Georg stared unseeingly into the grate of his fireplace, his arm draped over the side of his chair, his whisky glass held loosely in his hand as his wrist lazily swirled it around. He knew should be plagued by thoughts of Elsa and yet his main emotion was one of relief. He wasn't completely heartless, certainly he felt a small tug of guilt at letting the charade that was their courtship carry on for as long as it had. Not that it had always been a pretence, when he had first issued his invitation to Aigen he had every intention of marrying her, the visit had been a mere formality. He had considered her to be the perfect wife, the wife he needed, and though he found Elsa attractive he had also found it to be a bonus that he didn't love her.

He took a drink of his whisky, the liquid burning a trail of welcome fire down his throat as a frown furrowed his brow, his blue eyes darkening. He hadn't wanted to love again, he accepted that marriage would bring many benefits with it and he had known in his bones that his children needed more in their lives and he had felt unable to provide that for them. Marriage had felt like the sensible, the right choice, but he absolutely hadn't wanted love. He had loved Agathe more than he could possibly put into words and her death had been excruciating, he absolutely could not face that again.

Initially it had been the magnitude of his loss, the crushing pain of her sudden decline and the shock of her death that had overwhelmed him in searing anguish. Whilst the disbelief had eventually faded, his all-consuming grief had remained, just morphing into a different kind of pain, it became like a thousand little needles that stabbed into him with little to no warning at the mundane minutiae of everyday life. So many times he had caught himself thinking of finding her to share an amusing anecdote or to confide in her, only to remember that she was no longer there to share his thoughts with. For so long he had awoken reaching for her, just to find the sheets cold, her pillowcase smooth. Ironically, he had seen her almost everywhere, in Louisa's smile, in Liesl's gentleness with her siblings and in Kurt's exuberance and for so long that had been unbearable. Eventually he had turned away and tuned out as much as he possibly could, otherwise he felt he might very well have gone mad.

For so long he had felt like a shadow of himself, as though he were only going through the motions of everyday and he had felt there was no joy without Agathe. Even when Elsa had chided him back onto the social scene, had made him laugh, had made his brain begin to come out of that sluggish fog, his grief had persisted. It was like a scab that never quite healed, his pain would lessen and then there would be a knock, a memory and it would all rush back.

That attempt to stop the unrelenting misery his memories caused him had ended in him withdrawing from anything that reminded him of his wife, and that had unforgivably included their children. Until that day, until the governess had shouted at him, had pointed out his flaws as no one else had had the courage to do. Everyone else, even Max, had been unable to draw him out, admittedly they had tried with kindness and not the cold hard truth that he was causing irreconcilable damage to his children. Then, whilst he had sulked over her words and cast her from his home, he had heard the innocent voices, raised in song, in a song that Agathe had hummed to herself frequently. And yet the pain didn't come, he looked at his children, really looked at them and finally the scales had fallen from his eyes. It was as though a light had finally shone into the darkness.

Despite that, he still hadn't wanted love from his next marriage, continued to just want companionship and convenience. Perhaps if Elsa had loved him he might have felt guilty, but he knew although they cared for one another, love was not a factor.

What he had not counted on was his reaction to Fraulein Maria. Even in that hideous grey dress, even when she irritated him to the point where he had dismissed her, she had made his blood thrum in his veins, had made his skin prickle with awareness. When those large blue eyes twinkled in merriment at him, even whilst she mocked and needled him, he felt alive again. His irritation at her may have been replaced with respect, but unfortunately that inexplicable lust had remained.

Georg knew lust, as a young man it had been his favourite of the deadly sins and he had indulged it at every given opportunity, he had been the worst kind of rake and an undeniable rogue. It made him cringe to think of it now, he had been the type of man that he wouldn't let within a hundred yards of his daughters. Any woman he had wanted he had been able charm into his arms. Ironically innocence had held no interest for him then, the woman he sought out had been just as carnally motivated as he. Debauchery had never been his style, even with Agathe he had waited until they were married, no matter how difficult that might have proved at times.

