Eyes like sinking ships
On waters so inviting
I almost jump in


The sun blazed down upon the von Trapp villa in a blistering manner. It was surely one of the hottest days of the summer, and everyone was unbearably uncomfortable.

Maria was sat with her back against the solid bark of a tree, grateful that the shade the tree provided was a few degrees cooler than where the sun could reach. Still, it was nearly stifling. Not quite as stifling as it was in the house, but the lack of any sort of breeze made the outdoors nearly as bad. Even in her lightest summer dress, she could feel her body slick with sweat.

The children were not fairing much better. Their father had cancelled their morning lessons – with a bit of encouragement from Maria – as it was too unbearably hot for them to possibly retain anything that day. They laid in sprawled out positions beneath the tree's shade, the occasional groan rising up from one of their unmoving bodies. If Maria wasn't so bloody hot herself, she might have attempted to coax them from their defeated positions on the ground and make the best of the day. The scorching heat that prickled up the back of her neck dissuaded her from any such notion.

Up on the terrace, it appeared that the adults were having just as miserable of a time.

Herr Detweiler sat hunched over the strudel before him, his head propped up on his hand as the sweat poured from him. Maria could even see the gleam of sweat along his forehead from where she sat across the yard. Despite what proper decorum might have dictated in polite society, Herr Detweiler had traded in his suit for what looked like an old – and rather ill fitting – short sleeved shirt that was nearly soaked through and clung to him like a second skin. He looked terribly uncomfortable.

Baroness Schraeder, however, still managed to look like the epitome of class and grace. Where Herr Detweiler might have looked rumpled and miserable, she managed to look as put together as always. She wore an elegant summer dress, and not a hair stood out of place. The only sign of her discomfort was the rapid way in which she fanned herself. Maria marveled at the way she could handle herself with such elegance in such conditions.

The captain seemed to be a mixture of the two. He looked vaguely irritated as he sat in his chair, partially angled to see the children. He had abandoned his jacket and tie – a decision that had truly shocked Maria. In the time she had known him, he had never been anything but the pure picture of aristocratic class and decorum. His decision to abandon what polite society dictated as appropriate had only made the severity of the heat all the more real. His shirtsleeves were rolled up above his elbows and the top couple of buttons of his shirt were undone, showing far more skin than Maria had ever dared to think about when it came to anyone, much less the captain. She found it difficult to look at him for more than a few seconds – a shameful twinge would grip at her chest when she would find her gaze upon him.

But she found that she couldn't help her gaze from falling to him. He was like she had never seen him. He had run his hand through his hair enough times that it had fallen loose of the impeccable hold he usually had it in. Rogue locks had begun to fall forward onto his forehead and curl at the nape of his neck. He had never looked more like a sea captain. The thought made her smile and then immediately avert her eyes.

It felt wrong to stare at her employer in such a way. Not that she was really staring, per say, she was simply intrigued by this side of him. It was a side that was unrecognizable. There was a youthfulness to him that hadn't been there before, and she began to wonder about what the captain might have been like when he was a young man just starting out in the navy. And I'm staring again, she thought to herself as she averted her gaze once again. Though, could she be blamed? There was not much else to do but let her eyes wander. It was much too hot for any games or activities of any kind. Only Brigitta looked satisfied to be curled up against a tree with a book.

"Fraulein Maria," a voice caught her attention. It came from two feet in front of her where Kurt was sprawled out like a starfish, looking up to the sky with such anguish that he hardly resembled the cheeky young boy she had come to know and love. "I don't think I can take much more of this."

"I'm afraid there's not much we can do about the heat," Maria replied. Groans of disappointment came from all the motionless bodies that surrounded her. She frowned. She knew that Kurt was right. They couldn't continue to let the heat keep them down. They had to do something, though, Maria could hardly think about standing without feeling exhausted by the weight of the heat. "If anyone has any suggestions on how to cool down, I'm listening."

There was silence for a moment, and Maria wasn't sure whether the children were trying to come up with ideas or if they were simply too exhausted by the heat to think. She could certainly relate. She tried to wrack her own brains for ideas but was saved from doing so when Louisa spoke up.

