The garden was quiet and restful. Maria sighed as she sat upon an isolated bench, relishing in the chance to be alone. She and the family had returned from their mountain picnic shortly before dinner time. After the blur of unpacking, a friendly but quiet dinner, and putting the children to bed, Maria felt as if she should be too exhausted to stand straight.

At least that was how she was supposed to feel.

Instead, she was alert, and while she was physically drained, sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. In an effort to subside her restless nerves, she inhaled the fresh night air, hoping the tranquility of the garden would calm her.

Images of the past few days flew through her mind. Klauss's deep brown eyes, friendly smile, and strong arms made her shiver, and she brought her fingers to her lips as she remembered his kiss the night of the ball. The way he gazed at her made her sigh: no one had ever looked at her in that way before.

No one, that was, but the Captain.

Maria frowned. Just as she was beginning to get used to the feelings Klauss had brought out in her, the Captain had started to act in the most puzzling manner. She had caught him gazing at her with a distracted look in his eyes more and more often, and her reaction to each of his stares surprised her. Every time she met his gaze, she felt her breath leave her body. His eyes entranced her; she wanted nothing more at times than to lose herself in them. They reflected a soul that was so deep and filled with such purpose. The more she thought about the way they'd shone in the sun the day before and then on the mountain as they danced, the faster her heartbeat was in her chest.

She remembered how strongly she had reacted to their encounter in the gazebo and how every part of her body seemed to respond so vividly as his hand had cupped her cheek. How could a simple touch invoke so much sensation in her?

The feeling intensified as she thought about dancing with him on the mountain. Even though there wasn't an orchestra or even a gramophone, she heard the sweet and simple melody so clearly in her head. She had felt as if she would burst when the Captain had put his arms around her; and yet, it was his arms around her that gave her the sensation of complete and total security. In his arms, she felt alive and alert; her emotions were stronger than when…

Maria sat up straight, shocked. The Captain's simple gestures were less obvious than Klauss's had been, yet her memory of him touching her face had evoked more feeling than Klauss kissing her. How could a simple touch make her feel more alive than a kiss? She exhaled in frustration, not having a clue as to how to sort out her feelings.

The sound of someone clearing his throat surprised her. Jumping in her seat, she looked up to see Klauss standing a few feet from her, an apologetic yet amused smile on his face.

"Klauss!" she exclaimed. "What a surprise!"

He laughed. "Forgive me, Maria," he said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She shook her head. "I just wasn't expecting…It's late—"

"I know," he interrupted and walked over to her. "I'm sorry, but I was returning from a business meeting in Hallein and wanted to know how your day was in the mountains."

She looked past him, into the light cast from the ballroom. She saw a long shadow retreat from her line of vision and realized who had escorted Klauss to her. She blushed, somehow embarrassed that the Captain knew she and Klauss were alone together.

"I won't stay long, Maria," Klauss said, still standing above her. "I just wanted to see you."

Maria stood up. She couldn't stay there in the garden with Klauss, so close to the house. "Let's go for a walk," she suggested.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You must be exhausted."

She nodded. "I am, but I don't want to stay here."

He brightened and offered her his arm. Accepting it, she sighed as they slowly started their walk.

"So, how was your picnic?" he asked.

"We all had a wonderful time," she said softly. "They children love going up to the mountains."

Klauss nodded. "That's how I first met you, do you remember? You and the children were returning from a mountain picnic."

"How could I forget?" she asked, smiling at the memory. "We had invited the Captain and the Baroness to join us the night before, but the Baroness didn't seem too fond of the idea."

Klauss cleared his throat. "It's too bad things didn't work out between she and Georg," he said. "They seemed to be happy."

Maria nodded silently, thinking of the Captain's explanation as to why he had broken off his relationship with the Baroness. She shivered as she remembered the way the Captain had stared at her before putting the flower in her hair.

Klauss caught her shuddering and immediately stopped walking to take off his jacket. Placing it over her shoulders, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I've missed you, Maria," he whispered.

