Mr. von Trapp still could not bring him self to ask Eliza to leave. He sat on his desk and gave Eliza a signal to sit down in the leather chair in front of him. There was something about the women that he liked. He couldn't put his finger on it but he knew he could not let her go. She was just right for the job as a Fraulein to his children. She seemed like she could mold his young breed.
"Now, Ms. Wells, it seems the job opening I had offered to you was a mistake." He clasped his hands together and laid them on his lap. "However, it does seem as though a job as a Fraulein has opened up."
Eliza had a flashback of the large women who had stormed out of the house who was obviously placed in that position as Fraulein previously. Eliza was actually considering taking the job, even with the women's warnings ringing in her ears. She thought of Julia, of the environment she'd be placed in. Of course Julia would have to give up ballet. The mansion was farther away then what Eliza had figured before. Besides that she only found one negative to taking the job, it was the Captain's strict attitude towards all things. She came up with an idea as she looked at the Captain trying to make a decision quickly.
"I'll give you one week, I'll know by then," Eliza spoke sharply.
"You will give me… us a one week trial period?" The Captain said bemused. "My dear, it is I who should be giving you the week."
"Never the less, I shall take the job on a one week trial, deal?" Eliza said with her hand held out to the Captain. He took it reluctantly and eyed her suspiciously.
"Okay, since this has been settled you should meet the children. Hmm… Stand up." The Captain glanced over Eliza as she stood up, "Turn around. It's the dress. You have to change into a new one before you meet the children."
"But I don't have another one." Eliza said as she looked down at her dress. This was true it was the only dress she owned all her other jobs they had given her a uniform to wear. So she never bothered to buy any dresses but the one.
"I see."
"I can make my own clothes," Eliza said with a grin.
"I'll have fabric sent to you, today if possible," the Captain said rubbing his chin. "Follow me," he started moving towards the exit of his office. Eliza started to follow behind him but had to run back to where she was sitting, she had forgotten her carpet bag.
Julia and Frau Schmidt were now waiting in the hall. For a house with six children it was fairly quiet. No one could see or hear the three children peering down at the little girl and her bother from the upstairs banister. They were the three oldest children of the von Trapp family. The other three children were inside the nursery playing with dolls or reading books. It was Liesl who was sixteen going on seventeen, Friedrich who was fourteen, and Louisa who was thirteen who were hanging from the banister.
"Where did he get this one from?" Liesl asked as she analyzed the women and her daughter.
"I don't know, but how did he get her so quickly?" Louisa asked as she glanced over to her older brother who was staring glossy eyed at the women now bracing her child in front of her.
"I don't know and I don't care! She's pretty!"
"Oh, hush, Friedrich!" Liesl rolled her eyes.
"I've been collecting spiders," Louisa said bright eyed, looking towards her sister for approval.
"No, not this one, we need something better the spiders," Liesl began to think, "We'll do something at dinner but I have an idea for right now. Go get Corky, Friedrich."
"Not Corky, he's my favorite!"
"We'll all go get him," Louisa said as she slithered from the edge. The other two nodded in agreement, Friedrich grudgingly.
The three snuck into e nursery unnoticed to find Kurt, their eleven year old brother, playing with an action figure and Gretl, their five year old sister, playing house with her stuffed animals and dolls. The nursery was never tidy, the room looked as though a hurricane had blown through just the one room and left behind mass destruction. There was one sibling missing from the scene. It was Brigitta, she was ten and usually kept her nose in a book around various places in the mansion.
"Go on and get it," Liesl commanded Friedrich as she leaned against the wall, kicking toys away from her feet.
Friedrich, with slumped shoulders, made his way through all the toys to the restroom. He walked inside and looked down into the toilet bowl. Onside the porcelain thrown swam a large, green, and leopard spotted frog. The boy reached down into the water and grabbed the frog.
"Sorry boy," Friedrich mumbled to the frog as he stuffed it into his front pocket. It was a good thing he had rather loose pants on or the frog would have surely been squished. "I got him," Friedrich whimpered as he stretched his pocket out for Liesl to see the frog sitting inside.
"Okay, usual formation," Liesl called out to the children. The five kids in the room got in order from oldest to youngest. The order went Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta (who was missing), and Gretl.
Before Liesl could make her next command over her brothers and sister there was a loud and high pitched blow of a whistle being sound from the main hall. The children fell out of their formation to reform the same thing in the outside hall. They then heard a series of whistles and like soldiers the children quickly turned and began their way down the main hall.
Eliza watched the children marching towards her. She counted the children just to make sure there were really six children. Every time she counted, she only came up with five children.
The five children stopped in the middle of the hallway. Julia stood with her hand over her mouth to refrain from giggling at the sight of marching kids. Coming in from another room was a girl walking with her nose in her book. The girl slowly brought her book down to see her father's face in front of her own. He held out his hand for the book and she promptly closed it and placed it in his hands. She went to the empty space in the formation of children and she bent forwards. Her father tapped her butt with the book and the girl turned around and stood-up straight beside between her Kurt and Gretl. Now that was an even six Eliza thought.
"These… Are my children, Fraulein," said the Captain.
