Georg and Louisa placed a few more pieces of kindling in the fireplace. The Captain shuffled through his jacket pockets, regretting for the first time his promise to Agathe to stop smoking. He twisted his lips in thought. Behind him, he heard a chuckle.
"Didn't they teach you how to start a fire in the Navy, darling?" Maria asked as she and the younger children continued their survey of the rustic farmhouse in search of anything soft upon which to sit. She walked over to him and exhaled, also thinking of how to get the fire going.
Georg smirked at her. "Didn't your uncle teach you on the farm?" he returned, and they shared a wry grin.
"Oh, I'll do it," Louisa grunted and pushed her way through her parents, kneeling in front of the hearth and grabbing two sticks.
Georg laughed and winked at his wife. "Actually, my brother taught me, but since Louisa has so graciously volunteered," he said, giving his daughter an appreciative smile as smoke started to rise through the assortment of scrap wood and broken chairs they had gathered.
Maria nodded and turned to look outside. "It's a good thing we're all outdoor people," she said as she saw Friedrich and Kurt walking along the shallow stream. She bit her lower lip in concern. "Maybe I should go out there with them."
Georg followed her gaze and shook his head. "I'll go," he said, squeezing her shoulder and walking to the door. Pausing before he went outside, he turned around. "Thank you, Louisa."
The girl nodded silently, but Maria could see her daughter's eyes light up. She walked over to Louisa and wrapped her arm around her. "Yes, thanks to you, we'll have a nice, cooked meal."
Louisa smiled with pride and nodded. "And it'll be warmer," she said.
Sighing, Maria turned and examined the large open space they had cleared in the past hour. Suddenly feeling winded, she wiped her brow.
She, Marta, and Gretl had created an area for all of them on which to spend the night comfortably. The outside of the house had been a fair predictor of the state of its inside. Forgotten and decaying furniture had been left in place, covered in cobwebs and dust. She had forbidden any of the children to walk on the stairs, and she had been relieved when they had found enough blankets and worn cushions to make their respite in the farmhouse as comfortable as it could possibly be. With the boys outside catching their dinner, and Liesl and Brigitta gathering whatever berries they could find, they all would enjoy their first real meal in what seemed like ages.
The door swung open, revealing the rest of the family, all looking extremely proud of themselves as they held up their conquests.
"Enough for all of us!" Kurt exclaimed, looking at the few fish he had caught as if they were gold. Behind him, Georg and Friedrich also cradled a couple of catches, and next to them were Liesl and Brigitta, each carrying an assortment of berries in their gathered dresses.
Maria patted Louisa's shoulder and beamed at the group. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed, hurrying over to them. She reached up and ruffled Kurt's hair in appreciation. "Let's get this ready!"
"Should we gut the fish?" Louisa asked, eying her dinner with wide eyes.
Marta and Gretl loudly expressed their disgust with the task, and Georg laughed as he walked over to the cleared counter in the kitchen area. Digging into his pocket, he found his Swiss Army knife and cocked his head over to his sons to join him.
"You're not to fear, girls," he assured his daughters. "Just look the other way."
"Did you wash the berries?" Maria asked Liesl and Brigitta.
They shook their heads, and Maria looked over at Marta and Gretl. "Let's go outside and wash them in the stream, so we don't have to see the poor fish being beheaded," she suggested, taking Marta's hand and winking at her husband.
"It all should be ready in a half hour," Georg said and flashed his knife ominously above the fish, causing Gretl to pale and the boys to burst out laughing.
"Fräulein Helga would be fainting right now," Kurt said as he watched his father carefully turn the fish over the fire.
"Why is that?" Georg asked, wishing he had something cleaner than a stick to roast his family's first meal with.
"Because there are no plates, no silverware, and no napkins," the boy answered, looking positively tickled at the prospect of eating with his bare hands.
Georg laughed aloud. "Well, that's why I didn't marry Fräulein Helga," he said, looking over at Maria, who smiled.
"I would have taught the children proper etiquette, but you had returned before the music lessons were finished," she joked. She looked at the small dish next to her husband. "And there are plates, Kurt. Just not the fine china you're used to."
The boy looked over and shrugged. "Well, there still isn't any silverware."
