for dinner. She made her way back inside and up the stairs, feeling extremely lucky that she hadn't passed anyone on the way back to her room.
As she closed the bedroom door behind her, she looked down at her clothes and gasped. The fish guts had slipped through the towel and had run down the front of her shirt and the right leg of her jeans. How perfect, she thought grimly. Hastily, she slipped out of the clothes she had just put on and threw them in the hamper in the bathroom, along with the now bloodied towel she had wrapped the fish in. She briefly wondered how she was going to explain the state of the towel when someone came to collect the laundry, but she decided she didn't have the time to dwell on it. That would be a problem for another time.
She was back to looking through her clothes. Most of her remaining options were t-shirts and jumpers. Her button downs were limited to the lavender one and the white one, the latter she refused to wear in front of him. She placed a hand on the top of her head and huffed. She was definitely going to be late.
Her eyes fell on one of two of the dresses she owned. It was a light blue color with short sleeves and a skirt that reached down to about her knees. She had always loved that dress. Perhaps it was her most suitable option for dinner. It was simple yet elegant enough that Georg should have no verbal objections to her choice.
She slipped the dress on with as much speed as she could. Well she looked presentable, but she still smelled a little like dead fish guts. Digging through her suitcase, she found a small bottle of perfume. Jane had gifted it to her for her birthday. She sprayed once into the air and walked through the invisible cloud of smell. She hoped it would do.
Maria checked the time again. It was five after six. She groaned as she ran through the door, almost sprinting down the stairs. Mrs. Schmidt had said that the dining room was through the second door on the left in the foyer and then down the hall. She quickened her pace, stopping suddenly at an archway to see eight pairs of eyes on her. Georg narrowed her eyes at her before turning his body in his seat to face forwards.
"How nice of you to finally join us," she heard Georg say, not even attempting to keep the ice out of his voice. The room was silent, aside from the drumming of the fingers of his left hand on the table as he waited for her to be seated. She looked across the table to the only seat that remained open, the seat at the head of the table facing him. She tried desperately not to audibly sigh her frustration as she made her way in that direction.
"Good evening children," she said, actively ignoring Georg as she took a seat. The children all gave her a quick glance. The discomfort was clear on their faces. She immediately felt guilty about being late, even if it was the children's fault to some degree. She couldn't imagine sitting in a silent room left just with Georg and his agitation. She gathered it was a point of anxiety for the children.
"Good evening," their voices came in strained mumbles.
She kept her eyes averted from the other end of the table. It was bad enough she had to sit through a meal with him, it was worse that he was in her direct line of sight.
The food was already placed in front of each person at the table. It looked to be quite healthy portions of veal, potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Maria smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually eaten a home cooked meal. Without a word the children and Georg all picked up their utensils, digging into their meals.
Maria bowed her head and closed her eyes, giving silent thanks to the Lord for the food in front of her, as she did at every meal. When she finished, she made the mistake of looking up to find Georg's eyes on her, an eyebrow quirked in question. She averted her eyes immediately, not wanting to prolong any sort of eye contact with him. She picked up her fork and began to eat her vegetables.
Everyone was silent as they ate, and it was unnerving to Maria. All that could be heard was the clicking of utensils and the steady ticking of the clock that sat near the doorway of the dining room. Maria wasn't used to silence while she was surrounded by people. After four years living on a college campus, she had never known quiet. She needed the noise, because without it, she was only left with her thoughts. Considering the constant intruder of her thoughts was sitting on the other side of the table, they were a dangerous thing to be left with.
"I hope you children enjoyed your reading this afternoon," she started, hoping that one of them might speak up. She was disappointed when she was only met with noncommittal grunts of reluctant agreement. "Although it was rather beautiful out this afternoon, it was a shame to be inside."
She heard a groan come from the other end of the table. She looked up to see Georg shooting daggers at her, his fingers clenching around his fork as he held it in midair. She shot back a glare of her own and was satisfied when he looked away, instead shoveling some potatoes onto his fork and putting them in his mouth. She regretted letting her gaze linger.
Her throat suddenly felt dry and her nerve stood on end as she watched his lips close around the fork. She noticed some of the potatoes had not entirely made it into his mouth, but rather smeared on his bottom lip and she felt her heart jump around in her chest when his tongue flicked out to clean it off.
How was she supposed to make it through dinner like this? She didn't like the man, not after his show cold indifference to his children and herself this afternoon, but did he have to eat like that? She needed a distraction desperately at this point.
