Chapter 7 – Forbidden

The young woman managed to answer to the captain's question evenly; her courage had never faltered before and she wouldn't let this be the first time.

"I was just talking with your friends, captain. Herr Schafer was discussing with me about politics and I was sorta dissenting with some of his opinions," Maria lied, biting her lip.

She would actually prefer to die before avowing to him the exact nature of the conversation that had taken place in the garden and that had led to this situation; for what would he think if she told him that it seemed that some speculation was going on among the guests regarding the two of them?

Her thoughts on this were interrupted by Georg.

"It didn't look like that from where I was. That young man was fondling your shoulder, Fräulein", the captain explained raising his voice a little bit more than necessary.

"Captain, what are you implying exactly?" Her eyes were wide and deep and he felt like falling off a cliff.

Georg looked away inhaling and was slightly red on the cheeks. Brigitta would certainly have commented on this if she had been here, Maria thought, nervous. 'Could he have had too much wine?' she wondered, not finding an appropriate answer to vouch for this bitter scene, now less than before.

"You certainly cannot be so innocent as to not realize what I am implying," he retorted reluctantly.

Maria blushed furiously herself, feeling slightly insulted at being addressed as 'innocent', especially in that accusative tone, but remained silent not wanting to honour his exploit with an answer.

"Alright then," he seemed to arm himself with patience to explain it to her like she was a child, "I mean that you were allowing that young man certain liberties that are not appropriate. You're playing a dangerous game."

"You mean because I danced with Emil? I danced with you too, earlier"

Georg reddened even more at this and not for the first time that night; he remembered how hot his own cheeks had been during their shared Laendler. It was quite a ridiculous situation.

"Let me remind you that I found the both of you alone in the patio and he had his hand caressing on your bare skin, should I suppose that that sort of physical contact represents no problem for you, Fräulein?"

Maria didn't reply for a moment. He had a point, she hadn't liked the way Emil had touched her but it had been so fast that she hadn't time to react before the captain intervened.

"I could hardly permit such a behaviour under my roof. You are here under my protection and I cannot even start to tell you how angry this has made me."

"I would never act in an inappropriate way in your house, captain. I am shocked you could think I was flirting or something. I don't think that Emil meant any disrespect." The discussion was getting higher in tone and Maria's temper was starting to flare up too.

"Oh, you two are using your first name already, aren't you?"

Maria jaw dropped in disbelief. If she didn't know him better she would say the captain was… The very idea made her gasp.

"I wasn't aware that using first names was a sin, captain," she felt that the more they argued the more he was locking inside some terrible energy, like a trapped panther.

"Well I bet it wasn't your idea, was it?"

"What would be the difference?" Maria asked.

"That the intentions of Herr Schafer wouldn't be honourable, of course."

"Do you have any reason to believe so? Do you know Emil well enough so as to give such a harsh and rather offensive opinion without actually knowing the situation from first hand?"

He laughed bitterly, "I don't need to, Fräulein."

He didn't need to! His answer made Maria extremely angry, the man was insufferable! He thought that he could judge anyone without giving them the slightest chance for defence! This was the old captain once again. Maybe he hadn't changed after all, not in what regarded to her.

"Well captain, if you know everything about everybody then I don't know what we are doing wasting time talking here. I must ask you to let me join the guests."

Georg let go of her arm at that; but didn't stop his verbal attack.

"I am not saying I know everything about everybody!" he practically bit every word. "Just that it's obvious that a single young man wouldn't be getting a pretty girl all to himself during hours merely for pious reasons!"

Only one word registered at her brain.

"Pretty?" Maria repeated almost inaudibly her eyes locked with his.

He seemed now quite angry at having used that word without realizing it but decided it was too late now to take it back. "Yes, you want to hear it, do you? You are very beautiful. All men have been eyeing you all night."

Maria could hardly breathe at his declaration and shook her head as if about to deny; but a strange feeling of warmth bathed all her back and heart, making her weak at the knees. She didn't have time to process it because he renewed his verbal assault even more viciously.

"And if it hadn't been him, probably someone else would have been prowling on you. I just thought you'd have enough sense so as to act with more poise and self-respect."

An ominous and charged silence was made between the two of them for interminable seconds.

"What is the real problem Captain? Are you jealous?" she accused, wanting to get at him too. Suddenly she shut up realizing what she just had said. Maria could almost feel him shake with indignation.

That horrible habit of saying whatever popped into her mind had never been worse timed! All she expected now from him was to fire her again and deservedly so. She didn't know what ever possessed her to make such an embarrassing declaration. All she wanted now was the earth to open up and swallow her.

"Fräulein!" He tensed and grabbed her two arms now, coming too close to her. He tensed his eyes and frowned as if to deny it angrily but instead he looked at her like he was engaged in battle with himself. She could see all of a sudden the real nature internal conflict he was having. She saw and could hardly breathe due to the shock.

