I stole the line "I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking
about' from Mary Poppins. So, not very original. but it worked perfectly.
Chapter 2 - Pointy Hat and Diamond Earrings
Georg had been right about the children's reaction. They protested high and low when Maria told them she'd be going into town without them. "Please, Fraulein Maria, can't we come? We'll be really good," was Marta's try to convince her. She pressed herself against Maria in a tight hug to add to her words. "Not this time, sweetheart," Maria smiled down at her. "Frau Schmidt has given me this long, boring shopping list to take care of. But this afternoon you can all help me cook" - this was met by excited murmur - "and on Friday, I have to go into town again and then you can all come with me. All right? Now go on picking flowers for Frau Schmidt." Her statement was met by loud chatter. "Can we really help you cook?" This was Louisa. "Oh, are we going into town on Friday?" Liesl looked excited, she always loved going into Salzburg and looking at the shops. Maria confirmed all of this again, and with a last pat on Gretl's head, made her way to back to the house.
She decided to take the bus into town. She could ask Franz to drive her, but she didn't really feel comfortable around Franz. Apart from the short conversation they'd shared the day she arrived, he'd hardly exchanged ten words with her and somehow, he made her feel uneasy. And anyway she loved the bus ride into town - she could sit back and look at the mountains, the lake, and enjoy a quiet moment by herself.
Once she sat down in the bus, she got the list Frau Schmidt had given to her out of her purse. Unfortunately, Tuesday was the housekeeper's usual shopping day and the list was long. A household of 10 people, not even counting staff, obviously ate a great deal of food. Maria scanned the list, and besides food and drink also found a few other items on it for which she'd have to go to a linen shop. Okay, she thought, I'll go to the market first, then the drugstore, and the linen shop last.
So she did, and an hour and a half later, she was in the linen department at Mueller's, Salzburg's largest department store. All the shop attendants were busy, so Maria enjoyed herself with looking around a bit. Shelves and shelves of fine table linen, sheets and soft towels in lovely colours surrounded her.
After 5 minutes of waiting, a girl with a name badge announcing that she was Fraulein Spielberg walked up to her. "Can I help you," she asked politely. Maria nodded and took out her shopping list. "I would like to order some table linen for the Von Trapp family. The housekeeper wrote down the particulars here, but she said that you would probably know what she needed, as she always orders the linen here?" "Oh yes, " said Fraulein Spielberg, looking at the note in Maria's hand and nodding. "We have been supplying all of the linen for the Trapp villa for years. Could Frau Schmidt not come by herself?" While she spoke, she walked around the counter and took out a book marked 'Deliveries'. Maria shook her head. "She has hurt her ankle. Nothing serious, but she asked me to do the shopping for her." Fraulein Spielberg leafed through the delivery book. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she said, lifting up her head to look at Maria. "Please give her my best wishes." Then she continued. "Now look here," she pointed to the page," we will be able to have what you need delivered at the villa by Thursday. Is that all right?" "Just fine, that will be wonderful," replied Maria, a little surprised at the efficiency of this shop girl. "Thank you very much then. I'll be sure to give Frau Schmidt your regards, Fraulein, eh," she looked at the name badge, "Fraulein Spielberg. Goodbye!"
She turned around and meant to head for the stairs, when she was stopped by two elderly ladies. They were dressed rather conservatively in skirts that practically reached the ground, something that had actually gone out of fashion years before. But from the materials of their clothes, the fur- lined hats and painfully precise hairdo's, Maria could tell they were probably quite wealthy. She didn't think she had ever seen them before though, so a little surprised that they had spoken to her, she asked "Yes?"
"My dear girl, we couldn't help but overhear you ordering linen for the Von Trapp household," the woman on Maria's left began. She wore a funny, pointed hat, which bobbed on her head as she spoke and which made Maria want to smile. She managed to keep a straight face however, and nodded to the woman in encouragement, still wondering where this was going. "Well," Pointy-hat continued, "We just want to express our sympathy to the family." Now, the slight wonder on Maria's face was replaced by straight-out astonishment. "I don't know..." she began, but she was interrupted by the other woman. This lady, whose diamond earrings were so large the glitter could probably blind a person, put her gloved hand on Maria's arm and said: "It must be hard, seeing how your employer is disgraced in such a manner. The whole town is speaking of it." She didn't seem to notice that Maria's mouth was slowly dropping open in utter amazement, as it began to dawn on her what the women might be getting at. "After all," the Diamond Earrings went on, " Captain von Trapp was always thought of as such a respectable gentleman. How he let himself be seduced by that young governess of his is beyond me. But now that he got her into trouble, of course he is doing the right thing by marrying her. Such a pity though, he was engaged to a much more suitable lady of course."