"This afternoon would have been a great day to go fishing," she said as she scrambled for something to break the tension in the room. She instantly regretted saying the words. She felt as if she had ratted out the children without directly saying anything to incriminate them. She watched seven anxious eyes flick in her direction before glancing back at their father. Luckily, Georg didn't seem to want to delve into her words any further.
"Are you always this chatty during mealtimes, Ms. Rainer?" Georg asked with a sarcastic smile pulling at the corners of his lips. His eyes were back on her, and she began to feel small under his scrutiny.
"I'm afraid I was brought up being taught that mealtimes are the perfect time to talk about your day, Captain," she retorted, looking back down at her meal and eating some of her own potatoes.
"I personally believe that mealtimes are the best time for quiet contemplation." His emphasis on quiet did not unnoticed by Maria. She looked back and narrowed her eyes at him.
"I think after an entire day of being quiet, sir, the children may have some things to say." She knew she was crossing a line. No matter how subtly, she was questioning his parenting. By the dangerous look in his eyes, she knew her opinions weren't appreciated. She couldn't bring herself to care; she had always been outspoken, no matter how much trouble it got her into. She spoke her mind, especially about what she believed to be right and wrong. She believed keeping his children in silence all day was surely wrong.
"Is that what you think? Funny, I can't recall asking your opinion on the matter," his eyes were burning into hers with a fire dancing in his enlarged pupils. His barbs wouldn't frighten her, she told herself. She wasn't about to back down. These children had no one to stand up for them, and it was her job to teach and care for them. Maria felt that part of caring for them was to advocate for them, if no one else would. She opened her mouth to retort but she was cut off.
"Father, I'm feeling unwell. May I be excused?" It was Liesl who spoke. Maria had seen the girl checking her phone under the table from the corned of her eye and she instantly grew suspicious. Liesl had smiled down at her lap before asking to be excused. That could only mean one thing; a boy.
"I suppose. But before you go, I have something to tell you all. I'm leaving for Vienna in the morning," Georg announced before taking a healthy sip of his wine. Maria was surprised, though maybe she shouldn't have been. Mrs. Schmidt had told her that he wasn't around very often, that he took off after being home for a few days. It was as if he were running away. Maria's eyes followed Liesl as the young woman slipped out of the room, seemingly unnoticed by her siblings and her father.
"Again, father?"
"But you just came back!"
"Is it to visit your girlfriend again?"
At Louisa's comment, Maria's head snapped away from the archway where Liesl had disappeared from. Girlfriend? He was seeing someone? She shouldn't care, it's not like she liked him in any manner, but she was rather shocked that he was seeing someone. The thought made her chest feel heavy. How long had he been seeing her?
"I'm going to stay with Elsa and Max, for your information Louisa. I have some business up in Vienna I have to take care of." His eyes flitted across the faces of his children and Maria swore she could see a hint of shame behind those deep blue irises. For a moment, she wondered if he had gotten so used to running away from his home and his family after his wife's passing that he just didn't know how to stay.
"Will we ever get to meet Mrs. Schraeder? You've been going up to see her for years. I want to meet her!" Marta exclaimed, inadvertently answering Maria's silent question. Georg shot his daughter a look and she immediately looked back down at her plate. Maria felt her blood turn to ice, and her hand holding her fork froze in midair. For years? He had been seeing this woman for years? Plural? Did that mean he was involved with another woman that night she had met him? The thoughts intruded her mind so quickly she began to feel dizzy.
"Erm, maybe I'll bring Elsa down for a visit soon. With Uncle Max," he said quickly, obviously trying to dismiss the conversation. Maria didn't miss the awkward glance he shot at her from the corner of his eye, but she said nothing. She couldn't say anything. She felt frozen. She felt guilt rise in her chest and threaten to swallow her whole at the thought that he was committed to another woman on the night they – she didn't really know what to call it. She felt… dirty.
Maria blinked several times before averting her eyes back to her plate, attempting to shake the thoughts clouding her mind. Just finish your dinner and then you can get away, she thought to herself. She cut into her veal, shovelling food into her mouth as quickly as possible while still maintaining some composure. She just wanted to leave. She needed to leave. She could feel Georg's eyes on her, trying to gage her reaction, but she refused to meet his eyes. She just couldn't look at him. She didn't know if she would be able to look at herself after what she had learned.
While Georg may have thought that night was insignificant, it wasn't to Maria. Yes, she wanted to forget about it, she prayed every night that she would be able to forget the feeling of his lips and the smell of his cologne and the press of his body against hers. But it wasn't insignificant. She had never had an encounter like that, not in her twenty-three years on the earth. She was embarrassed that she had let it happen, she was angry that he had let it happen, but both of those feelings were escalated at the thought that he was with another woman that night.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed while she hastily ate her dinner. She didn't look up from her plate for the rest of the meal, afraid she would meet a pair of piercing blue eyes that would be able to read her thoughts. Even after she finished her meal, she kept her eyes glued to her plate.