Now he was appalled with himself, because so many of his thoughts revolved around debauching the young woman who was currently in his employ, who was destined to take a vow of chastity. Even that first night, as she had twirled past him in that voluminous nightgown, singing about her favourite things his thoughts had strayed. He was mostly annoyed, but as she had blinked at him unsurely, her eyes wide and her blonde hair mused, he had had to stop himself from letting his gaze flicker down her frame, forced himself not to think about the figure that was swaddled within all that cotton.

The laendler had been a mistake, it had been a moment of weakness where he had seen an opportunity and given into that voice in his head that told him it would all be fine. It had been at first, and then as she had circled around him, his eyes had dropped to the shape of her legs, to the curve of her calf and then to the delectable flash of thigh. By the time he drew her close he was hanging onto his control by a thread, his awareness of the surroundings slipping away. Her eyes when they lifted to meet his had become dazed, the colour darkening as her pupils widened. His heartbeat had thundered in his ears, her cheeks had coloured, and he wasn't sure if he felt relief or disappointment when she pulled away. He had been a hairsbreadth away from doing something incredibly foolish.

Then again today he had found himself being drawn into her, like a moth to the flame, unwilling or perhaps unable to prevent himself from seeking her out. If it hadn't been for that damn dance! He took another mouthful of his drink and emitted a small hiss of annoyance at himself, he couldn't seem to rid himself of thoughts of her. He was tormented by the curve of her waist, the softness of her skin and the way she blushed at him.

He may not have felt guilty about not being in love with Elsa, but he had felt guilty about his thoughts, about his infatuation with another woman. It had undoubtedly delayed his proposal, he hadn't wanted to be lusting after Maria when he tied his life to Elsa. He gave a wince, he regretted how his behaviour must have made her feel at times. Elsa wasn't a stupid woman, quite the opposite in fact, she was much more intelligent than she was ever given credit for and if Max had noticed something amiss then she certainly had.

If he were to be entirely honest, a fair portion of his relief stemmed from knowing that it wasn't his forbidden feelings that had ended their attachment. If nothing else he hadn't left Elsa humiliated over his flirtations with a woman he was meant to be protecting. His guilt was eased knowing that he and Elsa simply didn't suit, that he wouldn't make her happy and if he were to be honest wouldn't be making anything better for his children either. Oh, make no mistake, he knew he walked an increasingly thin line between propriety and scandal, but there was at least one thing his conscience could rest slightly easier about.

Georg gave a grumble under his breath, stretched his legs out in front of him and listened to the calming ticking that emitted from the clock on the mantel He glanced at the clock, it was close to his evening meeting with Fraulein Maria, something else he absolutely should not be doing. With no-one in the home other than the children and considering how he had been behaving the last twenty-four hours, this was a test that his self-control absolutely didn't need. Don't do anything foolish, Max's words circled his head, for once he should listen to his friend, for once he was the one speaking sense.

He rolled his head back, stretching his aching muscles when he heard a small scuffling sound from outside the door to his study. His head tilted to the side and he frowned as he heard it again. Setting his crystal cut glass down with a resounding clink on the side table, he strode to the door and pulled it open, only to find Fraulein Maria shuffling awkwardly on her feet, her fist curled in mid air as if she were about to knock on the heavy wood. Her hand dropped abruptly to her side and she looked at him in surprise, her mouth falling slightly open. "Oh!" She squeaked before catching herself and offering him a nervous smile – she never looked nervous – as she remarked, "Good evening Captain, I'm here for our meeting, but I wasn't sure if…if you would want…I mean you don't need to…"

Georg stared at her in amazement, he had seen this woman bounce around after his children yelling at the top of her lungs, had listened to her thoroughly dress him down and now she was stuttering for words. In fact, he suspected that the scuffling noise had been her pacing in front of the door. "Fraulein?" He interrupted calmly.

Her face which had dropped to studying her shoes, lifted. "Yes Captain?"

"This is a nightly occurrence, and I did say earlier I wanted to discuss the children."

"You did," she confirmed.

