Two Weeks Later…
"Georg, where's that last bottle of wine you brought?" Max asked as he walked into the sitting room where Georg and Elsa were lounging. Georg was sat in a plush armchair with his laptop nestled in his lap as he looked over the latest expense reports for his company. His reading glasses were perched on the end of his nose while his fingers pattered away on the keyboard, typing up notes he wanted to send to his finance department.
"It's gone, Max," was Georg's distant reply as he typed out the end of his sentence.
"Gone?" Max asked, utterly bewildered. Georg spared a glance at Max from over the rim of his glasses. Max blinked several times at Georg, obviously not understanding the possibility of the wine being gone.
"Yes, Max, gone. You drank the rest of it last night," Georg remarked bitterly. He hadn't even gotten to drink any of the wine he had brought up from Aigen. Max had always been lurking near the bottle and Georg could swear every time he even came close enough to grab a glass, Max would start hissing low in his throat. It was so very Max to be so possessive over someone else's liquor.
"I did not!" Max scoffed. Elsa's cool laugh filled the room.
"Oh, you most certainly did, dear," Elsa interjected from her spot on the burgundy couch next to a fireplace that was not in use. She was sat with her legs tucked underneath her while she scrolled aimlessly on her phone. Even lounging casually, she was the picture of pure class with her neat updo and freshly pressed skirt. Max pursed his lips.
"I thought there was another bottle," he pouted. Elsa chuckled while Georg groaned.
"You drank all three bottles, Max. Might I add that I didn't even get a sip of my wine," Georg muttered, closing his laptop. He leaned forward to place it on the coffee table in front of him, setting his reading glasses on top of it.
"Well why didn't you drink any?" Max asked.
"Max, darling, no one could even get close to those bottles of wine without you giving them a glare that spelled out murder," Elsa stated. Max narrowed his eyes at her as he slumped into the armchair next to Georg.
"I did no such thing," Max muttered, rolling his mustache between his fingers. This time Georg chuckled.
"You did. And you will do it again. I've come to expect it from you," Georg replied, patting his friend on the shoulder. He felt at peace in moments like these. The conversation was easy with Max and Elsa and it distracted his ever-racing mind. He took solitude in the moment where the three of them could just sit together and have light-hearted conversations. It cooled his head and made him feel that for a split second, all was right in the world.
His two weeks in Vienna had been a mixture of emotions and thoughts that muddled his brain. Georg had never felt himself so lost, and it had everything to do with the insubordinate governess he left back in Aigen.
The first day in Vienna had been a desperately needed break for his mind. The drive had been one of heavy self contemplation in which his mind kept travelling back to Maria and their conversation in the kitchen that morning. He wasn't sure what it was about her that provoked him so much, but the conversation had left him restless.
He wasn't entirely sure why he had told her Elsa wasn't his girlfriend, either. He supposed it was true. She wasn't his girlfriend. She was… he wasn't sure what he would call it. She was a friend who was female who he occasionally shared a bed with. He did realize that objectively, it would seem like Elsa was his girlfriend.
They spent a lot of time together, the often went out together, and they slept together more often than not. To anyone on the outside, it would look like Elsa was his girlfriend, but Georg was adamant that she wasn't. Labels made everything official, and Georg certainly wasn't ready for that. What he couldn't figure out was why it had been so important to him that Maria knew that.
He felt guilty about having her believe that he had a girlfriend when he had met her three months back, that much Georg could admit to himself. Even so, it wasn't like he wasn't involved to a degree with Elsa at that point. He couldn't figure out where the truth ended, and the lie began.
It ate away at him for a majority of his drive. He was utterly confused about his mindset, both during that conversation and about Elsa.
Upon arriving at Elsa's flat, Max had been right there to welcome him ,and Georg's mood instantly lifted. Max's jokes, while often cheesy or just ridiculous, did wonders for his mindset. The verbal sparring with Max allowed him to concentrate on something other than his brooding thoughts.
His first day had been quite nice, all in all. Max's extroverted personality made sure that Georg was never alone with his thoughts for too long and Elsa's cool grace and elegance were a welcome sight. The trio had spent the day together at Elsa's flat, talking about nothing of importance. It had been a lovely distraction.