"Why don't we go for a swim?" she suggested, rising from the ground in a sitting position. Maria watched as the other children perked up a little at the suggestion. The lake! How hadn't she thought of that? There was an entire lake on the grounds that they had yet to utilize in the drastic heat. She felt momentarily silly that the thought hadn't occurred to her first.

"Could we, Fraulein Maria?" Marta asked, raising her head off the ground, her damp bangs sticking to her forehead.

"Do you think father would let us?" Friedrich questioned, unmoving. Maria gave them a shrug.

"I don't see why not. Why don't we go ask him?" she suggested. It took several moments for all the children to be motivated enough to move from their positions on the ground. Even Maria struggled as she shifted her weight from the ground, relying on the tree for support more than she'd like to admit. She had to admit, as she walked behind the group of children on the way up to the terrace, they made for a rather pathetic looking group, what with their sweat stains, damp, mussed hair, and glum expressions.

After what seemed like an endless walk, they began to ascend the stairs of the terrace. The captain forced a tight smile on his face as he saw the children approach, giving each and every one of his children a quick glance over as he took in their ragged appearances.

"And how are we enjoying the fine summer weather this afternoon?" he asked, the sarcasm oozing in his voice. While his tone was one clearly in teasing nature, there was none of the usual light behind his eyes. Seeing him up close, he looked positively drained, and Maria briefly wondered if it had to do with something more than just the heat.

"Father, do you think we could go for a swim?" Liesl asked. The air of assertiveness in her tone made Maria smile. There was a time not too long ago that the children might not have asked this particular question out of fear that asking the question may upset their father, and if they had asked it, it would have been with timidness and uncertainty. It warmed Maria's heart to be able to see the progression of communication that was taking place between the children and their father, and she was truly blessed to be a part of it

He took a moment to contemplate the question. She found that his gaze flitted towards where she stood near the back of the group causing her chest to tighten under his attention. She gave him a soft smile and watched as the corner of his lip pulled upwards slightly. He looked away then, glancing to Liesl. As he opened his mouth to speak, it was Herr Detweiler's voice that came out.

"A swim? I've been soaking through my shirt for the better part of an afternoon, and we have had the option to take a swim?" the man sounded incredibly offended. The captain turned his head to look at his friend, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you needed me to tell you that you had the option to take a swim in the lake. You certainly help yourself to everything else in my home," the captain snapped, the bitter edge in his voice unmistakable. It was enough to make the children take a small step back from him. He seemed to remember himself immediately, his features softening as he looked back to them. It would seem the heat had gotten to him.

"Of course. I think it's a brilliant idea. Go ahead and get changed," he told them. While the children didn't move very quickly, she could see the smiles on their faces as they headed into the house. They looked excited at the prospect of not being drenched in their own sweat for a while, and Maria couldn't blame them. However, one seemed to have strayed behind.

"Fraulein Maria," Brigitta's voice brought Maria's attention to her side where the girl was looking up at her.

"Yes, Brigitta?"

"Do you think it would be alright if I didn't go for a swim? I'd like to keep reading if I could," she said. Maria wasn't necessarily shocked by her request. Brigitta often took up reading when the rest of her siblings were off playing games in their free time. It wasn't that she didn't want to be a part of the group – she was sure to make that very clear to Maria – but it was that she found she always craved sense of adventure she only found through reading. It was a hobby that Maria, nor the captain for that matter, felt should be discouraged.

Maria lifted her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug, glancing at the captain to gauge his thoughts on the matter. He returned her shrug, and dismissive wave of his hand marked his approval.

"If that's what you want to do. Are you sure you don't want to cool down in the lake?" Maria asked. Brigitta nodded.

"I'd rather finish my book," she replied. Maria nodded in reply. Brigitta flashed her a smile, then smiled at her father, before skipping down the steps with her book in hand. Maria watched after her, marveling at the bounce in the girl's step as she made her way back to her spot beneath the tree. She supposed Brigitta was too concentrated on getting back to the world in her book to even register the heat of the world they were in.

