She sat upon the sofa with Brigitta on the floor in front of her, sitting upon her knees as Maria brushed her hair. Mia had come over for tea, and she was going to teach Maria a new kind of braid. She always felt quite hopeless at any form of styling hair, so the help was appreciated.

When she roused the children for school that morning, Brigitta was the first one up, as usual. Maria was helping the little ones button their dresses when Brigitta rushed to her side in panic. She had started her first monthly cycle, and she seemed terrified. Maria gave her a gentle smile and asked Liesl to help the little girls if they needed, and she took Brigitta to the bathroom in her bedroom to show her what to do. She was thankful she could be there for her daughter in a way that nobody had been for her. It certainly would have made all the difference, she thought. She also thought staying home from school and spending some time together would make the event a bit less intimidating, and perhaps a little more special, so she allowed Brigitta to play sick for the day.

"So I put this part under?" She had the girl's hair threaded between her fingers, trying to keep it all straight.

"No, pull it over this one." Mia was pointing and directing the braiding process, but Maria feared she was hopeless.

"Ouch, mother!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear." She let up on a piece of hair she had pulled, and the whole operation fell apart. Sighing, she let go and picked up the brush again.

"Maria, you're a terrible student." Mia laughed as she sipped her tea.

"Look how much hair I have. Trust me, it's intentional." They shared a laugh, and Maria took a sip of her tea as well before resuming her brushing. "Brigitta likes having her hair brushed anyway."

"Not pulled though." Maria gave her a shove on the shoulder, and they laughed again. Mia smiled at the scene.

"You know, Brigitta, you're very lucky your mother cares enough to keep you home today. When I started my first cycle, my mother not only made me go to school, she made me go to dance class afterward. Can you imagine feeling like putting on a dance costume right now?" Brigitta scrunched her face and shook her head. Maria kissed her hair as she took a break from brushing, picking up her tea saucer.

"Mine was awful. I started during school, had no idea, and by the time I got home I had bled straight through my dress."

"Oh, mother, how terrible."

"It was! Then as punishment, my aunt made me do my chores and then sit outside and scrub my dress clean before I was allowed to eat that night."

"Punishment? Goodness, Maria, that seems a bit extreme." She nodded, running a hand over Brigitta's soft hair.

"They were quite extreme on many levels. But I'm so happy I could be here for you, darling. It's the official sign you're becoming a woman."

"It is? Does being a woman always feel this terrible." They smiled at her.

"Only a few days each month."

"But what happens to men if this happens to women?" They laughed a bit, Mia taking another sip of her tea. Maria noticed that she liked to observe her answers.

"Men are stuck with the moody women, so it works itself out." They laughed again, but jumped when they heard a door slam down the hall. Maria rolled her eyes as they heard Georg pacing and mumbling to himself.

"Maria!" He yelled for her through the house, and she sighed.

"Unless, of course, the man is moody too. Then I don't know what to tell you." They laughed again as Georg's voice resounded toward them.

"Maria, have you seen the newspaper? That son of a bitch had the nerve to..." He stopped when he saw they had company, also his daughter seated upon the floor. "My apologies, ladies."

"Yes, he's used to only yelling and swearing at me during the day." Maria met his eyes in question, knowing she had told him several times that they would have company.

"I'm sorry, I lost myself for a moment. May I borrow you, please?" She smiled, placing her saucer upon the table and standing.

"He wants to swear at me in the other room now. I'll just be a moment." Mia smiled to her as she joined her husband, walking toward his study. He quickly closed the door and rushed to show her the newspaper, a whole section being gently removed. "What am I looking at?"

"This whole page is gone, look." He pointed to a small tear along the middle of the newspaper, a page had absolutely been torn out.

"How strange..."

"Strange? It's intentional!" He crumpled the paper and tossed it back toward his desk. "What else has he been doing that we don't know about?"

"You think Franz did that?"

"Who else?"

"The boy who delivers the paper? Who knows? Georg, not everything is a conspiracy..."

"Like hell it isn't!" She jumped at his tone, used to him being a bit gruff, but not yelling at her like he was. He noticed immediately, and sighed. "I'm sorry, darling."

"Phone the neighbors and ask if you can see their paper. Or go to town and buy one. It may do you some good to get out of the house." She began to walk away, frustrated by him at the moment. She was having a lovely time with Mia and Brigitta, there was no need for him to interrupt it with his paranoia.

"Maria, please. I'm sorry." He took her hand, and she turned to face him. His eyes were dark, anxious, and she knew he wasn't frustrated with her, anyway.

"It's fine."

"It isn't, I need to do better." She gave him a soft smile, accepting a kiss as he pulled her close. She cringed and pulled back quickly.

"Are you smoking now?"

"I had one today."

"Georg, no. I draw the line at that, I will not kiss you if you're smoking." He raised his eyebrows, nodding before he walked to his desk and pulled out the cigarettes he bought the day prior. She took them and began to leave, intending to throw them out in the kitchen before returning to the drawing room. "You're like a child."