"Children, you may be excused," his voice announced. There was the sound of chairs scraping against the floor as the seven children were eager to retreat from the room. Maria couldn't blame them, she wanted to leave just as desperately. She slowly, and rather unsteadily, rose from her chair.
"Ms. Rainer," she heard him address her, in a surprisingly soft tone, and she stilled. Was he going to say something about that night? Try and justify his actions? Was he going to apologize? No, she couldn't listen to any of these things. Not now. Not when her brain was already in overload trying to process this new information.
"Captain, I really must be going to my room. I have a lot of unpacking to do," she said, her voice unsteady as her legs. She looked in his direction, but not at him. She looked passed his head to the antique clock behind him. It was easier that way. From the corner of her eye, she watched him open his mouth as if he were going to say something but quickly shut it again.
"Of course. Goodnight, Ms. Rainer," he said, dismissing her. She felt relief pump through her veins, and she walked towards the hall.
"Goodnight, Captain," she muttered as she passed his sitting figure on her way out of the room. She just wanted to go to her room and lay down. Maybe she would listen to some music or read a book. She just wanted something that would take her mind away from him and that night.
She was unlucky, however, to bump into Mrs. Schmidt in the foyer before she could retreat up the stairs.
"Ms. Rainer! My dear, how are you settling in?" the older woman asked as she approached Maria. Maria couldn't help but let a small smile form on her lips, the woman had a kind face and had been very helpful during the whole process of Maria coming into the new household.
"Quite well, I suppose. I'm afraid the children haven't warmed up to me quite yet," she said with a breathy chuckle.
"Oh, don't worry. It takes some time. They really are sweet children, once you get to know them. And you are a very kind and patient young woman, as far as I can tell. I have every faith that with time, they'll warm up to you," Mrs. Schmidt told her with such genuine conviction that Maria felt like she could cry.
"Thank you, Mrs. Schmidt."
"I think it will be a little easier while the Captain is out of town. He leaves for Vienna in the morning," Mrs. Schmidt told her, her brows raised.
"Oh, yes. He mentioned that," Maria said a little awkwardly, shifting her eyes to the nearest wall. She couldn't stop the question that escaped from her lips. "Does he often go up to see, erm, Mrs. Schraeder?"
"He has been going up there to stay with her on and off for the past two years. Sometimes he stays for a week, sometimes for a month. While he hasn't confirmed it, I have every belief that they are getting rather serious. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I trust that you won't say a word to anyone, I've got my money on the fact that he will propose by the end of the summer!" Mrs. Schmidt exclaimed. Maria's heart sunk. He had been in a relationship for two years. He was practically engaged even! And yet, he had still made a move on her at that nightclub only three months ago. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
"Well it would be lovely for the children to have a mother again," Maria said halfheartedly. She felt deflated, exhausted, and hurt. How could he do such a thing?
"Yes, well, that's if he ever brings her to meet them. Though I'm sure it will come with time. Now I really must get going, Franz has taken it upon himself to dust this evening and knowing Franz, he will have accumulated more dust than when he started! Have a good night, dear," and with that, Mrs. Schmidt was walking in the direction of the sitting room Maria had sat with the children in earlier.
Maria let out a breath she hadn't know she was holding in. She felt betrayed, though she didn't suppose she had the right to. She hadn't asked if he was seeing anyone on that night. She hadn't even thought about it. How naïve she had been! Just because he had been kind to her that night, she had believed him to be a good man. She thought that his warmth and kindness were genuine. She felt like a fool believing that now. He was arrogant, pig-headed, egotistical, smug, and a complete ass, if she was being frank.
She couldn't believe that she had fallen for his good looks and charm that night. She had heard stories from Jane over the years about naïve, young college girls falling for the charms of handsome older men. The stories never had a happy ending. Maria had thought herself to be above falling for such an act, but now she felt like a cliché.
Shaking her head at her never-ending thoughts, Maria decided to walk up to her room. As she ascended the stairs, she thanked God that he would be leaving in the morning. At least she wouldn't have to endure him any further for a couple of weeks.
A/N: Finally, we hear from Maria! This chapter was quite difficult to write. I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it, but the more I go over it, the more I feel like I'm driving myself crazy.
Thank you again to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. Every review makes me smile.
Somehow, this story is coming together rather quickly. I'm producing about a chapter a day. So for those of you enjoying this story, you won't have to wait long for another chapter.