Chapter Two
Maria wasn't shocked by the news of her pregnancy; she had suspected it all along. The doctor gave her something to help with the nausea that caused her to drift off to sleep again before she could speak with Georg. When she awoke again, it was to find that the sun had set and that her husband sat quietly by her side. She felt disoriented when she awoke, as if her spirit was not within her body. She still felt dizzy and weak, she batted a hand at the uneasiness that engulfed her.
Maria remembered the doctor's words. Pregnant. She had concealed the early symptoms from Georg, but now he more than likely had been told by Dr. Burke. She knew he would have been told, what she didn't know was how he'd react.
"Georg?" she asked studying her husband's face. He seemed genuinely concerned, but the heat of his gaze told her he was as she predicted, angry.
"You fainted," he replied curtly, as if she was unaware. "You had not eaten."
Maria nodded her head hesitantly. She hadn't eaten or drank very much that day and what she did consume the day before came right back up. "I don't feel very well," she replied. "I was not hungry. We had such a long trip…"
Georg looked down at her, his hard gaze softening, "I imagine not. Most women are not very hungry in the early stages. I imagine it would have been difficult to conceal your sickness from me on such a long journey. Don't worry about not feeling hungry just now," he smiled. "You'll make up for it later."
"I feel so silly, thinking I could hide it from you," Maria blushed. She felt guilty for misleading him, not telling him, but his mood and focus since the Anschluss had been so unpredictable. Would he want to bring another child into such an uncertain world?
"I don't understand why you felt you had to," Georg replied, "Didn't you know that I'd be delighted with the prospect of another child?"
"I was going to tell you, Darling, but you were so worried about things in Austria and then the Anschluss happened and..." the Captain cut his wife off with a quick kiss on the lips.
"I'm sorry, my love," the Captain apologized. "I should have paid more attention."
The mention of the Anschluss jogged Maria's memory; they were supposed to be getting ready to leave Austria, not sitting in their bedroom talking about her pregnancy. Maria sat up quickly, but Georg pushed her back down gently. "Not so fast. Not so fast," he admonished. "You have to get your legs back under you so to speak."
"Georg, we can't just sit here, we have to get the children ready, we have to get our things together. It's already night, we have to leave, and soon," she said urgently.
Sadly, Georg shook his head, "Maria, I think I was a bit too hasty about leaving. There is no way we can get out of Austria without the Nazis finding us, we're far too large a group. If we were going to get out, we'd have to cross the Alps on foot and in your condition...That's not a risk I'm willing to take. This changes everything."
"No, no, it can't," she protested. "I'll manage, we'll be all right," she told him, trying to keep positive. Maria knew that there was no way Georg could fight for the Reich in good conscience, and she knew that she could not let him go on alone, not without his family. She needed him, they needed eah other.
"No," Georg shook his head. "An escape like this has to be planned carefully, and the Nazis know that. With your pregnancy..." Georg paused. "We'd need money to be wired to Switzerland and I've already tried the banks, our money is frozen. I can't move it out of Austria, not now, and we can't make the journey without capital, I won't have my family sleeping outside and begging on the streets of Zurich, I won't allow it!"
"What are we going to do?" Maria asked him, sitting up slowly this time and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
"There is only one thing I can do," the Captain replied.
"No," Maria shook her head fiercely. "No, if you are going to leave Austria, we're all going with you."
"Maria, I'm not going to leave Austria. I can't, we don't even have enough cash money to keep me going alone and if I were to leave, they would come after you and the children," he sighed. "Listen, there is one other option and we have some time before any decisions have to be made, a few hours at least. You lie back down and rest, and I'll send Frau Schmidt up with some supper for you," Georg leaned in and kissed her forehead, "I'll be back soon. Everything's going to be all right."
Georg left the room before Maria could challenge that statement. Everything was going to be all right? How? He was essentially being drafted by the Nazis, their money was frozen, she was pregnant and by the way she felt even now it was not going to be the easiet pregnancy and Georg is telling her it's gong to be all right?
Maria went to stand up and felt her legs shake. She took a deep breath, this time her body cooperated. She started for the door to have this thing out with Georg, but Frau Schmidt entered with soup, tea, and a slice of strudel. "Congratulations, Baroness," she smiled. "The Captain is overjoyed at the idea of another baby in the house. It's been a long time since I've seen baby things in the laundry or heard a little cry. It'll do us all a world of good."
