THE MORNING OF THE WEDDING
It was strange waking up in her old room at the abbey, Maria thought as she looked around at the plain white walls. She'd slept better than she'd expected though, she had thought the nervousness for her wedding day would have kept her awake throughout the night. Fortunately she'd been so tired from all the preparations for the wedding that she had managed to sleep quite well after all.
She looked at her wedding dress, which was on a hanger on the outside of her dresser. It was absolutely gorgeous, simple, elegant... she loved it. She hoped Georg would like it, too. She thought he would. But then again, he'd been so impatient for this day to arrive... he probably wouldn't mind if she wore a gunnysack, as long as she said "I do"!
It had been a good idea to spend the last night before the wedding in the abbey. Maria felt it was both a sort of final goodbye, and a very convenient solution for her: the sisters would be there to help her prepare for the wedding in peace and there was no chance Georg would catch a glimpse of her in her dress before the ceremony. The children would get dressed at home - Liesl and Frau Schmidt would help the little ones get ready, and Max could look after the boys a bit.
She wondered what Georg was thinking. Would he be as anxious as she? Oh, she was exited, but also a little bit, well.... scared. She would be the centre of attention all day, everybody who was anybody in Salzburg would be in the church, looking at her as she walked down the aisle. And she wasn't even thinking about the wedding night - the thought of that made her even more nervous. She knew about the physical part - the Mother Abbess had even subtly informed her on that the evening before, which had been a rather embarrassing moment. But she was more worried about how it would go, what would happen once Georg and she were alone. How would she know what to do? Better not think about that - she should just try and enjoy this day, her wedding day, and let things come as they came.
With that uplifting thought, she turned back the covers and jumped out of bed. Just when she reached for her dressing gown, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Maria answered.
Sister Margaretta entered the room. She looked bright and very awake, but then again, the nuns got up early each day to go to morning Mass. Maria smiled at her. She'd always liked sister Margaretta very much.
"Good morning dear. I just wanted to make sure if you got some sleep?"
Maria nodded happily. Then she noticed sister Margaretta looking at the neckline of her nightgown, which was visible under her open dressing gown. It wasn't anything like the nightgowns she was used to wearing when she was still in the convent. This one was of a creamy colour and made of soft, shining silk. It had thin straps over her shoulders, leaving the top of her back bare, and had a V-neck lined with lace. It was not extremely revealing, but Maria felt it was very out of place here. She covered herself up with her dressing gown quickly.
"Oh I am sorry sister Margaretta," she apologized. "But the dressmaker who helped me with my new wardrobe suggested this nightgown for the wedding night - I like it but I've never slept in anything like this before and I just wanted to know what it would feel like!" Maria felt her face turn red and looked away from Margaretta. She couldn't believe what she had just said - why would sister Margaretta care what she'd wear on her wedding night?
But Margaretta smiled. " It's very pretty, Maria. And, maybe you'd like to come and have some breakfast?"
Maria nodded gratefully. "Yes, I'll be right there", she said, and Margaretta left.
Quickly, Maria put on the dress she'd worn yesterday when she arrived. She would put her wedding dress on later, she didn't want to sit around in it all morning. She walked to the breakfast hall and realized this would be the very last time she'd be having breakfast at the convent. It was a strange feeling. She'd miss the Abbey, but she was also convinced now that the life of a nun would not have suited her. The Reverend Mother was right - she had found her life, the life she was born to live.
After breakfast, when most of the nuns went about their tasks, Maria returned to her room. She packed the few belongings she'd brought for this one night into her bag, and then took a shower. She put on the silk underwear and slip that went with her wedding dress. Then she sat down on the only chair in the room and waited for sister Margaretta end the Reverend Mother, who were coming to help her get dressed. While she sat and waited, her thoughts drifted toward her conversation with the Mother Abbes the evening before.
Georg had taken her to the Abbey by car. He'd parked the car and walked her to the gate of the convent, carrying her bag. He had agreed that it was a good idea for Maria to stay the night in the convent, but he seemed reluctant to say goodbye, even for one night.
He kissed her and held her close to him. "I wish we wouldn't have to be apart for another night," he whispered into her ear.
" It's just one more night... we'll be able to manage that," Maria had smiled in return. Then she'd kissed him back, and they'd stood there in the dusk for a few minutes without speaking, just kissing each other passionately.
In the end, Maria was the one to pull out of the embrace. She felt after all these weeks of holding back, she was about to give in to all of her desires right there on the threshold of the convent garden. Before losing grip completely, she figured she should put an end to their kisses. "Till tomorrow. Sweet dreams," she whispered, grabbed her bag, and slipped through the gate, leaving Georg standing outside sighing. He watched her until she'd gone inside, and then drove away.
