This story is a direct continuation of The Captain and the Governess. Enjoy!

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She smiled as she and the children hurried into the garden, running and kicking a ball. The little ones giggled as they rushed to keep up, Friedrich and Louisa fighting to steal the ball from one another. Liesl and Brigitta remained on the veranda, watching and cheering on the fun. School would be starting in a few day's time, so she had made the executive decision that there would be no more studies completed until then. She had never thought it quite fair that they needed to spend most of their summer days studying anyway.

She laughed as Friedrich tripped and she was able to steal the ball, kicking it out toward the gazebo. Louisa was quick to steal it back though, and she threw her hands in the air in mock exasperation. The all laughed, enjoying the time spent together in the sunshine of the early day, before it would become sweltering hot, and they would need to go indoors.

There was a hidden agenda to her taking the children outside though. Georg had asked her to keep them busy, as he was going to have a much needed conversation with the Baroness. She didn't ask questions, she simply did as she was asked. She still couldn't shake the guilt she felt over inserting herself in their relationship the way she had. She had found the love of her life and wasn't necessarily sorry, she had to admit, but she did feel badly for the hurt she had helped cause. It had never been her intention to cause any pain.

Suddenly, there was shouting, loud shouting that echoed through an open window in the drawing room. The children all stopped their game, taken aback by the shrill yelling from the Baroness. Maria sighed, obviously he had said what he needed to say to her. She wasn't sure if he was simply breaking things off with her, or if he had planned to tell her about his affair as well. She told him it was up to him how to handle it, as it was his relationship he was ending, after all.

"Children, let's go for a little walk." She waved them over, taking Gretl's hand as she led them toward the lake, ushering them all through the gate. She was just rushing them away when she heard the door to the veranda slam open, all of them turning to see the Baroness storming out of the villa toward them. Her heart sank.

"You bitch!" She shouted, pointing at Maria, whose eyes widened. While she was not one to shy away from confrontation, this was not one she ever wanted to be a part of. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest.

"Oh dear. Liesl?" She turned to Liesl, who nodded quickly and took the younger girls' hands, rushing the worried children away. She took a deep breath and walked back through the gate, closing it behind her as she prepared herself to face the Baroness, who quickly closed the distance between them.

"How dare you throw yourself at him? I should have known all along you were the reason for our problems." Was she holding back tears? Maria had never seen her exhibit any emotions before, and it startled her to come face-to-face with a woman rather than an enigma. She had more expected to feel her usual level of intimidation.

"Baroness, I..."

"Oh, please! Don't even try talking to me with that pathetic, innocent little voice of yours, Maria." She crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best to stand tall.

"How would you like me to respond, then?"

"I don't know!" She seemed unarmed, clearly rushing out of the house before she had made a plan. She sighed in frustration, placing her hands upon her hips as she look to the ground. "I...I don't know."

"Your problems are not with me." The Baroness met her eyes quickly, every emotion possible slapping her in the face.

"If it weren't for you..."

"Then perhaps it would have been someone else." She held steady to her spot, speaking calmly to try diffusing the tension. "Baroness..."

"You've been fucking my man, please forget formality at this point." Her voice was harsh, edgy and broken. Maria hadn't heard that particular word come from a woman's mouth before, and she found herself blushing a bit. She certainly got her point across, she supposed.

"Elsa, then. It has never been my intention to hurt you, as much as it appears that way."

"Obviously!" She gave a frustrated laugh, blinking heavily and looking toward the sky.

"I am truly sorry for the part I played in causing you pain." And she was. She had been selfish, and her heart broke for the woman standing before her. "I cannot justify my actions to you, but I can say that the thought of hurting you has eaten me alive. I am sorry."

"Actually...I do appreciate that, Maria. I don't know what I'm doing out here." She sighed, looking to the ground. The Baroness could be quite wicked at times, but thankfully she was smart enough to know that coming after Maria for Georg's infidelity in their relationship was not necessarily warranted. She was simply broken. She began to walk away, a bit huddled to herself.

"Elsa." She stopped and turned around, finally unable to control the tears that had been threatening to fall. Maria tentatively stepped forward, struggling to stop the tears in her eyes as well, and she slowly opened her arms in invitation. Elsa's brow furrowed, unsure of the sentiment, but eventually her feet moved forward, and she met Maria in a comforting embrace.

Georg rushed onto the veranda when he couldn't find Elsa, knowing that in her rage she must have gone after Maria. He was concerned at first, but they only appeared to be talking quietly. Then he saw their embrace, each crying with one another. He was taken aback, truly confused by the sight before him, but not at all willing to interrupt.

As terrible as he felt for hurting the woman he had once intended to marry, he felt so much love for the woman who had the ability to comfort and tame the very person she had taken part in hurting. He smiled at the sight, Maria pulling back with such compassion in her eyes and looking into Elsa's. He thought he saw her say something along the lines of 'you're going to be okay' but he wasn't quite certain.

Eventually, Elsa returned to the villa to pack her things, ignoring Georg completely, as Maria watched from her place in the garden. He winked and gave her a soft smile, which she returned after wiping the tears from her face. She walked toward the gate, knowing she needed to find the children to prove she had not been harmed.

"Fraulein Maria!" Marta ran to her, hugging her immediately. She laughed at the relief in the young girl's voice as she met the concerned eyes of the other children. They were a decent distance away from the house, sitting in the grass and looking over the lake.

"I'm fine, you silly girl." She hugged her back, sharing a smile as they approached the rest of the group. "What have I missed, then?"

"We're watching those birds." Gretl pointed toward two large birds on the water, bathing and basking in the sunlight.

Liesl met her eyes, raising her eyebrows in question. Maria gave her a small eye roll in response, mouthing a thank you. She sat next to Brigitta, putting her arm around her as they continued to watch the birds in the distance. Taking a deep breath, she had no doubt: she was home.