Herr Detweiler stood, shifting Maria's attention. The captain turned his head as well.

"Max, where are you going?" Baroness Schraeder asked. Herr Detweiler glanced down to his shirt that was now an entirely different shade from when he first put it on. His gaze slowly came back up to meet the baroness's, a sardonic eyebrow raised.

"I can't live like this, Elsa. I was not built for these kinds of conditions. Taking a swim in the lake seems like the only sane option," Herr Detweiler replied. The dramatic use of exasperation in his tone was only too eerie of the way Kurt spoke.

"You? Swimming?" The baroness asked in a huff. Herr Detweiler scoffed and narrowed his eyes at her. Maria stifled a laugh at the malice in his gaze. She must not have stifled it well enough, however, as she found that the captain's gaze was upon her in an instant. He gave a theatrical eye roll while a smirk pulled at his lips. Maria found herself having to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing aloud.

"I can swim. I'm a rather fantastic swimmer, actually. I mean, really Elsa, you forget that Georg and I were in the Navy together," he grumbled. It was the captain who let out a scoff at that.

"Barely," the captain muttered, earning another glare from Herr Detweiler. Maria decided that she truly appreciated Herr Detweiler's presence at the villa. He was witty and impossibly charming, despite what the captain may claim. Even when he wasn't trying, Herr Detweiler always knew how to lift the spirits of everyone who was in his presence.

"Are you coming, Georg?" Herr Detweiler asked. There was a moment of contemplation for the captain. His fingers tapped in a rapid pattern against his leg, as Maria found he often did when in thought or agitated. She wondered which it was in that moment.

"I might as well. I'm not sure how much longer I can take this either, if I'm being honest," he admitted in defeat, rising from his chair.

"Elsa?" Herr Detweiler asked. Baroness Schraeder looked mildly amused at his suggestion.

"Oh, I don't think so," she replied coolly. "I'm not much of a swimmer. I'm more inclined to watch. But Georg, darling, if you could ask Frau Schmidt to bring out some more of that lemonade and some ice cubes, I'd be quite grateful."

Maria watched the captain curiously as he barely paid any mind to the baroness as she squeezed his arm and batted her eyelashes up at him. He really must have been irritated by the heat after all.

"Of course," he replied, sparing her no more than a glance. As quickly as his attention had left the baroness, Maria found the captain's gaze now firmly planted on her. "Fraulein?"

Her eyes widened as he looked at her inquiringly. The baroness and Herr Detweiler shifted their gazes to regard her curiously, and Maria felt the air around them get impossibly thicker. She hadn't quite thought about whether or not she wanted to swim. On such a stifling day, it made quite a bit of sense to join the group and swim, but there was a reluctancy tugging at the pit of her stomach.

"I-I don't think I have anything suitable to wear," she answered. She found herself fixated on the bead of sweat rolling down along his temple, where his hair had begun curling from the humidity.

"I'm sure that Liesl has something you could borrow," he suggested. It was a fair offer, and if Maria said yes, she was sure that Liesl would in fact have something for Maria to borrow. As she watched the droplet of sweat drip down his cheek, she weighed her options. If she went swimming, she would be considerably cooler and she would actually play some games with the children. If she didn't swim, she would be stuck in the insufferable heat and likely just as miserable as she had been the majority of the day. It was clear which option she should take, but the reluctancy tugged at her once again.

She couldn't determine why she was quite so reluctant. If this were to be her last summer of uninhibited freedom before she took her vows, wouldn't it make sense to make the most of it? To swim freely when given the choice? And yet, she took pause when she realized he would be there too. Maybe it was the heat getting to her, or maybe she was just being silly, but something told her that getting in that lake would lead to nothing good.

"I was thinking of just reading with Brigitta. I'm not much of a swimmer," she replied quietly, tearing her eyes away from the bead of sweat that had clung to his jaw. Something in his eyes told her that he knew she was lying, but he simply nodded anyways, choosing not to press the issue further.