"Then I am confused as to why you seem so uncertain about tonight's meeting."

"Well…it's just…I mean the thing is…"

His head tilted. "Fraulein, are you unwell?"

Her head snapped up at that and she looked surprised. "No, why would you think that?"

"Well, it is quite unlike you to be lost for words," he pointed out dryly. "If anything, you normally have too much to say."

She looked at him indignantly. "I only express my opinion when it is necessary."

"Hmmm," he nodded a teasing smile beginning to pull at the corner of his lips. "And yet…" he tailed off meaningfully.

She gave an annoyed huff, the rush of air causing her short fringe to bounce on her forehead. "I was just unsure if given today's events you would really want to have this evening's discussion." She finally blurted out in a rush, as she seemed to stare at the spot just past his right ear, her cheeks colouring.

For a moment he thought she was referring to his near indiscretion with her in the garden, it took him a second or two to realise that she meant Elsa's departure. "Ah…" He thought on his words carefully. "I feel perfectly able to make plans for the children, particularly when I have already made a promise to them. I have broken enough to them to last a lifetime," he concluded softly.

Her eyes drifted away from his ear, her embarrassment at being so forward in her questioning fading instantly as her expression softened. "They don't hold it against you, Captain."

"Perhaps not, but I shan't forget it quite so easily." He stepped to the side, beckoning her into his sanctuary, the warm room bathed only in the glow of the side lamp.

She walked gracefully to her usual chair, across from his and it was only as he closed the door and watched her settle back into the large armchair that he realised how inappropriate this would appear to others. It had come about quite by accident; she had come one night to speak to him on the matter of Liesl and that blasted boy and he had waved her into that chair whilst they discussed it. Perhaps it would have been wiser to have kept the distance of the desk between them, to maintain the image of Captain and Governess, but it was much too late to change that now. And if he were honest, as she turned to face him, her skin warm and her eyes bright in the dim light he couldn't quite bring himself to care about propriety. These moments were often one of the highlights of his day, he had no wish to stop them.

Don't do anything foolish. The words circled his mind again but only briefly as she smiled at him as he took his seat and all sense fled.

Maria had felt uneasy as she had paced the tiles outside the Captain's study, ridiculously nervous after his announcement at dinner, but unsure why. She had told herself it was because she didn't want to upset him, this was a man who had withdrawn from the world after the loss of his wife and now he had lost the woman he had been courting.

When he had pulled the door open, her heart felt like it stuttered and stopped for a moment at the sight of him. He was so handsome, she thought abruptly, his suit jacket had been abandoned, the material of his shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, whilst his jaw was shadowed by a fine layer of stubble. Had that just appeared since dinner? She caught herself, stop this, she scolded herself silently.

As she had blithered her reasons for her hesitance – at least most of her reasons – Maria had quite honestly wanted the ground to swallow her whole. But then oddly, wonderfully it all came right again, he was his usual self and he welcomed her into his study, and she had entered gladly.

"Do you want me to call for some tea?" "He asked as he took his seat.

"No thank you," she replied automatically. The Captain always offered and she always declined, truthfully she felt awkward when the others were serving her, as though she were playing make believe.

He gave a nod as he shifted to face her and lifted his own glass to his mouth, he took a small sip and then lowered it, a small quirk to his mouth as he remarked, "You know Fraulein, I don't believe I've ever offered you anything stronger. I do have some wine in here, if you'd prefer."

Maria looked at him in surprise. "I didn't think you'd permit your employees to drink whilst on duty." She bit down on her lower lip as she gave him a teasing smile. "It completely lacks discipline."

For a moment she had the oddest sensation that he was staring at her mouth, but she blinked and decided she must have imagined it, because his eyes were on hers and he chuckled. "Even the strictest of Captains allow their sailors some rest time. So as long as you follow it up by having a quick march around the grounds whilst breathing deeply then I'm sure I can look the other way."

Her shoulders shook as she tried to contain her mirth, pleased that they had reached a stage that he could at least joke about his ridiculous past rules. "Oh, I definitely don't like wine enough to take you up on that offer."