She stiffened a little, offering a nervous laugh to hide her sudden rigidness. "It's only been a couple of days, Klauss," she said.

He did not join in her laughter. She watched his eyes grow serious. His hands rested on her shoulders, and he pulled her closer to him, leaning down to her face. "It's been a lifetime," he murmured. He leaned forward, closing the gap between them and gently touching his lips to hers.

Maria tried desperately to relax in his embrace, as she had when they had first kissed. Everything seemed to be the same: they were alone, the moon was bright, and he looked so handsome. Klauss wrapped his arms around her, deepening their embrace. Maria wished more than anything that she could feel that warmth that she had felt earlier. She wanted to feel that excitement she had felt when she had caught him staring at her when the Captain had sang for them weeks ago.

But all she could feel was an emptiness and a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. She withdrew suddenly, confused and annoyed with herself for not being able to feel what she thought she was supposed to feel. Klauss stared down at her, his own confusion soaking his face.

She laughed nervously. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just tired."

He nodded, still not understanding. "Maybe I should go."

"No," she said too quickly. "I don't want you to go."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "But you don't want me to stay."

"No, I just want to be here, with you," she said simply, trying to convince herself as well as him. She cocked her head towards the Pegasus landing at the lake. "Let's walk down to the lake."

They walked in silence, and Maria berated herself for hurting him as she had. But she could barely make her feelings clear to herself. Everything was a blur, and she didn't seem to have a moment alone to sort out her thoughts. She hugged Klauss's arm closer to her, wishing she could make sense of her jumbled emotions.

He returned the gesture. They stopped at the landing, and he turned to her. Smiling, he reached up and cupped her cheek. "I'm sorry for what just happened," he said. "I just needed to touch you again."

She nodded and smiled, gazing into his eyes. She was always so captivated by his eyes, and how she could lose herself in them. They twinkled back at her as he took her hands in his and squeezed them.

"You look rather lovely, even if you're exhausted," he said.

She laughed. "Running around a mountain is hardly a lovely task," she said, looking down at her hands held in his.

"Perhaps I could go with you on your next jaunt," he offered.

Maria was glad she wasn't looking at him so he couldn't see her frown at the idea. The mountain was her special place; a place she shared with the children. With the Captain. Somehow, she couldn't see Klauss with her there; he didn't seem to fit. Composing herself, she exhaled and looked up at him, unable to voice an answer to his suggestion.

He stepped closer to her, her hands still captured in his. She felt her breath catch in her throat. He didn't come as close as he had been, and she exhaled slowly, staring into his eyes.

"May I see you tomorrow, after you're well rested?" he asked.

She smiled. "Of course," she said. "I'd like that. The children have their lessons in the morning, but I'd—"

"Perhaps I can join you for dinner tomorrow? And then we can spend some time alone together, without worrying whether or not the children will see us."

Maria's stomach tightened, but she smiled thinly. "That would be…" she trailed.

Klauss laughed lowly and leaned closer to her. Maria inhaled sharply, staring at him. She closed her eyes before his lips touched hers for a gentle kiss. She felt him withdraw, and she exhaled, keeping her eyes closed. A warm breeze sifted by them, relaxing her. She felt his hand caress her arm, and her skin warmed under his jacket. She could feel him watching her, and her heart beat a little faster as she imagined the look in his blue eyes.

Maria opened her own eyes and blinked several times, surprised to see brown eyes gazing at her. She stepped back quickly, completely flustered.

He cocked his head, once again puzzled by her actions. Not even bothering to keep the mood light, she stared back at him in shock, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Are you alright?" he asked, studying her.

"I must be more tired than I thought," she confessed. "I really must go to bed."

He nodded, still confused. He wrapped his arm around her back. The weight of his arm seemed overbearing, and it took all of Maria's strength not to force it off her shoulder. He guided her back to the villa.

Barely saying goodnight to him, she escaped to the relative safety of her room. Flinging herself upon her bed, she tossed and turned for what seemed to be half the night before finally finding some peace as sleep claimed her.

To be continued…