Neither of the women had noticed how Maria's expression had changed during the last moments. Her cheeks had become red with anger and sparks shot from her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.
"I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," she said with as much dignity as she could muster. She tried to step past pointy-hat towards the stairs, but the lady obviously didn't want to give up so easily.
"Oh isn't that wonderful how you stand up for your employer," smiled the woman sweetly. "But surely you can't deny that the only reason he's marrying his little governess is because she is with child."
Maria snapped her head at the woman, who actually took a step backward when she saw the anger bursting from Maria's eyes.
"Well how strange that I wouldn't know about that." Maria's voice was oddly flat, and she even managed a short, cynical smile. "Seeing as I'm the little governess he's about to marry."
With an angry motion, she pulled her arm from the woman's grip and briskly stepped around them, walking toward the stairs as fast as she could without running. The two gossiping women watched her leave in stunned silence.
Maria stormed out the door of the department store positively steaming with anger. How dare they! The injustice and obvious untruth of what she'd just heard infuriated her to the core. Such horrible women, they had no idea! She shook her head angrily, almost as if that would help to remove the words that were pounding in her head, repeating over and over. "The only reason he's marrying his little governess is because she is with child," echoed inside her head. Really! She paced on with fast steps, hardly looking around her anymore.
But as she rushed on down the street towards the bus stop, her anger slowly subsided, to be replaced with something else: hurt, and sadness. As Maria played the conversation again and again in her head, she slowly began to realise that these two women would not be the only ones thinking about her and Georg as they did.
And she didn't even care about herself really. She had no family, nobody who could be hurt by this kind of gossip. But when she thought about Georg, and the children, her heart sank. His reputation had been impeccable up till now. Did he know how much his name was dragged through the mud, simply because he was marrying her? And how would this reflect on the children?
When the bus stopped in front of her, she absently got on, not even greeting the driver. She sat down on the first empty chair she came across and sat staring ahead of her for the entire trip home, deeply in thought.
Chapter 2 - Pointy Hat and Diamond Earrings
Georg had been right about the children's reaction. They protested high and low when Maria told them she'd be going into town without them. "Please, Fraulein Maria, can't we come? We'll be really good," was Marta's try to convince her. She pressed herself against Maria in a tight hug to add to her words. "Not this time, sweetheart," Maria smiled down at her. "Frau Schmidt has given me this long, boring shopping list to take care of. But this afternoon you can all help me cook" - this was met by excited murmur - "and on Friday, I have to go into town again and then you can all come with me. All right? Now go on picking flowers for Frau Schmidt." Her statement was met by loud chatter. "Can we really help you cook?" This was Louisa. "Oh, are we going into town on Friday?" Liesl looked excited, she always loved going into Salzburg and looking at the shops. Maria confirmed all of this again, and with a last pat on Gretl's head, made her way to back to the house.
She decided to take the bus into town. She could ask Franz to drive her, but she didn't really feel comfortable around Franz. Apart from the short conversation they'd shared the day she arrived, he'd hardly exchanged ten words with her and somehow, he made her feel uneasy. And anyway she loved the bus ride into town - she could sit back and look at the mountains, the lake, and enjoy a quiet moment by herself.
Once she sat down in the bus, she got the list Frau Schmidt had given to her out of her purse. Unfortunately, Tuesday was the housekeeper's usual shopping day and the list was long. A household of 10 people, not even counting staff, obviously ate a great deal of food. Maria scanned the list, and besides food and drink also found a few other items on it for which she'd have to go to a linen shop. Okay, she thought, I'll go to the market first, then the drugstore, and the linen shop last.
So she did, and an hour and a half later, she was in the linen department at Mueller's, Salzburg's largest department store. All the shop attendants were busy, so Maria enjoyed herself with looking around a bit. Shelves and shelves of fine table linen, sheets and soft towels in lovely colours surrounded her.