"Suit yourself," he said, a smirk toying on his lips. He turned then to enter the house, Herr Detweiler trailing close behind. The baroness regarded Maria with a polite smile, fanning herself just a little more aggressively than before. Maria gave a small smile back before entering the house as well.

She first stopped to check on the youngest girls to see if they needed any help, but Liesl and Louisa had beaten her to it. She could already tell the children were in much better spirits at the prospect of cooling down.

Next, Maria stopped by her room to grab her book off of her nightstand. For a moment, without the weight of curious gazes, she allowed herself a moment of doubt at her decision. Why had she said no? It seemed completely insane to her now as she inhaled the stale, humid air in her room. Her entire body felt muggy and tired, and she knew taking a swim would be a welcome way to end her misery.

She shook her head. She had already told the captain no. She could be just as happy reading a book with Brigitta, anyways. Perhaps she could lose herself in her novel the way Brigitta had and not even notice the suffocating heat around her.

Unlikely.

With a final sigh and a sweep of her hand through her increasingly damp hair, Maria grabbed the Jane Austen novel that had been on her nightstand and left her room, suddenly desperate for the slightly less stifling air of the outdoors.

When she emerged from the house, she saw that all of the children – except for one – had already made their way out into the lake, and they were already splashing around. Liesl kept the two youngest girls in the shallower area of the lake and was helping them learn to tread water. Kurt, Friedrich, and Louisa had already found a ball and had begun tossing it among each other. The musical laughter that echoed around the grounds was more than enough to lift Maria's spirits in the heat.

She took her spot under the tree, next to Brigitta. She began to make herself comfortable as she possibly could.

"You don't have to stay with me, Fraulein. I'll be alright by myself," the young girl said, looking up from her book.

"Oh, I know that. I've never met a more mature or independent ten-year-old," Maria replied, earning a giggle from the girl. "I'd just rather read as well."

Brigitta gave her an approving nod and a beaming smile before she directed her gaze back down to her book. While Brigitta would never say it aloud, Maria knew the girl often felt like the black sheep of her siblings. She did join in with her siblings in their games and activities often enough to be a part of the group, but she tended to be more isolated than the rest. It was something Maria could identify with as she often felt like the black sheep at the Abbey – as if she were far more isolated than the rest because they didn't necessarily understand her. While Maria was okay with that, she often found she wished she had someone to relate to. That's how she knew that these moments where she joined Brigitta – even if they were silently doing their own things – made a world of a difference.

Maria let a smile take over her face as she looked at the intelligent girl beside her. She valued the moments where she could bond with the young von Trapp girl, even in silence. She turned her attention to her own book, hoping to get swept up in the words of the pages. It seemed to begin working after a moment as she hardly recognized the heat around her.

Her relief, however, was short lived. It wasn't long after she had just begun to feel herself become transported into the book she was reading that a rustling of movement caught her attention. She lifted her gaze from her book.

Oh my.

Suddenly the reluctancy and doubt to join the rest of the group in the lake made much more sense to Maria.

The captain was walking towards where she sat, a tray balanced in his hands and a towel thrown over his shoulder, partially covering his otherwise bare chest. Maria swallowed hard and quickly averted her gaze. She could feel the warmth on her traitorous cheeks and only prayed that it wouldn't be noticeable.

It was absurd. Surely, he wasn't walking around like… well like that. Rationally, she didn't know what she expected. It was a hot day, and he was about to take a swim. He was on his own property, and there wasn't really anything horrifically inappropriate about his appearance, and yet, to Maria, it was as if he had walked out of the villa completely naked. The latter thought had her cheeks warm even more. She cursed inwardly – she shouldn't be having such thoughts at all.

"If you aren't swimming, I would at least feel a little better if the two of you stayed hydrated," she heard his voice say. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him crouching down next to her and Brigitta and placing the tray between them. She refused to look at him directly again out of fear that her face may turn the shade of a tomato. Instead, she glanced at the contents on the tray he had set down. He had brought them a couple of glasses and their own small pitcher of lemonade.