"Yes, I am jealous" he accepted under his breath. Maria felt dizzy.

Georg lost the fight at long last. He put his face very close to hers, his lips so close to hers that they almost touched and murmured something she didn't hear, but she felt the warm air from his mouth, then he let go a hoarse moan of repressed passion and pressed her lips with his own completely unable to keep control of himself anymore

Maria tried to get away, fighting him due to the utter shock of what was happening, but then after a few seconds she found herself opening herself instead.

The feeling of his warm and gentle lips on hers brought a previously unknown explosion of sensations, that forbidden attraction she had felt for him for weeks now burst into flames.

He murmured her name over and over, playing with her lips untiringly; it had been like a pain ever since the Laendler and doing this was the most wonderful way of relief he'd ever felt. Soon his tremulous hands crossed her back and moved over the fabric of her dress.

"Oh God, this, this…" he whispered.

Blood rushed up to her brain and went to places she hadn't been aware of, leaving her with a need for something. It was not only the kisses, but also his calling her by her name for the first time that drove her out of her mind. All she could do was to kiss him back, learning as she did so, holding her arms around his neck.

The captain's heart was discomposed as he felt her mouth surrender and letting him deepen the kiss. His skin tingled when his tongue duelled with hers.

"Maria" he murmured. The fact that she allowed him, left him light-headed for a few seconds.

"Captain…" she managed to say escaping for a moment from his sweet demand. Her voice sounded confused and shaky.

Georg knew that Maria had never been kissed or touched by anyone before. It was easy to tell by her all outspoken innocence.

Crazy as it was, he knew that only a few more minutes of shared caresses would take him to a point where he would no longer be sure he could control his actions. They both needed each other intensely. But it was something that couldn't and shouldn't happen because he loved and respected Maria too much. Not to mention that fifty people were waiting for him in the living room. The thought brought him back to reality.

"Maria, please forgive me." He muttered still holding her in his arms, feeling suddenly guilty of his jealous scene. How could he have accused her of provoking someone else? He must have completely lost his mind, he realized.

She put her head on his shoulders embracing him closely, needing reassurance. She chuckled nervously.

"What is it, Maria?" He asked worried.

"It's just that no five minutes ago I said I wouldn't do anything inappropriate under your roof and now I have. And with you." She wouldn't look into the captain's eyes.

"This doesn't count." He laughed and hugged her very tightly and possessively closing his eyes lost in the moment. She was shaking. He just needed more time to talk to her and explain.

"Nothing that could happen between you and I would be inappropriate. Not with the way I feel about you"

"But I don't understand, you thought that Emil and I…"

"Maria, it was stupid of me. I am very sorry; you just couldn't understand the night I've been through. That dress!" he sighed, "And I was just terribly jealous about your dancing and talking like that with somebody else... had a hard time accepting it. But it was good in a way, because it helped me to finally see…" he was interrupted by another voice that came from behind.

"Well, well, well. Georg and Fräulein Maria, here you are. And to think that everybody was worried wondering if something may have happened with you and Herr Zeller. I was out of my mind looking out for you, thinking you may be killing that poor man," said Elsa flippantly. "And in fact you were so agreeably engaged…I am so disappointed, especially of you Sister Maria. I understood you were here to take care of the needs of the children. Not of the father's…"

The couple turned around taken aback. Maria felt deep shame, after all this was the baroness… What? Boyfriend? Maria was at a loss, the only thing she realized was the uncomfortable position she was in. Had she seen everything that had happened?

"My dear Fraulein, how could you have fallen like this?" continued Elsa. "Don't you know men at all? I am so sorry for you; you have everything to be such a good nun except that you're so naive. Think very well of what you're doing, there may be no way back." She ignored Georg and addressed only Maria in a tranquil and fake motherly fashion.

Georg let go of Maria and stepped forward protectively,as if to defend her physically from Elsa, which was ridiculous since the latter couldn't have been more tranquil and as elegant as usual.

Maria took advantage of his movement, mumbled something that sounded like an 'I am so sorry' and ran into the house as if the devil himself was hot on her footsteps.

Feeling her run away, the captain was about to follow her hadn't the baroness fixed him with a look that admitted no escape from the upcoming storm.

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"What have I done?" Was the thought that Maria repeated to herself over and over while running up the stairs.

The baroness was right, she didn't know men. Maria had sinned and had been weak in a way that betrayed her whole avowed purpose in life, and the meaning God had when she had been sent on an errand to that house.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She repeated to herself.

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Chapter notes: I am going on vacation this Saturday to a God forsaken beach so I don't believe I'll have time to update again before returning. But as always, feedback could help so please leave a note if you're reading. :) I had planned to have two chapters out this week but it's been crazy and my poor back has been killing me.

I want to thank now avdpJAlb, The Marauders3, lindainsweden, and an especial thanks to Fran for their continuous support! I do think a lot about your comments and they do help me to shape better the upcoming chapters.

And to everybody, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!