They had gone out to dinner which was custom when Georg visited. Georg loved visiting the various restaurants around Vienna; there were far more choices than in Salzburg. Not that Georg didn't adore his cook's food. He just enjoyed the atmosphere of a sophisticated restaurant with his good friends as well.
But as smoothly as the day had gone, it came tumbling to a crash in the evening. Max had retired rather early, claiming his back was a mess from the day before when he carried Elsa's bags all around Vienna's finest shops. As Max had retired, Georg had felt his anxiety increase. He knew what would happen next, and he knew from the get-go that he wouldn't be able to go through with it.
It had started as it always did. Elsa and Georg had shared a light conversation over drinks, sitting beside each other on the couch in the main sitting area. At first it was nice, and Georg could feel his nerves slowly dissipate as Elsa told him all about her visit with her friends from the previous night. The conversation was natural and easy, and Georg thought that maybe, just maybe, he would make it through the night.
But then, in a lull in the conversation, Elsa had leaned in and kissed him. At first, Georg was able to respond the way he always had, not quite with longing and passion but with a desperate need to find comfort in another body. But when his eyes fluttered shut, he was met with the horrific image of Maria rising behind his eyelids. Suddenly it was she that he was with; her lips that he was kissing, her waist that he was caressing, her moans that he was hearing.
The hauntingly realistic essence of the image his mind had conjured up was enough for him to extricate out of Elsa's embrace at lightening speed. He moved so quickly that he had fallen straight off the couch, landing with a thud on his rear end.
Elsa had stared at him with bewildered eyes, as if he had suddenly grown a second head. He had sheepishly smiled, claiming he was tired from the drive and that he should get a good night's rest. He could hear the low huff of annoyance she uttered under her breath but had agreed with him all the same, telling him one of the guest rooms was ready for him.
He was grateful that the conversation didn't go any further. He was rather shaken up. Maria's image had been so vivid, so real. He wanted to kick himself for letting her affect him the way she had in that moment. She wasn't even there! And she certainly shouldn't have been in his mind to begin with. His body had trembled all the way to his room after he had excused himself from Elsa. What was happening to him? Why had a few kisses from this young woman deteriorated his psyche into a crumbling mess?
As he had for the past months, he stripped out of clothes and crawled into bed, shutting his eyes to try and get some rest. He tried to allow the exhaustion of the drive and the social outings wash over him. But when he would allow his eyes to close, there she was again. It was enough to make his eyes snap open and his breathing to come in ragged breaths for several minutes before he repeated the process over again.
Eventually, the vicious cycle would take its toll, and Georg's body calmed down enough to allow him into slumber. However, that was somehow worse. He dreamt of her, as he had been doing for three months. He had slept a mere two hours before his body woke him with a start, his torso slick with sweat, and a certain part of his body standing at full attention.
At nearly three in the morning, he had opted to take a very long, very cold shower. He couldn't go on this way. As he thought about spending a night with Elsa, his nerves escalated through the roof. He needed to get his mind and his body under control before he could even think about getting into bed with Elsa.
He desperately wished the thoughts of Maria would go away. He wished he could be a better man for Elsa. He wished that he could take the next step with Elsa and really try for a relationship. But as much as he wished for these things to happen, he knew they wouldn't. He was stuck in his life, and he had no idea how he was going to escape himself and his molded ways.
The next two weeks in Vienna had been more or less the same. Max, Elsa, and Georg would spend the day together either wandering around the city or staying in and just enjoying each other's company.
There were a few days where Georg went to his office to get some work done, but other than those occasional visits to check on how things were running, Georg spent every waking moment with his closest friends. They kept him busy and distracted through the days, which gave him relief. He had less of a chance to contemplate on a certain pair of blue eyes if he was constantly on the move.
But he had stayed away from Elsa's bed. For the first few days, he claimed he was developing some head cold that he didn't want her to catch. Other nights he would claim exhaustion. He could see Elsa becoming a little frustrated with his excuses, but he wasn't sure if he could control himself when his eyes closed, and another woman's image would make its way into his mind. God forbid he uttered the wrong name.
He felt ashamed of it. He knew Elsa would grow tired of his excuses and confront him eventually. But he couldn't stop his mind from forming the images behind his eyelids, as hard as he tried. He had made an effort, one night, to proceed with Elsa.