"I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes as she closed his door behind her, completing her task of throwing away his cigarettes before returning to her guest. She couldn't keep up with the man, one minute he was drinking himself into oblivion, then he was paranoid, then he was smoking; she couldn't figure out the best way to help him. It was difficult for her to decide if it was just the project anymore, or if he had been taken past that. Her uncle was an alcoholic when she was growing up, and she was terrified of being married to a man who had the same affliction.

"Oh, how lovely!" She smiled widely as she entered the drawing room, Brigitta's hair braided beautifully over her shoulder.

"Do you like it, mother?" She smiled excitedly, turning a bit so Maria could see the full braid.

"It's perfect! Mia, who knew you were so talented at hair?" Mia smiled, shrugging a bit as she poured another cup of tea for Maria who took it gladly as she returned to her prior seat.

"My sister has always been good at hair, and she taught me a lot. It's nice to have older sisters, isn't it Brigitta?"

"Yes, I do find it helpful that they've experienced the same things as me sometimes." She smiled, taking a sip of her own tea. Maria smiled as well, noting that she looked so grown up in that moment.

"I do hope to have a daughter one day. I can't wait to dress her up and do her hair." Maria laughed, settling further into the sofa.

"You'll end up with only boys if you say that too loudly." Mia smiled, giving a small shrug. "Are you wanting to have children soon?"

"Oh yes, I'd love a whole houseful. My husband does too, so we're hopeful it will happen soon."

"That's wonderful! I hope I'll be one of the first to know. I recently learned how to knit, I can make you a blanket." Mia laughed, nodding in agreement. Brigitta met her eyes, giving a gentle smile. She knew that Maria had learned to knit for her own child, the one she lost only a few months prior. Maria gave her a wink, taking one of the tea biscuits from the platter on the table.

The three chatted for quite a while before Mia left for home, and the rest of the children arrived from school. They all sat together in the schoolroom, completing homework and having snacks. It was just like any other day, and Maria felt thankful for the normalcy. She had been very much in her head for a long while, and life was feeling a bit too serious for her liking.

Georg was nearly present for supper, though she tried not to count the number of glasses of wine he had with his meal. He said he had it under control, after all. She was determined not to let herself worry about him for the moment. And then they all sat together and sang, Liesl playing the guitar far better than Maria had ever thought she would. It hadn't taken many lessons for her to thrive at the instrument, and she was so proud of her daughter's talent.

"Mother, I have to tell you something." Brigitta grasped her hand as Maria placed a kiss upon her forehead at bedtime. She gave her a soft smile, sitting upon the edge of her bed.

"You can tell me anything." She tried to stay calm, hoping Brigitta wouldn't feel as nervous as she looked.

"I don't think I trust your friend."

"Mia? Why not?" She was surprised, always having gotten a kind and innocent impression from her new friend. She didn't trust many people herself, but there were several times she could have felt inclined to reveal something personal to Mia, though she hadn't quite yet. She supposed it would take a long time for her to feel that close to anyone.

"I don't know, really. She just seems very interested in our family." She frowned, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Did she say something when I left you alone today?"

"Not really. She was just asking a lot of questions, like where you were from, and how you and Father became a couple. She asked if Father had been working a lot lately, and what it was he did in his spare time. It felt strange, very personal."

"I would say so." Maria felt her heart beat a bit faster, wondering what that was all about. She tried not to feel paranoid, obviously a result of spending too much time with Georg, she thought. "How did you answer her questions?"

"I mostly said I didn't know to all of them. She must think I'm daft." Maria chuckled, squeezing her hand in approval.

"You did the right thing. And thank you for telling me."

"I just think it's best not to trust anyone right now. Especially with how Father feels about Austria."

"You are a very smart person, Brigitta. Always trust your instincts."

"Sometimes I'm frightened."

"About what?"

"The future, tomorrow, a week from now." She looked down to their connected hands, and Maria could see the weight of the world upon her shoulders. Perhaps being so intelligent and observant at such a young age was not always a good thing. "I'm afraid we won't be safe one day."

"You listen to me, as long as your father and I are here, you will always be safe." She tilted the girl's face so she could meet her eyes. "Understand?"

"Yes, mother." She smiled, placing another kiss upon her forehead.

"You're an amazing young woman, Brigitta. Try to get some sleep." She nodded, smiling as she scooted beneath the covers, and Maria turned off the light on her way out.

She quickly covered her mouth, leaning against the wall in the hallway as she burst into tears. The sound of her daughter's fearful voice was too much for her to hear, too innocent and pure to keep her emotions from flooding over. And she could say nothing of value to keep the calm, as she felt the panic in her soul too. They were all frightened, and there was nothing at all she could do to fix a thing.

She needed to speak to Georg, calmly and rationally. The panic couldn't go on anymore, it was eating her from the inside as she did her best to take on the fear of the children as well as her own. It was impossible for her to try taking it all on herself. They needed to act before it was too late.