His head cocked and his blue eyes surveyed her curiously, an act that always made her feel flustered. "Ah, I wasn't aware you'd had the chance to try some before you entered the Abbey."

"I didn't," she replied unthinkingly. At this his eyebrows shot up and Maria cleared her throat, "I mean…oh bother." She raised her eyes heavenward and admitted, "I wanted to know what it tasted like, so I may have sampled some of the wine for communion." She gave a shake of her head. "It certainly wasn't worth the punishment."

His cheeks sucked in slightly and he looked as though he were having great difficulty in containing his amusement at her confession. "Having tried that wine at mass, I'd be inclined to agree with you." He took another sip of his whisky, collecting himself before he asked, "Just what was your penance?"

"Well, I confessed of course, and Sister Berthe put me on kitchen duty for a week and my free time was confiscated and replaced with prayer and reflection." She sighed. "It was a very long week."

"Yes, I imagine it would be." His gaze was pensive for a moment. "And certainly that bilge water would not have been worth such stern restrictions."

Maria gave a shrug. "Perhaps if someone other than Sister Berthe had caught me then it might not have been quite so bad. Although," she flushed, her voice dropping to a guilty whisper. "I did steal it."

The Captain got to his feet, walking over to a small drinks cabinet and clicking it open, pulling out bottle of wine and a small glass. He poured a small amount of the dark red liquid into the glass and proffered it to her. "We can't have that as your only memory of wine, as I remember rightly you didn't even get the chance to have some champagne last night."

Maria smiled and took it. "I still don't think I'll like it," she warned him.

He gave an easy shrug. "I can at least promise you that it doesn't taste like vinegar."

She laughed into the glass as she took a small sip, the rich warmth of the drink hitting her tongue before it burst into flavour, she felt as though she could taste cherry and fig. She sniffed the glass curiously and was surprised to find she could almost smell cedar mixed in with the tang of alcohol. "It's lovely," she admitted after a moment.

His smile was wide, and he lifted the bottle and leaned across to pour a little more into her glass. "You'll appreciate it more than Max does," he commented when she went to protest. "And I'm not so miserly as to only allow you a mouthful."

"Thank you." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, feeling so utterly content that for a few seconds she forgot what they had planned to discuss tonight. "So, the girls swimming lessons," she prompted as the thought flew back into her head.

The Captain also looked surprised. "Ah yes," he remarked and Maria could have sworn that she saw the angle of his cheekbones redden as he rubbed absentmindedly at the side of his jaw with the side of his finger. "I thought the afternoon would be most agreeable, it allows the water to warm up slightly."

"Of course," Maria nodded her agreement. "Mid afternoon would be best, allow their lunch to settle."

"Yes, quite," he agreed. "We could alternate who goes first. I know Gretl often feels she is always last, but I don't want Marta to feel pushed out either."

Maria could feel her eyes soften as she stared at him, she had thought this man an uncaring, thoughtless tyrant and yet he must have paid some attention to them to recognise Gretl's insecurity. "I think that would be nice. Even if she were upset, Marta would never complain."

"She's definitely the quietest of the children." He gave a small frown. "I'm not sure where she gets that from."

Without thinking Maria replied, "Well I would imagine from you Captain." When he brought his confused eyes to hers, and thinking that she had offended him, she gave a soft sigh telling him. "I may have spoken out of turn."

He shook his head. "Not at all, I just wasn't expecting it and I admit to being intrigued."

Maria wondered if she could blame her three mouthfuls of red wine for her loose tongue and impetuousness, but as she had always been guilty of speaking out of turn, she suspected not. "Well, you can be rather introspective at times, and you think through everything you do-"

"Oh ho, I think I could name a few of my superiors in the Navy who could dispute that."

She laughed. "We are all guilty of moments of folly, but you most certainly learn from yours. You are like Brigitta in that you see so much of others and yet," she tilted her head thoughtfully. "I doubt that there are many who can claim to know the real Captain Von Trapp." There it was, that look again, as though he could see every thought that ran through her head. Ducking her head, she gave it a small shake. "Forgive me Captain, I go too far."