When Maria walked in, she was met by the Mother Abbess. Apparently, the woman had heard the car stop and had wanted to go out to greet Maria and the Captain, but had quickly stopped in her tracks when she realized she'd be about to walk in on a heated embrace. She hugged Maria and kissed her cheek.
"Good evening my child. I'm so glad to see you," she greeted her. "I'm glad to see you too, Mother," answered Maria. "You look beautiful. I can tell you are happy," said the Reverend Mother. "I'm glad. Come to my office, we will drink some tea and have a talk."
After one of the sisters had brought some tea and they were both comfortable, the Mother Abbes said: "Now look at you dear. Only a few months ago you wanted to spend your life as a nun. But tomorrow, you will be a married woman and the mother of seven!" Maria smiled. She loved Georg and she loved the children. How lucky she was to be getting it all in one go! "Yes Mother. And I want to thank you. You knew my life was not in this convent, and I am so grateful for you wisdom."
Of course, the Mother Abbess didn't want to hear this praise. "Maria, you have found your life and your love with the help of God. Thank Him, not me." And then, she'd started to talk about the wedding night. The Mother Abbess knew Maria had grown up mostly without parents, and particularly the lack of a mother made her want to take over that role at this important moment in Maria's life. "My dear, I couldn't help but notice your goodbye to Captain von Trapp." Maria felt a blush shoot to her cheeks and only produced a mumbled ' oh'. The Reverend Mother smiled quietly to herself, without Maria noticing.
"You seemed quite, eh, comfortable with each other... Still, I thought maybe you had some questions I could help you with regarding your wedding night?" Maria turned even redder. Having spent most of her life in the company of cows and sheep, she knew very well what to expect - at least in theory, and she assumed correctly that the Mother Abbess wouldn't be able to help out at all with the practical side. But she didn't want to stop her from speaking either. So, Maria kept quiet and listened to the old woman's explanation of how she was supposed to do her duty as a wife, that she should allow her husband his conjugal rights, etcetera, etcetera. Somehow, through her embarrassment, she thought - hoped - that it wouldn't be like that. Nor her knowledge of the animals, nor her biology book, nor the Mother Abbess seemed to think there was anything pleasurable about the whole business. But if their ever more heated embraces were any indication, there would be pleasure! And desire, and love.... she'd felt herself tingle all over at Georg's kisses, his cautiously exploring hands stroking her. She'd been wanting more, feeling that there must be something she wasn't hearing about. Not yet anyway, she was sure to find out soon enough.
So, when the Reverend Mother cleared her throat (she was obviously a bit embarrassed herself) Maria quickly thanked her, and excused herself.
But that had been yesterday. Maria shook off the thought of it, and as if they had known she was ready, sister Margaretta and the Reverend Mother appeared at her doorstep to help her get ready. The wedding was at noon, so there was plenty of time.
The nuns helped Maria into her beautiful dress, making sure she didn't step on it and carefully buttoning up all the small buttons on her back. Last thing they put on her veil and the laurel wrath that kept it in place. When Maria was ready, she looked into a mirror and looked at herself in surprise. She hardly recognised herself in this gorgeous gown... she looked so.... grown-up and beautiful! She'd always considered herself rather plain, but now she understood why the baroness had said that she was 'quite attractive'. She smiled nervously and breathed deep. A knock on the door came and sister Sophia peeked her head into the room. Like the others had done, she told Maria again and again how beautiful she looked. Then she handed her a bouquet of flowers.
"Captain von Trapp is at the church, and he brought your bouquet," she said. Maria accepted it gratefully and buried her face in the fresh roses and lilacs. So Georg had arrived at the church... he was only a few minutes away from her now. She swallowed away her nerves and turned to the door. This was it. Time to go.
While waiting for the organ to begin playing, the nuns made some final adjustments to Maria's dress and veil. Then she walked to the gate at the back of the church, where she was met by Liesl, the bridesmaid, and Marta and Gretl, who'd be flower girls. They didn't say anything but the smiles on their faces told Maria they too were both very happy, and nervous.
And then the moment was there. The little girls started their walk toward the altar, followed by Liesl, and then Maria found herself walking down the isle toward her fiancé.
When she saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs to the altar, Maria's heart jumped. How handsome he looked in his naval uniform, with all the decorations. And she could tell from his face that he was just as proud of her, as she was walking toward him. Still nervous, but feeling stronger, Maria bravely strode forward and gratefully took Georg's hand when she reached him. Their eyes met, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Then, they turned to face the priest together.