After 5 minutes of waiting, a girl with a name badge announcing that she was Fraulein Spielberg walked up to her. "Can I help you," she asked politely. Maria nodded and took out her shopping list. "I would like to order some table linen for the Von Trapp family. The housekeeper wrote down the particulars here, but she said that you would probably know what she needed, as she always orders the linen here?" "Oh yes, " said Fraulein Spielberg, looking at the note in Maria's hand and nodding. "We have been supplying all of the linen for the Trapp villa for years. Could Frau Schmidt not come by herself?" While she spoke, she walked around the counter and took out a book marked 'Deliveries'. Maria shook her head. "She has hurt her ankle. Nothing serious, but she asked me to do the shopping for her." Fraulein Spielberg leafed through the delivery book. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she said, lifting up her head to look at Maria. "Please give her my best wishes." Then she continued. "Now look here," she pointed to the page," we will be able to have what you need delivered at the villa by Thursday. Is that all right?" "Just fine, that will be wonderful," replied Maria, a little surprised at the efficiency of this shop girl. "Thank you very much then. I'll be sure to give Frau Schmidt your regards, Fraulein, eh," she looked at the name badge, "Fraulein Spielberg. Goodbye!"
She turned around and meant to head for the stairs, when she was stopped by two elderly ladies. They were dressed rather conservatively in skirts that practically reached the ground, something that had actually gone out of fashion years before. But from the materials of their clothes, the fur- lined hats and painfully precise hairdo's, Maria could tell they were probably quite wealthy. She didn't think she had ever seen them before though, so a little surprised that they had spoken to her, she asked "Yes?"
"My dear girl, we couldn't help but overhear you ordering linen for the Von Trapp household," the woman on Maria's left began. She wore a funny, pointed hat, which bobbed on her head as she spoke and which made Maria want to smile. She managed to keep a straight face however, and nodded to the woman in encouragement, still wondering where this was going. "Well," Pointy-hat continued, "We just want to express our sympathy to the family." Now, the slight wonder on Maria's face was replaced by straight-out astonishment. "I don't know..." she began, but she was interrupted by the other woman. This lady, whose diamond earrings were so large the glitter could probably blind a person, put her gloved hand on Maria's arm and said: "It must be hard, seeing how your employer is disgraced in such a manner. The whole town is speaking of it." She didn't seem to notice that Maria's mouth was slowly dropping open in utter amazement, as it began to dawn on her what the women might be getting at. "After all," the Diamond Earrings went on, " Captain von Trapp was always thought of as such a respectable gentleman. How he let himself be seduced by that young governess of his is beyond me. But now that he got her into trouble, of course he is doing the right thing by marrying her. Such a pity though, he was engaged to a much more suitable lady of course."
Neither of the women had noticed how Maria's expression had changed during the last moments. Her cheeks had become red with anger and sparks shot from her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.
"I'm sure I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," she said with as much dignity as she could muster. She tried to step past pointy-hat towards the stairs, but the lady obviously didn't want to give up so easily.
"Oh isn't that wonderful how you stand up for your employer," smiled the woman sweetly. "But surely you can't deny that the only reason he's marrying his little governess is because she is with child."
Maria snapped her head at the woman, who actually took a step backward when she saw the anger bursting from Maria's eyes.
"Well how strange that I wouldn't know about that." Maria's voice was oddly flat, and she even managed a short, cynical smile. "Seeing as I'm the little governess he's about to marry."
With an angry motion, she pulled her arm from the woman's grip and briskly stepped around them, walking toward the stairs as fast as she could without running. The two gossiping women watched her leave in stunned silence.
Maria stormed out the door of the department store positively steaming with anger. How dare they! The injustice and obvious untruth of what she'd just heard infuriated her to the core. Such horrible women, they had no idea! She shook her head angrily, almost as if that would help to remove the words that were pounding in her head, repeating over and over. "The only reason he's marrying his little governess is because she is with child," echoed inside her head. Really! She paced on with fast steps, hardly looking around her anymore.
But as she rushed on down the street towards the bus stop, her anger slowly subsided, to be replaced with something else: hurt, and sadness. As Maria played the conversation again and again in her head, she slowly began to realise that these two women would not be the only ones thinking about her and Georg as they did.
And she didn't even care about herself really. She had no family, nobody who could be hurt by this kind of gossip. But when she thought about Georg, and the children, her heart sank. His reputation had been impeccable up till now. Did he know how much his name was dragged through the mud, simply because he was marrying her? And how would this reflect on the children?
When the bus stopped in front of her, she absently got on, not even greeting the driver. She sat down on the first empty chair she came across and sat staring ahead of her for the entire trip home, deeply in thought.