A/N: I hope you like this chapter…I tried to make it good I don't know if I succeeded or not. Please Review!
Ch. 11: The Truth
"Wait, Captain I…I love you too." Maria told him as she stood up in shock of her words. She could not believe she had just said that. She watched in shock as Georg slowly turned around and smiled at her. He stood up as well and began to move closer to her face. Maria grew scared suddenly and took one step back, rocking the boat. As it rocked Georg fell over leaving Maria peering over the side of the boat in shock. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the Captain swim up to her in the water. Maria began to laugh hysterically while she gazed down at him.
"I am so sorry did I do that?" Maria wondered out loud. "Here let me help you up." As she pulled him up the boat tipped and Maria fell into the water. The two of them watched as the canoe sunk under to the bottom of the lake.
"You know that is the second ship we have sunk in one day." He said amazed. Maria laughed even harder.
"You mean canoe?" She asked him as he smiled at her. "Is that the best you have ever done at sea, Captain?"
"Well I have never sunken two ships and had the person I love try to save me twice…that's for sure. I don't think Agathe would have been able to save me in water. Swimming, or anything to do with water…it just wasn't her thing." He told her.
"Apparently it is not mine either. I always seem to end up in the water every time I go on the water." She told him. He laughed a little. "Each time I have fallen in has been because of you."
"Well I am sorry you get the urge to jump off a canoe every time you see me." They laughed and suddenly he got serious again. "Now what was it you were telling me before we tipped over?"
"Just that…" Maria began. He soon realized Maria was shaking from the water and he heard her begin to cough.
"Here lets get you out of the water before you get sick." Georg told her. She nodded and swam in to the doc with him. Georg led her to the fire. "There stay here while I go and get you a change of clothes." He told her. She nodded as he marched over to where the children were sleeping.
Maria did not know what to do. She hadn't meant to knock the boat over, but she wanted some time to think before he kissed her. Smiling slightly, she felt the canoe tipping over had helped her by giving her time to think. Maria could not believe that she had said those words, but she knew that it was true. She was in love with him. Could she actually live like that though? Not go back to the Abbey and stay with him?
"Here Maria." Georg said as he handed her some clothes. "I will be back when you are finished." Maria quickly changed into her dry warm set of clothes and sat down by the fire again. "Are you warm enough?" Came a voice behind her. She realized it was the Captain when he sat down beside her and handed her a blanket.
"Now I am." She told him. He stared into her eyes and began to move closer toward her face.
"I love you." He whispered to her before pressing his lips on hers. To his relief she didn't pull away. At first it was a slight gentle kiss, but soon it deepened. "So is that a yes?" He asked her as he pulled back to look at her face. She looked down to the ground as if she was ashamed of what she had just done. Thoughts swarmed through Maria's head. Wasn't it God's will that she be a nun? If it was then she had certainly just committed her worst sin. Yet, no sin she had ever committed had ever felt better than that kiss. Maria thought to herself.
"Yes to what?" Maria asked.
"Will you please stay here, Maria, with me." He asked her. Maria thought about it for a moment. He wanted her to stay and be what? His companion? She wasn't sure she liked the idea at all. Georg looked at her almost as if he could read her mind. "Oh, well let me rephrase the question. Will you stay with me forever, and be my wife?"
Maria's eyes lit up with delight. She could honestly not believe her ears. Never in her wildest dreams did she think anyone would ever ask her to marry him. Certainly she never thought someone so well known as Georg could fall in love with a simple country girl like her. Still though…could she really live like that? Was he really in love with her or was it something he would get over?
"Please Maria? You have become my best friend and almost my soul mate, since you came here. You're my guardian angel too. I can't even count anymore how many times you have saved my life. I can't imagine what life would be like without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you and will love you…forever. Will you please marry me?" He asked as he watched tears fill Maria's eyes. Maria had found the answers to her questions. He would always love her.
"I…I…I will." Maria told him through her tears. He wrapped her in his arms and whipped away her tears. "I mean yes I will marry you Captain." She finished.
"You can call me Georg now." He told her.
"Georg…" She mumbled as he took her face in his hands and kissed her. The two of them sat by the fire snuggled together to keep warm.