"Thank you, Frau Schmidt," Maria replied. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble. I was going to come downstairs."
"The Captain gave express orders," the housekeeper replied. 'You are to eat and rest and he is not to be disturbed unless you need him. He's locked himself in the study with Herr Detweiler. Heaven only knows what he's trying to convince the Captain to do. No, you do need rest, Baroness. You look very pale. Some women have a difficult time in the beginning, you'll come out all right, you'll see."
Maria was grateful for the older woman's kindness. She took a few sips of the hot soup and let it coat her stomach. If Georg was with Max, that meant a plan was in the works, an escape, a way out was still possible. If anyone could think of anything, it would be that charming sponge.
Georg and Max poured over the numbers again and again and found them a cruel reality. With the accounts frozen, there was no way that enough capital could be acquired to support seven children, one adult male, and one pregnant lady in Switzerland or anywhere else.
"I don't have much, Georg," Max told him. "But whatever I have is yours, you know that."
"I know that," Georg said with a nod. "But any significant amount of money transferred or wired would be noticed and traced. You could get in a lot of trouble."
"But there's only one of me and I'm not even a speck on the German radar..." Max interjected.
Georg couldn't help but laugh at that, "You most certainly are. They aren't stupid, many things yes, but not stupid. Don't kid yourself, the Nazis are watching you. I'd be surprised if your funds were not frozen as well. They have probably been able to trace our friendship all the way back twenty years when we were raising Hell in Vienna. They know if I were in trouble, I'd go to you for help. No, you can't risk it, in fact, you should be as far away from here as you possibly can be."
Max knew Georg was right. There was no conceivable way, but neither wanted to give up yet. "What if you left Austria with Maria and the children with the cash money you have, then I'll apply for a visa to somewhere like Italy and then I can wire you money from there."
"It's too involved a plan, Max, and the Italians are siding with the Germans in this. No, there are too many places where we can run into problems," Georg answered. "Even if it did work it would be a hand to mouth existence at best and I want better than that for Maria and the children. It would also cost you a lot more than money Max, it could mean your life and I'm not exaggerating."
"Georg you really don't have a choice," Max began.
"I only have one choice; I don't know why I tried to deny the truth so long. I have to go to Bremerhaven and hope that England and France declare war on Germany and win a speedy victory." Georg sipped his whiskey and settled into his desk chair.
"Georg, you can't. The Nazis are against everything you believe, everything you consider important!" Max argued.
"The only thing that is really important is my family, my wife, my children. If I must fight for Germany, I'll fight for Germany," Georg said seriously. "I'll do whatever I need to do to protect them, and I need you far away from the situation. I need to know if something happens to me that you will then be able to step in and take care of Maria and the children."
"You know I will, but..." Max began, stopped, then began again. "Georg, only a few months ago you nearly bit off some teenager's head because he said 'Heil, Hitler!' Now you are ready to go to battle for him?"
Max's words cut Georg deeply. It was true. Nazi rule undermined everything he held sacred, his faith, his country, his moral values. However, there was one thing more precious to him than those things, and he said so, "Max, there is only one thing worth fighting for anymore. Austria-Hungary is no more; the empire is dead. The Austrian republic is no more; it's taken over, occupied. There is no Austria to fight for. There is only my family now, and I'm going to go to battle for them."
With those words, Georg rose from his desk and left his study. He knew what he said was true, that the country he loved, fought for, bled for; was gone. He knew he only had his family and he knew what he must do; he knew that he must sacrifice his noble ideals for his family.
Georg only wanted to say it once. He only wanted to say the dirty, dreaded words once. Thus, he asked Frau Schmidt to assemble the family in the front salon.
By this time, the children knew that something was going on, their father never called a "family meeting" unless something terribly important was happening. They quickly assembled in the salon arranged in chairs around the fireplace from oldest to youngest. Maria was seated between Marta and Kurt, holding a tired and somewhat nervous Gretel on her lap.
Liesl could tell by her father's face that something was troubling him, and Maria could tell by her husband's hesitancy to speak that he had decided what to do about the telegram. When everyone was quiet and expectantly facing him, he spoke, "Maria. Children," he said, in a tone that invited no argument. "I have an announcement to make. This is not up for debate, criticism, or discussion. This is my decision; it has been made and I'm simply informing you of it. As of this time tomorrow, I will be reporting to the German naval base at Bremerhaven. I'm going to fight for the Nazis."