"No, you are simply being honest." He looked at her, almost assessing her. "It was what this house needed, it was your honesty that brought life back into my family. I will always be grateful."

Her skin flushed with pleasure at the compliment. At the Abbey, no matter how hard she had tried, she had never been able to feel a sense of accomplishment, had never managed to achieve the serenity that so many of the other postulants and novices had. "I'm just glad I was able to help."

That thoughtful expression remained on his face. "You said earlier that you found Nonnberg challenging…" he prompted.

She should tell him she didn't mean that, that it had been nothing more than a slip of her tongue but again she found herself telling him exactly what she found difficult to even face herself." At times I worry that I won't be a very good Nun. I think that's why the Reverend Mother sent me here, to find out if I was really ready."

"Has it helped?" He asked softly.

Her eyes lifted to meet his and she swallowed heavily. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "The thought of leaving here, of leaving the children…" Of leaving him, the thought rushed unbidden into her mind and she forced it away.

"You don't have to leave." The muscle at his jaw gave an almost imperceptible twitch. "Earlier when we spoke, I…ah," he cleared his throat. "I wanted you to know that you are welcome to stay past September if you wish."

"That's very kind of you, but the children will be back at school."

"With seven of them, there is always something that requires done. You have done so much for us Fraulein, if I can return the favour."

Maria felt a slight pang of disappointment at his words, for an utterly foolish moment she had believed, had hoped that perhaps he wanted her to stay. But it was simply a gesture of gratitude. "I couldn't possibly impose on your hospitality longer than agreed. Anyway," she gave a weak smile. "The Abbey is where I belong, it is where I always wanted to be."

There it was again, that heugh of colour that slashed across his cheekbones. "Of course," he muttered, his gaze dropping to the glass encased in his hands for a moment.

The Grandfather clock in the hall chimed heavily and Maria got to her feet, placing her empty wine glass to the side. "I should probably go, let you have some peace this evening."

The Captain opened his mouth as if he were about to argue with her, but then that inscrutable expression crossed his features again and he simply nodded. "Of course, and you need your rest to manage the children tomorrow." He walked with her to the door. "So, shall we say 2pm and 3pm for the girl's lessons?" he asked as they paused at the heavy, polished door.

"Yes, I think that's entirely workable."

"Good, we can tell them at breakfast tomorrow."

Giving a curt nod, Maria reached for the door handle and on a whim she looked back up at him. He was close to her; she could smell the remnants of his cologne for the day and she could feel the heat of his body almost searing through her. "I am grateful for your offer Captain; I would hate for you to think otherwise."

"If your calling lies elsewhere Fraulein then you are right not to let anyone stand in your way." His head inclined slightly at his words and he continued to watch her as he added, "But you have a home here for as long as you wish it."

It was the first time anyone had ever referred to her having a home, a place where she fit in, where she was wanted and welcomed, unthinkingly she rose up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders in a hug.

For a moment his frame stiffened and then he relaxed, his hands resting lightly on her waist as he held her against him.

Maria could feel his heartbeat through the fine material of his shirt and she realised just how inappropriate she had been. She took a sharp intake of breath as she eased herself back ever so slightly, afraid of his reaction. "I shouldn't have…"

Her eyes met his, they were so dark now, bordering on navy and she had the urge to run her thumb across the faint lines that fanned out from their corner.

One hand slipped slightly from her waist to the edge of her hip, and she swallowed against the lump in her throat as saw his Adam's apple bob. She heard him breathe deeply and realising that she still had her arms around him, she let them drop. His fingers twitched against her before his hands pulled away and she saw his mouth tighten. "It's quite alright Fraulein. Perhaps it was the wine."

He had offered her an out, and even though she knew it wasn't the case, she found herself nodding her head and agreeing, "Yes perhaps it was."

Her head swirling and feeling almost unsteady on her legs, Maria reached for the door handle, this time she did not turn as she said, "Goodnight Captain."

"Goodnight Fraulein."