Chapter Three: A New Governess

May 28, 1938

            Today is the day our governess is supposed to show up.  I am dreading it.  We prepared for tricks again.  Sadly this time we only could find a frog to put in her pocket, but that will do.  We were up in our rooms and we started to talk about an ideal governess.  Brigitta was downstairs reading a book or something. 

            "To bad we didn't have a nice younger governess." Louisa said. 

            "Yea, wouldn't it be lovely if she was young and she loved to sing."  I added.  That would be cool to have someone like that.

            "Someone who would climb tress with us and play sports." Kurt yelled.

            "Someone who would could sew and make us beautiful play clothes we could get dirty." Marta said.

            "How about a governess that fights back when we play tricks on her and doesn't tell Father what we did?" Fredrich asked.

            "How about a governess who is just as outspoken and stubborn as Father is?  Then she could fight with him!  That would be so funny to see someone fight with Father!"  Louisa said.

"I just want someone who really loves us…loves us like a Mother would." Gretl stated.  I smiled at them and walked out of the room.  Poor little Gretl she didn't even really get to know what Mother's love felt like.  I looked down and father was talking to Franz.  They had quite an interesting conversation going.

            "Sir the children's new governess is here." He replied.

            "Thanks Franz.  Where is that old nun anyway?" He said rather jokingly.

            "Well Sir I am not sure, but she is not old… she is quite young actually." He replied.

            "Oh?  Well at least I won't get yelled at by her for doing what I do, since she is so young.  She will probably be scared of me." He laughed at the prospect of the new governess doing whatever he said.  I however was not so sure.  I went back into my room and thought.  How young exactly was "young?"  Well a young governess for a change huh?  The whistle blew and we started to march down the stairs.  I looked down at our new governess.  She had short blond hair and piercing blue eyes.  I would say she was pretty, but she had on this ugly dress.  Yuck why would someone ever wear something like that?  Father introduced us the usual way he always does to a new governess.  This time however Fraulein Maria told him that she would us are names, instead of the whistle.  I was impressed for a moment.  Then Father told her what her signal was.  Oh I was embarrassed for him.  Maria made a face and then she said:

            "No I'm sorry sir, I could never answer to a whistle.  Whistles are for dogs and cats and other animals, but not for children.  And definitely not for me.  It would be to humiliating."  She answered.  Ha!  If it were not for my immediate dislike to all governesses I would have laughed.  He asked her if she was this much trouble in the abbey and she replied with:

            "Oh much more sir." Wow now I really thought I would laugh out loud.  My Father left and Maria blew on her whistle at him.

            "I'm sorry sir, but I don't know your signal." She said.  He told her to call him Captain and left.  He looked mad.  I was a bit amused myself.  She gave him a taste of his own medicine.  Wow hilarious.  To bad she is a governess or I might like her.  She asked me my name and I quickly answered.

            "I am Liesl.  I am sixteen years old and I don't need a governess." I said. 

            "I'm glad you told me Liesl, we will just be good friends." She replied.  I was amazed.  She did not tell me how bratty I was being she just accepted it.  Then she told us she had never been a governess before.  So of course Louisa's eyes grew big and we all started to tell her all the wrong things to do.  We put a frog in her pocket and watched her scream at the sight of it.  I was feeling slightly bad as we took our walk outside.  I could tell Marta and Gretl liked her.  We discussed what to put on her seat at dinner.  Kurt suggested killing a rat, but I had to speak up.

            "Umm…maybe we should just put a pinecone or something small on her seat." I said.  Pinecones were one of our first ideas. That was before we hated our governesses so much.  We walked into the dining room.  Father was already there waiting.  He looked rather amused.

            "Is a pinecone all you got to put on that seat?  I thought you might kill an animal or something."  He said.  I couldn't help but smile at Kurt.

            "Oh Father well we decided a pinecone was okay for today, Father please don't make us throw it away."  Louisa begged.  Father laughed at this.  I had not heard his laugh in quite some time. 

            "Sorry children I caught you this time.  There will be no pinecones in this room." He answered.  "We wouldn't want this governess to leave…would we"?  He smiled.  Strange if you ask me.  He always seemed to love it when we would get the better of the governesses.  Why did he not want Maria to leave?  I don't understand.  He should want to get rid of her too.  Oh all this talking about Father has gotten me tired.  I will write more about what happened tomorrow morning.  This has been a long entry for a long day.

May 29, 1938

            Sorry about last night.  I was so tired and the thunderstorm was beckoning me to listen to it.  I love thunderstorms.  Oh anyways back to last night.  We sat down waiting for Maria.  I hadn't noticed, but Kurt put the pinecone on the chair when Father was not looking.  Maria entered and said hello to us.  Then she sat down and screamed.  Oh how funny.  I could not help, but laugh.  Father seemed to be a little surprised.  I was surprised when she did not tell on us, until she started talking about the frog.  Oh I was mad. Father asked.

            "What precious gift?" He asked.

            "It is meant to be a secret Captain, between the children and me." She replied.  She is keeping it a secret?

            "Ahh then I suggest that you keep in and let use eat." He answered.  Oh I think he is a little mad at her.  This is getting fun.  I have never seen a governess do this to Father before.  She went right on talking.  What she said made Marta cry.  This aggravated Father even more.

            "Fraulin? Is it to be at ever meal or merely at dinner time that you intend on leading us to the rare and wonderful new world of…indigestion?" He asked.

            "Oh there're all right Captain there just happy." She answered and smiled at him.  This made the little ones cry even louder.  I was filled with happiness and I knew I was on the verge of cracking up.  I was so happy that we had a governess that fought back.  Dinnertime had never been so entertaining.  I don't think Father has ever been that irritated before.  If he had been irritated and mad he would usually win the battle of wit at least.  Now I think he had found his equal and I think she is winning as of right now.  I knew I had to leave before I busted into giggles.  This is when the day got even better.  A telegram was delivered and that meant that Rolfe must have been waiting for me. 

            "Father may I be excused?" I asked innocently.  He made this disapproving grown and started talking about leaving for Vienna in the morning to visit the Baroness.  I stood up to go and get water.  Surly if he was going to leave for one month I could leave the dinner table tonight.  Besides I did not want to hear him talking about his girlfriend.  I have never met the Baroness, and I don't think I want to.  I left and saw Maria staring at me.  Oh she is observant.  It was almost as if she read my mind.  I left quickly, but couldn't help thinking maybe just maybe Maria was different from all other governesses.