He had drunk copiously, hoping that if his mind was foggy enough, he would be able to perform without Maria being stuck in his mind. Of course, the alcohol had only confused his mind further. He had barely gotten out of his shirt before his body seemed to scream at him in warning as he pictured himself back at that nightclub with Maria backed against the wall.
He had backed off from Elsa once again, muttering an apology for drinking so much before removing himself from her room. He could tell that she was annoyed with his erratic behaviour, and she was justified in that, but she said nothing. She was kind and polite in the day, and never mentioned a word about his actions at night. Her silence was a relief to him. He wasn't sure he'd be able to explain himself to her, he could barely explain his actions to himself.
In his latest days in Vienna, he had begun to worry about how things were back in Aigen. Usually within a few days of his arrival in Vienna, he would get a call from a frantic Mrs. Schmidt about something the children had done to upset the governess. But it had been radio silence. Not even a text from the woman. He had briefly thought about sending a text straight to the source and asking how things were. He had quickly dismissed that idea. He had told Maria that his number was used for emergencies only, and he couldn't go around breaking his own rules.
"Georg, you are not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" Max's voice brought Georg out of his reverie. He looked from the vase of flowers he had been fixing with a glare to the man beside him.
"I'm sorry, Max. What were you saying?" he asked, trying to shake off his thoughts of home.
"Are you okay? You seemed to be in another world there for a minute," Elsa asked, staring at him with blatant concern. He shot her one of his signature charming smiles.
"I'm fine. I was just wondering how the children are. I haven't received a frantic phone call lately," Georg said with a half-hearted chuckle, trying to mask just how deep his worry ran. He fidgeted with his hands in his lap.
"I've noticed that!" Max exclaimed, shifting his body in the chair to face Georg. "Do you think the new governess has finally tamed them?"
"Perhaps, or perhaps she burned the entire house down," Georg joked, hoping his face kept straight. He didn't count Maria burning the house down as a possibility. He didn't know what to expect with her.
"She sounds like a spit fire," Max retorted, wagging his eyebrows in Elsa's direction at the pun. Elsa rolled her eyes but laughed all the same.
"Really Max, you are such a child," she interjected. Max huffed and narrowed his eyes at her.
"They call it humor, Elsa," he shot back. Georg smiled weakly at the exchange but couldn't help his racing thoughts of all that could be going wrong in his home. "But Georg, I am surprised. You've said absolutely nothing about the new governess since you arrived, except that she was new. Usually you have something to say about their incapability to manage your children."
Georg winced. It was true, he hadn't spoken a word about the new governess residing in his home. He had purposefully avoided the topic, not entirely sure how to approach it. He didn't know how things would go if he started talking about Maria, or what he would even say about her without bringing himself into a pit of confusing thoughts.
"I didn't spend much time with her. I can't speak to her capabilities. That's probably why I'm so concerned about how the children are," he said carefully, not wanting to reveal too much.
"Well, perhaps you should give your lovely housekeeper a call. You're a terrible bore when you're worried about something. You should ease your mind," Max said. Georg frowned. Part of him was itching to call home to hear the news of what the children were up to. But another part of him told him it wasn't a good idea. He had held hope that perhaps she was on her way out the door at any given moment. What if she was able to do the impossible and win the children's hearts? How would he cope with the news that she would be in his home for the rest of the summer?
"I agree with Max," Elsa said, "You've been quite down lately. Maybe some news from home would help you feel a little better."
He didn't miss the double meaning in her statement. Maybe she was attributing his moods to his uneasiness about not knowing what was going on with his children. He felt the air become stifling as his thoughts turned over to what the governess was doing in that very moment.
"Maybe I'll step outside and give her a call," Georg muttered as he stood, not specifying to who he was calling. Elsa and Max each flashed him a smile before beginning a conversation of their own. It had something to do about one of Elsa's friend's daughter's teenage pregnancy or something of that nature. Georg was glad to be leaving the room. He didn't have the patience for gossip.
He made his way to the balcony of the flat. Elsa lived near the top of a thirty-story building. The view of the heart of Vienna from Elsa's balcony was absolutely breathtaking. Georg often spent time just admiring the view of the city from her balcony.
