~*Chapter 3*~
FLASHBACK
After they had left the stage, the officers were already waiting for them.
"I don't think you've got to wait for the announcement of the winners, Captain." Zeller grinned and his men grabbed for Georg's arms. "You better say good-bye to your family, now."
Georg looked at their white faces. It hadn't worked. They couldn't trick Zeller. They would take him to Bremerhaven, leaving his family in an Austria that became more dangerously day-by-day.
~*~
The first days in Bremerhaven he had been brought from party to party to introduce him to the important people of the society. He didn't say much, he just nodded, trying not to show what he was really thinking.
He didn't exactly know how dangerous the situation in Germany – and Austria - was. However, he had heard many gossips and he did not want his family to get into any troubles.
One other night, at yet another party he had met Klara. He had been sitting on a sofa, watching the scenery as she suddenly stood in front of him.
"You shouldn't look so worried, Captain von Trapp"
He was surprised she knew his name, he hadn't seen her before.
"Klara, Klara Grünewald" she introduced herself and sat next to him. For a while nobody said anything, but suddenly she started to introduce all the people in the room, telling him who they were. By the sound of her voice, he could tell she didn't like most of them. Moreover, he could feel she was somebody he could talk to, as she pronounced all the titles of the NSDAP members with great sarcasm, described their jobs with irony in her voice.
The next day she suddenly appeared in his flat and they had tea - the beginning of many meetings. First, he was not sure if he could really trust her, but soon he realized that she was really thinking the same way he did.
She was able to convince him at least to pretend he was getting used to the ideas of the National socialists. Her friendship helped a lot to back up his sudden change as she had the reputation of being a proper, decent girl, the perfectly "arische" woman.
So the plan, this horrible plan slowly came to his mind and when he finally found the courage to tell her about his idea, she agreed immediately. Carefully they planned everything, thought about every occasion and possibility.
Many times Georg had almost stopped the enterprise. He just could not stand the thought of the children's or Maria's reactions. Nevertheless, the situation in Europe got more and more dangerous and all he wanted was his family in safety. He wouldn't be able to get them out of Austria from this distance, not without them knowing it. Maybe he had convinced the people in Bremerhaven that he had become a dedicated member of the party, however Zeller was still suspicious. He observed every move of Maria and the children, Georg could tell that somebody else had opened Maria's letters before he got them. Maria's letters – every new one made him feel worse and although he waited for each and everyone, at the same time he wished there wouldn't be any.
Mostly he regretted the day of their divorce, the first day he had heard Maria's voice again in seven months. Zeller had phoned Bremerhaven that day. Georg had been afraid that something like this might happen; that Maria might refuse to sign the paper. Actually, he knew it would happen, because in her letters she never even mentioned the lack of his letters, his total silence towards her. When he heard her voice saying his name that day, he was in a state of shock. Instead of being able to tell her the truth, he was only able to tell her a lie, to tell her to sign the paper, hanging up with a guilty feeling, a knot in his throat, knowing that there was no way back.
End Flashback
~*~*~*~
After the wedding ceremony, the couple left Salzburg as soon as possible, heading for their plane to England. Klara's father owned a little cottage in Cornwall, where they intended to spend their honeymoon. Besides the new school of the children was located in Cornwall, too. Therefore they would join the couple for a few days, before school would begin after the holidays.
Lying lazily in front of the crackling fire, Klara sipped at her champagne. "You know, Georg, I always imagined that my wedding night would be a little more passionate." She smiled as she watched Georg, putting on his jacket.
"I'm sorry." He looked at his new wife.
"Never mind." she grinned.
"Klara?" Georg looked at her. "You never told me why you're really doing it."
"Doing what?" she asked
"This – marrying me, helping me."
"Because I'm a coward," she answered.
„A coward?"
"Yes." Klara smiled. "A brave person would stand up, saying what she's thinking, what she's feeling about all the things that are going on. However, I am not as brave as I would like to be. I am only the spoilt daughter of a rich man, trying to do something with a meaning for the first time in her life. That's all."
"If you ask me, that's pretty brave."
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." She sighed. "Maybe that's egoistic, but it makes me feel better. At least I can say I did not watch the things without doing something, at least I helped one person, although it should have been more. But as I already said – I'm not a brave person. So this has to be enough to reassure my conscience."
"Thank you." Georg smiled and silently vanished through the door.
~*~*~*~
Maria's sleep was troubled. Even in the nights she couldn't find rest, one ugly dream always followed the other. Suddenly, she heard a well-known voice whispering her name. She smelt his scent and felt all her senses waking up when his lips gently touched the skin of her cheeks. She pressed her body against his, searching for his lips, moaning softly as she felt the reaction of her body to his touch, answering his deep kiss passionately.
Everything seemed so real. Slowly she opened her eyes, confused for a moment, then realizing that this time it wasn't a dream, it was reality.
Quickly, she got up, almost yelling "What the –" but Georg gripped her, silencing her by pressing his hand on her mouth.
"Shhhhhhhh…." He tried to calm her down, while Maria desperately fought his strong grasp. "Please Maria, stop it. There's an explanation for everything," he whispered. "Please....."
Finally, she stopped trying to escape his grip and Georg felt wet drops falling on his hand, which still covered her mouth. Slowly, he let her go and Maria almost ran to the wall of her room, pressing against it, not able to utter a word, just staring at the floor of her small room.
He walked towards her, wanting to touch her cheek, but she turned her head away, refusing to look at him. For a while, Georg stood next to her, not knowing what to say or to do. Eventually he sighed and sat on the bed.
"This was the only way to get you out of Austria," he whispered. "The only way to get the children out of Austria. I know it was not fair. However, this was the only way. Everything else would have made them suspicious. I could not tell you what's going on, it would have been too dangerous. I wanted you to be safe, Maria." He looked at her, waiting for an answer, hoping she would understand.
Through her tears, Maria looked at Georg. Her thoughts were running through her head while she tried to understand his words.
"Leave me alone, Georg." She finally whispered. "Please go."
Georg swallowed. "All right." Slowly he walked towards the door, turning around a last time. "The children –„
Maria looked up.
"They –" he let out a despairing laugh. "They don't know anything yet. They just hate me, this time they really do." He stared at the moonbeams that shined through the window. "They'll be sent to a boarding school in this village after the summer-holidays. I want you to visit them. Take them away, out of Europe. There will be war soon, Maria. I don't want any of you to be in Europe. Take them away with you. Please!"
Maria made a step towards Georg. "But –"
"No, Maria. There's no but. Just do it! If you love them, if you ever loved me – just do it."
He smiled at his ex-wife and left the room, leaving Maria alone. She broke down, the hot tears of despair streaming down her face.
To be continued
**ATN: Thanks a lot to my two Betas Iluvtsom and Soaz!!!! AS well as a huge thanks to all my readers! I really loved your reviews and hope there'll be lots more *GGGG* I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it**