It was strange waking up in her old room at the abbey, Maria thought as she looked around at the plain white walls. She'd slept better than she'd expected though, she had thought the nervousness for her wedding day would have kept her awake throughout the night. Fortunately she'd been so tired from all the preparations for the wedding that she had managed to sleep quite well after all.
She looked at her wedding dress, which was on a hanger on the outside of her dresser. It was absolutely gorgeous, simple, elegant... she loved it. She hoped Georg would like it, too. She thought he would. But then again, he'd been so impatient for this day to arrive... he probably wouldn't mind if she wore a gunnysack, as long as she said "I do"!
It had been a good idea to spend the last night before the wedding in the abbey. Maria felt it was both a sort of final goodbye, and a very convenient solution for her: the sisters would be there to help her prepare for the wedding in peace and there was no chance Georg would catch a glimpse of her in her dress before the ceremony. The children would get dressed at home - Liesl and Frau Schmidt would help the little ones get ready, and Max could look after the boys a bit.
She wondered what Georg was thinking. Would he be as anxious as she? Oh, she was exited, but also a little bit, well.... scared. She would be the centre of attention all day, everybody who was anybody in Salzburg would be in the church, looking at her as she walked down the aisle. And she wasn't even thinking about the wedding night - the thought of that made her even more nervous. She knew about the physical part - the Mother Abbess had even subtly informed her on that the evening before, which had been a rather embarrassing moment. But she was more worried about how it would go, what would happen once Georg and she were alone. How would she know what to do? Better not think about that - she should just try and enjoy this day, her wedding day, and let things come as they came.
With that uplifting thought, she turned back the covers and jumped out of bed. Just when she reached for her dressing gown, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Maria answered.
Sister Margaretta entered the room. She looked bright and very awake, but then again, the nuns got up early each day to go to morning Mass. Maria smiled at her. She'd always liked sister Margaretta very much.
"Good morning dear. I just wanted to make sure if you got some sleep?"
Maria nodded happily. Then she noticed sister Margaretta looking at the neckline of her nightgown, which was visible under her open dressing gown. It wasn't anything like the nightgowns she was used to wearing when she was still in the convent. This one was of a creamy colour and made of soft, shining silk. It had thin straps over her shoulders, leaving the top of her back bare, and had a V-neck lined with lace. It was not extremely revealing, but Maria felt it was very out of place here. She covered herself up with her dressing gown quickly.
"Oh I am sorry sister Margaretta," she apologized. "But the dressmaker who helped me with my new wardrobe suggested this nightgown for the wedding night - I like it but I've never slept in anything like this before and I just wanted to know what it would feel like!" Maria felt her face turn red and looked away from Margaretta. She couldn't believe what she had just said - why would sister Margaretta care what she'd wear on her wedding night?
But Margaretta smiled. " It's very pretty, Maria. And, maybe you'd like to come and have some breakfast?"
Maria nodded gratefully. "Yes, I'll be right there", she said, and Margaretta left.
Quickly, Maria put on the dress she'd worn yesterday when she arrived. She would put her wedding dress on later, she didn't want to sit around in it all morning. She walked to the breakfast hall and realized this would be the very last time she'd be having breakfast at the convent. It was a strange feeling. She'd miss the Abbey, but she was also convinced now that the life of a nun would not have suited her. The Reverend Mother was right - she had found her life, the life she was born to live.
After breakfast, when most of the nuns went about their tasks, Maria returned to her room. She packed the few belongings she'd brought for this one night into her bag, and then took a shower. She put on the silk underwear and slip that went with her wedding dress. Then she sat down on the only chair in the room and waited for sister Margaretta end the Reverend Mother, who were coming to help her get dressed. While she sat and waited, her thoughts drifted toward her conversation with the Mother Abbes the evening before.
Georg had taken her to the Abbey by car. He'd parked the car and walked her to the gate of the convent, carrying her bag. He had agreed that it was a good idea for Maria to stay the night in the convent, but he seemed reluctant to say goodbye, even for one night.
He kissed her and held her close to him. "I wish we wouldn't have to be apart for another night," he whispered into her ear.
" It's just one more night... we'll be able to manage that," Maria had smiled in return. Then she'd kissed him back, and they'd stood there in the dusk for a few minutes without speaking, just kissing each other passionately.
In the end, Maria was the one to pull out of the embrace. She felt after all these weeks of holding back, she was about to give in to all of her desires right there on the threshold of the convent garden. Before losing grip completely, she figured she should put an end to their kisses. "Till tomorrow. Sweet dreams," she whispered, grabbed her bag, and slipped through the gate, leaving Georg standing outside sighing. He watched her until she'd gone inside, and then drove away.