He took a moment to look down into the busy streets. People were everywhere, walking around downtown Vienna in the mid morning. Some were likely making it to work, some where running errands. Georg always found a sense of comfort in people watching. It let him escape his own mind to contemplate the thoughts of others.
After a few moments had passed and he felt his mind calm a little, he pulled his phone from his pocket and opened it. He clicked on his contacts and scrolled. He paused as he saw Maria's contact. He had added it to his contacts once he had gotten to Vienna, just in case she did call him with an emergency.
He hovered over the contact. It might just be easier to ask her what was going on than going through Mrs. Schmidt. He felt nerves begin to rise as his thumb hovered over her name. The smart thing to do would be to just call Mrs. Schmidt to avoid any awkwardness. But as the seconds passed, he felt more and more inclined to hear about his children from Maria's mouth. It had absolutely nothing to do with the need to hear her voice, Georg convinced himself. Before he could think any further, he selected her contact and hit the call button.
He felt his heart flutter as he heard the dial tone. He gripped the railing on the balcony with his free hand to steady himself. He briefly wondered if she would even pick up. Their last conversation had been strained and left rather tension filled. She likely didn't desire to hear from him in the slightest. But he was saved from contemplating any further when she picked up after two rings.
"Hello?" she answered breathlessly. Georg immediately wondered what she had been doing to make her so out of breath.
"Hello, Ms. Rainer," he replied, struggling to keep his voice steady. He had been hearing her voice, her moans, her sighs in his dreams. It felt almost surreal to hear her melodic tone in reality.
"What can I do for you, Captain?" she asked. He was pleased that she didn't sound angry or annoyed by his call. In fact, she just sounded rather business-like. It was better than annoyance, he thought.
"I was just wondering how the children are. I haven't heard anything since I left," he replied coolly.
"Oh," she sounded surprise. "Well, they are fine. They've kept on top of their studies and reading, and we've just been getting better acquainted."
Georg narrowed his eyes at the city before him. She sounded flustered, as if she had just been running a marathon. Something didn't sit well in his chest.
"They haven't been giving you too much trouble?" he asked, carefully prying. He heard her chuckle on the other end of the line. He blinked a few times. That was the first time he had heard her laugh since the night they met.
"Oh, no. They've been very well-behaved actually," she told him. That definitely didn't sit well with Georg. Never, in five years, had anyone told him his children were well-behaved.
"Really?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes. They've been listening quite well and have done what's required of them," her voice was neutral. Georg couldn't believe his ears. Typically, governesses couldn't wait to tell him what little monsters his children were. He felt a swell of fatherly pride that they were behaving themselves. Even though he didn't like the idea of Maria living under his roof for the summer, if the children listened to her then maybe, just maybe, he could bring himself to tolerate the situation.
"That's good to hear. I had no need to worry then, it seems," he said, keeping his tone casual. A distant scream through the line caught his attention. "What was that?"
"Kurt be careful. Just stop right there," Maria's muffled voice called out. The alarm bells started ringing in his head. Be careful? Why would he need to be careful? They were supposed to be doing their morning studies at this time, there was nothing to be careful of. And there was certainly no screaming involved.
"Ms. Rainer, what is going on?" he asked, the sternness seeping through his tone. He heard a few more muffled words, but could not make out what they were.
"Ms. Rainer?" he called out, not keeping the increasing frustration from his voice. What on earth were they doing? He strained to hear the commotion. He could hear the crackle of wind over the line. They must be outside, but why? It wasn't time for their walk around the lake.
His heart dropped in his chest as he heard another distant scream along with a string of 'Kurt!' being exclaimed. Had Kurt been hurt? Had something happened? He needed to know what was going on.
"What the hell is going on?" he spat out the question.
"I'm sorry, Captain, I have to go. I'll call you back when I can explain things to you," she said in a hurried fashion. By her ragged breaths, it sounded like she was running. He felt his blood boil. She was crazy if she thought she could hang up on him right now.
"Don't you dare hang-," the line clicked off, and she was gone. Georg removed his phone from his ear and stared at it, his mouth agape. He had never been hung up on like that.