Brigitta handed a small bowl to her mother. "Would you like some berries, Mother?"
Maria felt her stomach inexplicably tighten, and she swallowed at the sight of the food. "No, thank you, darling," she said, taking the bowl and passing it over to Liesl on her other side. "You children eat what you can. I'll take what's left."
Georg laughed. "There won't be anything left, my love," he said over his shoulder. Carefully, he placed the last fish onto the plate and turned. His smile widened as he held out the meal for his family. "Dinner is served."
The children all scuffled over to the fish like a pack of wolves, causing their parents to laugh aloud. Yet, for their hunger, the children retained their polite upbringing and delicately distributed the food around to one another, eating eagerly but more gracefully than expected.
Georg exhaled and watched his children devour their meal and reached over to take a piece of fish for himself. He looked up at Maria, who hadn't moved from her spot, her tired face smiling with relief that her family was being taken care of. He stood and walked over to where she was. Sitting next to her, he wrapped his free arm around her and held up the piece of fish for her.
"Hungry?" he asked with feigned ignorance.
Maria smiled and glanced down at the food in his hand. The strong smell of the cooked fish wafted to her.
Her stomach suddenly lurched upwards, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. The room seemed to spin around her, and she put her other hand up to her temple. Where the unexpected nauseous sensation had come from, she had no idea; she had eaten even less than the rest of the family over the last couple of days. But she did know that eating that fish was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Maria?" she heard Georg's voice from what seemed to be across the room. She turned and blinked, surprised to see her husband still sitting right next to her, staring at her in concern.
She closed her eyes and swallowed, willing the dizziness and nausea out of her system. Taking a deep breath in, she slowly reopened her eyes and looked at him again, almost positive the nausea had left her.
"I'm alright," she said, trying to sound convincing.
He narrowed his eyes and studied her. "You've haven't eaten anything, Maria," he said softly, glancing over at the children. All of them were too preoccupied with their feast to notice their parents' quiet conversation. He looked over at Maria again. "Not even the berries."
Gulping in air to reduce the remnants of queasiness still washing over her, Maria shook her head. "I'm just not in the mood for fish," she said.
He raised his eyebrows and squeezed her shoulder playfully. "And what are you in the mood for?" he asked in a light tone, but Maria could still see the concern in his eyes.
"Crèpe Suzette?" she suggested, eager to show him that he needn't worry about her. He chuckled and hugged her to him.
"That's a good thought to cling to," he whispered. "Where did we eat that?"
"In our hotel room," she answered. "Fräulein Helga would have fainted there too. We didn't have silverware then either."
"Or clothing," he murmured, and she laughed lowly.
Brigitta, hearing the soft outburst from her mother, turned around and narrowed her eyes at them. "Aren't you eating?"
The other children all turned and also stared at their parents. Maria's cheeks turned red and Georg cleared his throat and popped a piece of fish into his mouth. After he swallowed, he smiled at them. "I was just trying to convince your mother to eat something."
Liesl looked at her mother and pursed her lips for a moment. "Yes, Mother," she said. "Please finish the berries. Eat something."
"Please, Mother?" Gretl chimed in, her eyes wide.
Maria stared at the children's earnest faces and turned to see Georg also watching her. "Are you sure you don't want anymore?" she asked.
"No," they chorused, and she laughed in defeat. Her stomach still twitching, she picked up the bowl which was still filled half-way with various Alpine fruits. Twisting her mouth in determination not to worry her family any more, she picked up a berry and placed it in her mouth. Relieved that her stomach didn't immediately recoil, she exhaled and smiled. "These are excellent!"
"Yes," Georg said and nodded. "One of Austria's best kept secrets: strawberries are better when they're not blue."
The children laughed, and Maria, completely confused, looked at them in wonderment for a moment.
After the first bite had proven not to be cause for getting sick, she realized just how hungry she was. Almost ravenously, she finished the bowl of berries and felt instantly better with food in her stomach, the warmth of the fire, and her family surrounding her.
To be continued…
A/N: thank you, Shannah, for suggesting to hit Ctrl while hitting Tab. Alas, it didn't work either. I'll try one more thing for the next update. If that doesn't work, I'll resolve to have un-indented stories!
Thank you for your reviews so far. They're greatly appreciated. - INAC