When Maria walked in, she was met by the Mother Abbess. Apparently, the woman had heard the car stop and had wanted to go out to greet Maria and the Captain, but had quickly stopped in her tracks when she realized she'd be about to walk in on a heated embrace. She hugged Maria and kissed her cheek.
"Good evening my child. I'm so glad to see you," she greeted her. "I'm glad to see you too, Mother," answered Maria. "You look beautiful. I can tell you are happy," said the Reverend Mother. "I'm glad. Come to my office, we will drink some tea and have a talk."
After one of the sisters had brought some tea and they were both comfortable, the Mother Abbes said: "Now look at you dear. Only a few months ago you wanted to spend your life as a nun. But tomorrow, you will be a married woman and the mother of seven!" Maria smiled. She loved Georg and she loved the children. How lucky she was to be getting it all in one go! "Yes Mother. And I want to thank you. You knew my life was not in this convent, and I am so grateful for you wisdom."
Of course, the Mother Abbess didn't want to hear this praise. "Maria, you have found your life and your love with the help of God. Thank Him, not me." And then, she'd started to talk about the wedding night. The Mother Abbess knew Maria had grown up mostly without parents, and particularly the lack of a mother made her want to take over that role at this important moment in Maria's life. "My dear, I couldn't help but notice your goodbye to Captain von Trapp." Maria felt a blush shoot to her cheeks and only produced a mumbled ' oh'. The Reverend Mother smiled quietly to herself, without Maria noticing.
"You seemed quite, eh, comfortable with each other... Still, I thought maybe you had some questions I could help you with regarding your wedding night?" Maria turned even redder. Having spent most of her life in the company of cows and sheep, she knew very well what to expect - at least in theory, and she assumed correctly that the Mother Abbess wouldn't be able to help out at all with the practical side. But she didn't want to stop her from speaking either. So, Maria kept quiet and listened to the old woman's explanation of how she was supposed to do her duty as a wife, that she should allow her husband his conjugal rights, etcetera, etcetera. Somehow, through her embarrassment, she thought - hoped - that it wouldn't be like that. Nor her knowledge of the animals, nor her biology book, nor the Mother Abbess seemed to think there was anything pleasurable about the whole business. But if their ever more heated embraces were any indication, there would be pleasure! And desire, and love.... she'd felt herself tingle all over at Georg's kisses, his cautiously exploring hands stroking her. She'd been wanting more, feeling that there must be something she wasn't hearing about. Not yet anyway, she was sure to find out soon enough.
So, when the Reverend Mother cleared her throat (she was obviously a bit embarrassed herself) Maria quickly thanked her, and excused herself.
But that had been yesterday. Maria shook off the thought of it, and as if they had known she was ready, sister Margaretta and the Reverend Mother appeared at her doorstep to help her get ready. The wedding was at noon, so there was plenty of time.
The nuns helped Maria into her beautiful dress, making sure she didn't step on it and carefully buttoning up all the small buttons on her back. Last thing they put on her veil and the laurel wrath that kept it in place. When Maria was ready, she looked into a mirror and looked at herself in surprise. She hardly recognised herself in this gorgeous gown... she looked so.... grown-up and beautiful! She'd always considered herself rather plain, but now she understood why the baroness had said that she was 'quite attractive'. She smiled nervously and breathed deep. A knock on the door came and sister Sophia peeked her head into the room. Like the others had done, she told Maria again and again how beautiful she looked. Then she handed her a bouquet of flowers.
"Captain von Trapp is at the church, and he brought your bouquet," she said. Maria accepted it gratefully and buried her face in the fresh roses and lilacs. So Georg had arrived at the church... he was only a few minutes away from her now. She swallowed away her nerves and turned to the door. This was it. Time to go.
While waiting for the organ to begin playing, the nuns made some final adjustments to Maria's dress and veil. Then she walked to the gate at the back of the church, where she was met by Liesl, the bridesmaid, and Marta and Gretl, who'd be flower girls. They didn't say anything but the smiles on their faces told Maria they too were both very happy, and nervous.
And then the moment was there. The little girls started their walk toward the altar, followed by Liesl, and then Maria found herself walking down the isle toward her fiancé.
When she saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs to the altar, Maria's heart jumped. How handsome he looked in his naval uniform, with all the decorations. And she could tell from his face that he was just as proud of her, as she was walking toward him. Still nervous, but feeling stronger, Maria bravely strode forward and gratefully took Georg's hand when she reached him. Their eyes met, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Then, they turned to face the priest together.