"Dammit," he muttered, hitting the railing of the balcony with the palm of his hand. She couldn't do that. She couldn't hang up on him while he was speaking to her, about his children no less. He had every right to know what was going on, especially if she had somehow gotten one of his children injured in some way. He was furious. He hit the call button again, and he nearly threw his phone over the balcony when it went straight to voicemail.
He stormed back into the flat, slamming the screen door just behind him. He needed to know what was going on. Obviously, she wasn't going to tell him, so he would have to find out himself. He would have to go back home. He stomped off in the direction of his guest room, but a voice stopped him.
"Georg?" Elsa asked, walking up to put a delicate hand on his arm. He brushed it off. "Are you okay?"
"I need to leave," he spat. He was seeing red everywhere. "Something is going on at home. I think one of the children is hurt."
"You think?" Max's puzzled question came. Georg rolled his eyes. He really didn't feel like going into details.
"I wouldn't know. The insolent little governess hung up without telling me what was happening," he fumed. He just wanted to get his things packed and leave. He was sure he was going to fire her if one of the children were harmed in any way.
"What if we came with you?" Georg's eyes snapped to Elsa's in shock. Had she really just suggested coming down to stay with him? At a time like this? He couldn't think properly about her proposal, he was too angry to think.
"Why?" was his simple question.
"I've always wanted to see your home, plus you might require some help if one of the children have been injured," she shrugged. Georg could see her motives clearly. So, this was her tactic? She wanted him to bring her to his home, to introduce her to his children? He knew it would be a big step in the unofficial relationship they had, but he couldn't, for the life of him, see it as being a good idea.
"I don't think it would be a good idea at the time," Georg muttered. He didn't have the patience for the conversation. He needed to leave as quickly as possible to find out what had happened to his children.
"Why not? I haven't been to your home in years, and I quite fancy myself a trip. Besides, Elsa's right. If one of the children has been hurt, you might need back-up, even if it is just to get rid of the governess," Max spoke up. Of course, Max would side with Elsa. Max seemed as if he would do anything to bring their relationship closer.
Georg looked up to the ceiling. He really didn't feel like arguing the two of them, he just wanted to leave and find out what chaos was erupting at home. He knew if he told them no, they would ask why. Frankly, he didn't have the time to list off the reasons.
"Fine, but I want to be ready to leave in half an hour," he grumbled before walking in the direction of his room.
"We better get packing," he heard Max say. Georg groaned as he entered his room. The last thing he needed was for Elsa and Max to try and calm him down with humor right now. He was sure at this point that any efforts to calm him would only infuriate him more.
As he began throwing clothes into his suitcase, he considered just how bad of an idea it was to bring them with him. Any objections from Georg to his friends would only delay his travel plans, which was the last thing he wanted. He needed to get home as soon as possible to assess the situation and get Maria out of his life for good.
Maria threw open the door to the von Trapp house and stood off to the side as Friedrich helped his brother into the foyer. All she could feel was the heavy weight of guilt in her chest as she watched Kurt hop through the threshold, his ankle thick with bandages.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Things at the house in Aigen had been relatively calm in Georg's absence, though it had gotten off to a rocky start. Where Maria had thought she made progress with the children the night of the thunderstorm, she was quickly proven wrong when she was met with cold eyes at the breakfast table and stained jeans due to sitting in colored gelatin that was placed on her seat.
At first, she had been at a loss. The children had been smiling and laughing when she had danced around her room with them on the night of the thunderstorm. She had thought she had broken through their walls, so why would they act stony towards her again?
She quickly realized that just because she sang to them when they were scared, it didn't mean that they had accepted her. She had been the only figure of comfort they could go to when they had been frightened. They had lowered their walls in a moment of vulnerability, but that didn't mean that the walls were gone.
She knew that it would take more than a single night of providing comfort to them to get them to open up to her. The children had known no other world than that of being on their own. When their mother had died, they had also lost their father in a sense. For five years, they had gotten used to being independent and being wary of adults in their lives.
It had been difficult, at first, to get them to even listen to her. It seemed as if they were trying to actively ignore her, using their phones as shields. Maria had only been grateful that Marta and Gretl were far too young for such technology. They were the most receptive to her.