"I can't believe my good fortune today." Georg told her with a slight laugh. "I have been dreaming of this moment ever since you sat on that pinecone." Maria turned in his arms a little.
"You knew about the pinecone?" She asked. A sheepish grin crossed his face.
"Well Kurt and Louisa would always bring in something for their governess to sit on during their first meal at the villa." He told her.
"And you never told them to stop with it." She asked.
"Well not when they were harmless things, I found it rather amusing myself." He told her and he began to laugh.
"You are just as bad as those children." She told him. "So I wasn't the only one you got amusement from huh?" She asked.
"Well you were definitely the most graceful of the twelve…or were their only eleven…oh I don't even remember how many governesses we had to go through. Well anyways I knew because that day I caught Louisa bringing cow manure inside to set on your chair. I told them they better not do that, so they begged for at least a pinecone." He told her laughing to himself. "You were definitely the cutest one. None of the others pretended there was nothing there. I knew I loved you right then." He told her while bringing her closer to caress her back.
"I love you Georg." Maria mumbled as she kissed him gently on the lips. She broke away slowly then suddenly kissed him again more passionately. "Can you promise me one thing though?"
"Anything darling." He told her.
"Don't freak me out, ever again, like you did today." She told him. He chuckled a little.
"Did that scare you?"
"Of course it did. I didn't know what to do. Thank goodness I am okay at swimming and by some miracle pulled you out of the water." She told him. "Georg what would have happened if you didn't start breathing again. Do you know how far away we are from any doctor?"
"Well I didn't really start breathing on my own. You had to help me." She blushed a little. "You didn't want to, did you?"
"Not really." She replied honestly. "I asked Liesl and she did not know any kind of first aid, we will have to enroll her in a class by the way, and the Baroness was almost in complete shock so I had no choice. It was either that or let you die. I was scared of what I would feel." He looked deeply into her eyes and kissed her soft lips.
"I'm glad you decided to do it. Thank you for saving my life Maria." He told her kissing the top of her head. "I just wish I would have been awake that whole time so I could have felt your lips on mine." She rolled her eyes a little. "Will you do it again Maria?"
"Hmm?" She asked not understanding.
"Show me what you did today because I missed it." He pleaded. She faced him reluctantly and put her head to his heart.
"Well first I felt your heartbeat and then I checked your pulse." She said as she ran her fingers down his neck. Georg shivered at her soft touch.
"And then?" He asked ready for the best part.
"Then I had to breathe for you." She stated coming closer to his mouth. With that her took her tightly in his arms and kissed her long and fully.
"How many times did you have to do that before I started to breathe?" He asked.
"Oh I don't know four or five." Maria replied.
"Good." Was his reply. "That means I can kiss you more." With that he took her in his arms again a kissed her deeply. After a few minutes they broke a part both gasping for breath. "I love you Maria more than life itself." He gasped and Maria moved closer to him and kissed him fully again. They both stopped staring lovingly at one another. They both knew they needed to stop soon before it got to far.
"I guess we should go and get some sleep." Maria said sadly. Georg was surprised and elated when he sensed the longing in her voice.
"Yes we better." He told her. He took her in his arms and brought her over to her sleeping bag. She got into it and looked over at Georg who was laying down staring at her.
"Thanks for taking me to see the stars tonight Georg. They were more beautiful than ever tonight." Maria told him.
"Really?" He asked. "They seemed rather dim to me today compared to you." Maria smiled at him sweetly.
"I love you Georg. I can't wait to be your wife." Maria told him. He rolled over and looked at her.
"Oh it is pure torture sleeping next to you like this Maria. I want you right now." He told her. Maria smiled and reached over to kiss him. They sat in silence trying to fall asleep. After a while of this Maria could not stand it anymore.
"Georg?" Maria asked. He looked over at her. "I am cold." She replied.
"Maria you are under millions of blankets and you are cold?" He asked her. She nodded. She looked up to him and he read her mind. It was the only excuse they had to at least cuddle. "Alright come closer to me." He told her as she scooted her sleeping bag over to him. He put his arms around her.
"There I can sleep now." Maria told him. He gave her one more kiss and shut his eyes, well content with Maria in his arms.