Chapter 4- Confessions

" Maria?"

The sound of my name rips through the dead silence hanging in the air, startling the baroness and I.

" I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Maria, the children are asking for you." The captain says from the doorway.

I take a deep breath, thankful for the interruption, as I nod and slowly as I get up from my chair.

I take a few steps towards the house, having every intention of going to the children. But I stop when I hear the first whisperings of conversation on the terrace…

" The resemblance between the children and Ellie is uncanny." I hear the baroness say quickly. My heart is starting to race, I know exactly where she's heading. I try to walk away, but my legs refuse to move. " She has your eyes." Her tone is no longer neutral, it's almost, accusing.

" Yes." Is all he can come up with.

" Is she your daughter?" The question leaves her mouth, and I know instantly that she's done playing games, she wants to know the truth.

" Maria hasn't told me who Ellie's father is." He doesn't answer the question, and I say a few futile prayers, hoping that I might still be able to get out of this.

" You didn't answer me. Is that because there is a chance that you are Ellie's father?" Her tone is flat, emotionless.

" Yes." Is all he says.

I can't see her, but I know she's nodding, " You're in love with her?" It's meant to be a question, but instead comes out as a statement.

" Yes." His answers is simple. I find myself unable to breath, unable to move.

" I see." There's still no emotion in her voice.

" Elsa…" He attempts to say, but she stops him before he can say anything else.

" No Georg, please. I know that you love her, you've loved her for a long time. I also, believe that you're Ellie's father. I have no right to keep you from the woman you love, and the child conceived from that love."

My tears start again, as it suddenly dawns on me that she's going to break off their engagement…

I'm torn from my thoughts when I hear Kurt yell from the top of the stairs, " Fraulein Maria?" I look up at him, " Ellie won't stop crying." I nod silently to him, finally finding my legs, as I head towards the stairs.

It took me almost an hour to quiet Ellie down. It's getting late, and I have to get her home. So I agreed to let the children pack up her things and say their goodbyes. While I go downstairs and say goodbye to the captain, and the baroness.

I stop in the doorway, noting that the baroness is gone. The captain stands by the steps leading down the terrace.

I decide to make my exit quick, to say thank you and leave as quickly as possible.

" I think it's time I said goodbye. It's getting late, I have to get Ellie home. Thank you for letting me stay, dinner was lovely. Goodnight." I say, as I turn to leave.

I take a few steps towards the door when I hear his voice, " Maria…why did you leave?"

I stop, but don't turn to him, " I was scared."

" Of what?" I can feel is eyes on me.

I take a deep breath before I turn to face him, " Well, I, umm…"

" Were you afraid of me?" My eyes finally meet his.

" No." I say quietly, desperately fighting my tears.

" Then what were you afraid of?"

My eyes leaves his, and find a spot on the ground, " You were engaged, I was the governess, what would we have told the children? We were never supposed to be together."

He takes a step towards me, and a quick shiver runs through my body, " I was going to go to Vienna the next morning, to break off my engagement."

" What?" I say in total shock.

" I said I loved you and I meant it. What happened between us, wasn't meant to last just one night. No, I wanted to marry you, spend the rest of my life with you."

I stop fighting my tears, but don't look up at him, " When I woke up the next morning, you were gone. Did you return to the abbey?"

I nod tearfully, never removing my gaze from the ground, " And you felt safe and happy in the abbey?"

I hesitate for a moment, before I look up at him, my cheeks stained with tears. " No, I was miserable. I was lonely, and very sick."

" Sick?"

" We thought it was the flu, but it wouldn't go away. After I couldn't eat for a week, the reverend mother decided to call a doctor."

" That's when you found out about Ellie?" Curiosity very present in his voice.

I nod slowly, " She was very understanding. I was given a job teaching Sunday school, and I was able to live on the abbey grounds."

" How did you feel, Maria, what were you thinking?" His tone is soft, almost coaxing.

" I umm…" I stutter afraid if I tell him, I'll finally lose control.

" I wasn't there, I didn't get to see your reaction. To find out your thoughts and your fears. I want know what it was like for you."

" At first, I was terrified. I was all alone; I had no money, no job, nowhere to live. I had nothing to give my child but my love, and that could only take a child so far. The only thing I knew was that I loved the baby more then anything."

" Why didn't you come back?" His tone is firm, despite the tears I see welling in his eyes.

" Come back? Just appear on your doorstep, telling you that you can't get married and I can't be a nun, because I was going to have your child? I couldn't do that. Not to you or the baroness, or the children. That wouldn't have been fair to anyone."

" Is it fair to keep Ellie from her family?" He steps towards me, almost closing the distance between us.

" I…uh…" I stammer, trying desperately to stop my tears.

" When was she born? Where was she born? How big was she? Has her hair always been dark? Why did you name her Ellie?" His eyes look straight into my soul.

" What?" I mumble.

" She's my daughter, I deserve to know these things."

I swallow hard, and take a deep breath, " She was born two and a half months ago, in Salzburg. She weighed just under six pounds, her hair and eyes have always been dark. A blind man could tell she's your daughter." I say, my tears beginning to muffle my words, " I don't know why I named her Ellie. I was looking into her eyes, and the name Ellie just came to me." The last part comes out as a sob, as I'm no longer able to control my tears.

He finally closes the distance between us, and pulls me into his arms. I sob into his chest, as he holds me, his cheek resting against my head. " You didn't have to do it alone, one telephone call Maria, one call and I would have been there in a heartbeat."

" I know." I sob, barely audible into his dinner jacket, " I just couldn't…" He places a tender kiss on the top of my head, as I try to back out of his arms. " I have to go, I…"

" I love you." The honesty I see in his eyes makes my knees go weak. " I have loved you since that night at the dinner table, when you sat on that ridiculous pinecone."

I look at him, tears streaming down my cheeks, " I…" I can't think coherently, as I feel is his hands on my cheeks. He places a soft kiss on my forehead, and my mind goes blank.

" Oh…" I sob, as he tenderly kisses my tears away. My lips start to burn with anticipation…

He stops, just before our lips touch, his eyes looking into every corner of my soul, " Oh, my love." And with that our lips, melt into each other for the first time in almost a year. He pulls me so close to him that I can almost feel his heartbeat, almost feel the sparks flying between us…

His lips move from mine, and I groan with slight displeasure. Until I feel his kiss burning into my cheek, down my jaw, and finally down to my neck.

The world is lost to us, there's no Ellie, no baroness. Nothing. Just the two of us, together. Our lips find each other again… and the last year melts into oblivion.

We're so lost to the world, that we fail to notice the children standing on the terrace…

To be continued…

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Notes:

* I didn't want to have either Georg or the baroness break off the engagement. I'll leave that to your imaginations.

** I hope I filled in the blanks about Maria's feelings when she learned about Ellie. I can always add more, if this doesn't satisfy everyone.

*** I was going for steamy, but I didn't want to push anything. I wanted to make sure that their love for each other was always present.