She had come up with a plan on the first morning she spent with them. She had to be careful while treading between discipline and openness. When they went to do their studies, Maria told them they had to set their phones on her desk while they worked. She had been met with five defiant stares, but she made them a deal. She said after each hour, they could take a fifteen-minute break to check their phones, and they would end lessons half an hour before lunch so they could relax a little.
The children had been utterly bewildered at the prospect for a moment, but they ultimately agreed that it was a fair trade. Maria had felt a small sense of victory in the moment.
She had walked around to each child that morning and asked what they were studying, supplying help where she could. They were intelligent children, there was no doubt about that. It seemed that they had a firm grasp the lessons they were given, but she still made it clear that she was there to help.
When lunch came around, Maria was completely thrown off to find a spider walking across her meal. She tried very hard to keep herself composed and not react. It was like a lesson she had learned as a young girl; if you don't react to a bully, they will lose interest. But still, the fact that they had pulled another trick made Maria work all that much harder.
She had declared after breakfast that they were forgoing their walk around the lake, and instead, they would play a game. The eldest children had groaned, claiming to be too old for games, but Maria was having none of it. She was firm about telling them that participation was necessary.
They had been reluctant at first, but when Maria announced that they would play capture the flag in the yard, she saw a few eyes light up. There was more than enough space to play and they had the perfect number to split the teams evenly. The game started off quite timidly. Most of the children had played the game at school but they must have felt a little awkward playing it in their yars, especially when they were supposed to be doing their readings.
In the end, the children had seemed to enjoy themselves. They were laughing and smiling by the time the game had come to an end. Maria had felt it to be another small victory. They may still be wary of her, but at least she was making small strides. And it was positively warming to see them smile and laugh.
She allowed them to have another half hour of free time after the game to check their phones or do something else that they wanted to do. Kurt and Friedrich had pulled out a ball to toss around while the two youngest girls chased each other around the yard. Liesl, Louisa, and Brigitta opted to sit on the terrace with Maria. Liesl remained on her phone the whole time, occasionally smiling and giggling to herself. Louisa had scrolled through her phone for a few minutes before joining the boys in their game of catch. Brigitta, like Maria, sat with a book and read.
When it was two hours until dinner, Maria announced that it was time for them to do their required reading. Each of the children had groaned, not wanting their time outside to end. Now that they had the chance to be children, they didn't want to stop.
Maria had presented options to them. They could go inside and read quietly to themselves, as was customary, or they could stay outside and take turns reading different sections of the text. It had been unanimously agreed that they would stay outside and read. Each child was assigned a few paragraphs while Maria helped Gretl and Marta through the text. Friedrich and Kurt had taken it upon themselves to do funny voices for the characters, bringing everyone to tears by the time dinner was being served.
Maria felt a swell of pride when dinner was much less quiet than the other three meals she had shared with the family had been. The children talked amongst themselves with abandon, and they would even occasionally ask Maria a question or include her in the conversation. She felt completely satisfied that they were being a little more open. She knew that one day didn't magically make their walls break down, but she was already seeing improvement, and that was enough.
They had even been open to watching a movie all together in one of the sitting rooms after dinner, something Marta had admitted she had rarely done in her life. It seemed that the tv was barely used in the house. If the children wanted to watch something, they confessed that they would stream it on their phones and laptops. They very rarely watched something together.
Maria carefully selected a Disney movie, deciding that would be the most appropriate and enjoyable to the age groups she was presented with. Maria had barely bee able to contain her adoration when she felt Marta and Gretl drift off on either side of her. They each had a head on one of Maria's shoulders as they slumped against her. It was one of the most precious things Maria had ever experienced.
After the movie, the children had wished her goodnight and headed off to bed, only Liesl stuck behind to carry a sleeping Gretl to her bed while Maria carried Marta. Once the girls were tucked in, she had gently asked Liesl questions, easing into the topic of boys. As Maria suspected, there was a boy she was interested in. A sophomore at her high school named Rolf. Liesl blushed and looked away when she spoke his name. Liesl didn't give many details and Maria didn't push. The conversation was just a way to let Liesl know that she could talk to Maria, and a way for Maria to treat her more like the young woman she was instead of a child.
Maria had gone to bed that night feeling the most splendid sense of exhaustion. The children had tired her out but in a good way. She felt that she had completed a full day of work and had made leaps with the children.
She hadn't even noticed that she hadn't thought of Georg the entire day until she woke from a fitful dream, remembering only a pair of electric blue eyes.
The nights were the only time she had the time to think about him, which gave Maria overwhelming relief. The days were far too busy to dwell on him too much, and they exhausted her so much that she fell asleep quickly. It was only when her body would jolt awake after a dream about him that she would really think about him. She wondered what he was doing, if he was having a good time, if he was coming back soon. She briefly considered texting him after a week to ask when he was coming back, but ultimately decided against it. His number was for emergencies, she reminded herself. Besides, it was far easier getting the children to open up without sticking exactly to his schedule.
And so, the days passed, much in the same fashion of the first day. The children hadn't taken to her after just one day. They had continued with tricks for a few more days, but they became increasingly less drastic. They hid her lesson plans once, put a giant rock in her bed, put a slug in her shoe, and given her a cup of tea with salt instead of sugar.
All in all, the pranks were of no consequence. She knew by their attitudes that they were slowly warming up to her with each passing day, and after a few days, the pranks stopped completely. They did something different every day, whether it be a new game or simply walking into Salzburg to wander around.
Mrs. Schmidt had pulled Maria into a hug on the fifth day, telling her that she hadn't seen the children so happy in years. She had thanked Maria for bringing the light back into their eyes. Maria was completely humbled. She really hadn't done anything except let the children be children, but still, they flourished with a little nurturing.
Two weeks later, everything had been going smoothly. She and the children were getting along. Some of them were still wary of her, but for the most part, she had felt confident in knocking down the walls that they had built up for so long. She felt a fierce protectiveness over the seven of them.
That morning, it had been so beautiful outside that Maria suggested they go outdoors to do their lessons. With a few extension cords plugged in for the children who needed their laptops, they all sat around the table on the terrace. It was when Maria allowed the children a break that everything went horribly wrong.
She had been playing a game of tag with Marta and Gretl, at their request. She had been startled when her phone began buzzing in her pocket. She was even more surprised when the caller ID read 'Captain'.
She had answered quickly, feeling extremely curious to why he would be calling her. Maybe something had happened? She sent a quick prayer as she picked up that he wasn't hurt.
Luckily, he was fine. He was wondering about his children, and that shocked Maria to the core. Most of her conversations with him, though quite few, he had never shown much interest in how the children were. He cared about them following rules and schedules, but he had never expressed genuine concern over them. She was quite pleased that the nature of the call was due to his curiosity about their well-being.
She had walked up closer to the house, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart at the sound of his voice. His voice was quite soothing, she noted before reprimanding herself for the thought.
She kept her answers brief, only relaying that they had been working on their studies and required reading and were well-behaved. She didn't want to tell him that she had tweaked his rules to be a bit more relaxed. She figured that when he came back, they would be able to have that conversation in person. She wanted him to see how well they were doing before he argued with her way of doing things.
His genuine shock at hearing his children were well-behaved was laughable. Perhaps if he had gotten to know his children a little better, he would know that they could behave perfectly well, when given the chance.
It was then that she had noticed Kurt scaling up one of the big fir trees near the garden. From what she could tell, Louisa had been teasing him about not being able to reach to top and he had taken the challenge. Marta had let out a squeal when Kurt's foot slipped on the branch.
Maria had covered the phone with her hand and yelled over to him to be careful and to stop climbing. She had prayed that the Georg hadn't heard, but he had. He was calling her name, but she could barely hear him over the roaring of her own heart as Kurt, a quarter the way up the tree, had lost his footing once again and came tumbling down, landing with a thud.
Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl had screamed as their brother landed in front of them with a shriek of his own, his hands going straight for his left foot, which Maria presumed he had landed on. She vaguely heard herself calling out Kurt's name before she was running in his direction, briefly telling Georg that she had to go.
She knew that hanging up the phone was a dangerous move. She knew he was likely outraged, but her main concern was making sure that Kurt was okay. She would deal with Georg later.
She had rushed to his side, smoothing his hair as a tear escaped his eye. She directed her attention to his left foot and assessed the damage. It looked like he had twisted his ankle upon falling. She didn't think it was broken, but she couldn't be too sure.
Maria leapt into action, telling Liesl to fetch Mrs. Schmidt while she asked Friedrich to help her lift Kurt up. The boy tried his hardest to be stoic, but a few tears had begun to escape from his eyes.
Mrs. Schmidt had run out in a frenzy to meet them and Maria briefly told her what happened and said that they needed to get Kurt to the doctor. From what Maria could tell after a quick look over, the boy didn't have any further injuries, but she wanted to make sure all was well, and that his ankle wasn't broken.
Mrs. Schmidt had called for Franz and gave him instructions to drive Maria, Friedrich, and Kurt to the doctor immediately.
It had taken three hours in a waiting room for the doctor to get to them, and a ten-minute assessment and one quick x ray for the doctor to tell Maria that Kurt just had a sprained ankle and a couple of bruised. She had sighed in relief, bringing the young boy into a hug and telling her she was sorry he had gotten hurt.
Kurt had looked her in the eye in that moment and shook his head. He told her that she couldn't blame herself because he was the one who had made the choice. In that moment, Maria had seen what a fine young man Kurt was becoming. Even though he was a little jokester, he had a steady head on his shoulders.
She had tried to call Georg while the doctor was bandaging up Kurt's foot to restrict his motion while it healed. She had been shocked that he hadn't picked up. She had expected him to be waiting by the phone to demand answers, and probably, Maria thought, end her employment.
She understood that her actions had not been professional. She should have stayed on the phone and explained the situation to Georg, but she didn't want to give him uncertain news if he was miles away and couldn't do anything about it. Her priority was making sure Kurt was okay, first and foremost. She didn't want to tell Georg that his son had broken his ankle if he hadn't.
Maria had called Franz to come pick them back up. Once they had arrived and Friedrich helped Kurt cross the threshold, they noticed the five frantic girls standing in the foyer.
"Kurt, are you okay?"
"Did you break your foot?"
"Does it hurt?"
The questions were immediately thrown at Kurt, and the boy beamed. While was still in pain, his spirits had lifted considerable when he realized they were going to be missing their required reading that afternoon. The popsicle that a nurse had given him in the waiting room had brought his mood up as well.
"I didn't break anything, just a sprained ankle," Kurt shrugged, his arm still around his brother as Friedrich supported him.
"Kurt, you need to lie down now. I want you to keep your leg up and keep ice on it," Maria instructed. Kurt gave her a brief nod before he began hopping up the stairs with Friedrich, and now Louisa, supporting his weight.
"Can we tuck him in?" Gretl asked. Maria smiled warmly at the girl as she patted her head.
"Sure, why don't we all go up. Once Kurt has his foot up, you can ask him as many questions as you want," Maria told the remaining four girls. "Brigitta, could you grab an ice pack for Kurt's ankle?"
Once Brigitta had retrieved the ice pack and Maria had assured Maria that their brother was fine, just sore, the five of them climbed the stairs together Thy reached the boys' shared room where Louisa and Friedrich were sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed with him. Gretl climbed up on the bed and wrapped her arms around Kurt's neck. Maria felt her heart warm at the sight of Gretl comforting her older brother.
They eight of them talked for a while; the girls asked questions about what the doctor had said, and Kurt indulged them in an overly dramatic retelling of the events that earned a silent eyeroll from Maria and a smack on the shoulder from Friedrich.
No one had noticed that someone had slipped into the room until they heard a throat clear. Maria turned to meet the enraged eyes of Georg, who was staring at her with such a fury that she was sure she would combust into flames under his gaze. The room fell silent as governess and father stared each other down.
It was Georg who finally broke the silence.
"Ms. Rainer, I need to speak to you privately. Now."
A/N: Oh no, a cliffhanger!
This chapter is basically a setup for the next few chapters and writing it has been quite a task. I wrote about three other versions of this chapter, but this was the version that made me the least angry and made the most sense for what I'm going to be doing in the future.
It's not very plot heavy, but I hope you like it. Or tolerate it enough to stay tuned for the next chapter, which I'm really excited for.
The next update might not be as speedy as my previous updates, I'm afraid. It's exam season for me, and I foolishly agreed to a number of social events that I'm expected to attend this week. I'm hoping to get out another chapter before the beginning of next week.
Thank you so much for reading, and to all of you who have reviewed, your comments warm my heart :)