"Thank you, Captain, that was very thoughtful," she replied as evenly as she could, focusing on the crystal glasses as she tried to get a hold of herself. What was wrong with her?

"Are you alright, Fraulein Maria?" it was Brigitta who spoke up. Maria looked heavenward as if she would receive any help in the predicament that she found herself in. Why did Brigitta have to be so observant?

"Yes, of course," she answered, meeting the girl's eyes for a brief second – just long enough to flash her what she hoped was an assuring smile.

"Are you sure? Your cheeks-."

"It just must be the heat is all," she said as convincingly as possible. Obviously, it wasn't so convincing.

"Fraulein," the captain spoke, his voice firm, "look at me."

She found herself with the overwhelming urge to scream in that moment. Instead, she did the only thing she could; she looked at him. There was a quickening to her heartrate that filled her with dread, but she did not waver as she looked at him. She allowed herself to take in the entirety of his appearance.

He gazed at her with a concern that she didn't quite recognize. His eyes scanned her face as he tried to detect if something was wrong. He had dropped all pretenses of keeping his hair in its dignified fashion. His locks lay in a wavy, tousled mess upon his head which made him look more youthful than she had ever seen him. She let out a shaky breath as his eyes met hers again. He offered a gentle smile.

She didn't dare stray her gaze from his face.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked softly. She gave him a tight nod.

"Yes, sir," she replied, her voice traitorously weak. He looked doubtful.

"You do look rather flushed, and your pupils are dilated. Are you sure you're feeling well? Any nausea or dizziness?" he inquired. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

"I feel perfectly fine," she insisted. He raised a questioning brow, much in the same way he did with his children when he didn't believe they were telling him the entire truth. She simply wished he would leave it alone so that her face had the chance to return to a normal shade and to have a moment to recover. Having to look at him in such a state was not helping matters in the slightest.

"It wouldn't do for you to get sick from the heat, Fraulein," he said sternly.

"I assure you that I feel fine, Captain. Nothing a little hydration won't fix," she said, pouring lemonade into one of the crystal glasses and taking a large sip in hopes of appeasing him. He watched with narrowed eyes, but she could see the smirk playing on his lips. As if it wasn't already bad enough, why did he have to go and look at her like that?

He opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by Brigitta's giggle. The two adults followed her gaze, revealing an approaching Herr Detweiler, who had dressed in a pair of swimming trunks that looked as if they might have fit a decade ago.

The captain stood to face his friend.

"Max, what on earth are you wearing?" the captain asked in exasperation. Herr Detweiler looked down at himself before looking back up at the captain with his brows furrowed.

"My swimming trunks," Herr Detweiler replied as if it were the most absurd question the captain could have asked.

"Do you think that they might be a tad bit, erm, small?" the captain asked. Herr Detweiler crossed his arms, looking thoroughly offended.

"I may have put on a few pounds since I last wore them, but they still fit. Really, Georg, I know I don't have the physique I had fifteen years ago, but it is rather rude to point it out like that," Herr Detweiler stated. The captain ran a hand over his face.

"My children are here," he muttered helplessly.

"Yes, and I'm certainly not wearing much less than you are," Herr Detweiler retorted, eyeing the captain skeptically. "I don't think I'm indecent. Do you think I'm dressed indecently, Fraulein?"

Why must they involve me?

Maria glanced over at Herr Detweiler. His swimming trucks were a bit on the shorter side, she supposed, but she didn't necessarily see anything that she shouldn't – she sent a quiet 'thank you' heavenward for that. She truly didn't know what constituted as appropriate anymore. All she knew was that she didn't want to be in the middle of their argument.

"No, Herr Detweiler," she replied quietly, averting her eyes once again as she wondered how on earth she had ever gotten in such an opinion. Weighing in on the appropriateness of men's swimming attire was something she had never imagined doing. Even then she wanted to laugh aloud at how absurd it sounded.

"There you go, Georg. If the postulant doesn't think I'm indecent, then I think I am in the clear," he stated proudly. The captain looked back towards Maria almost accusingly, but a smile pulled at his lips, nonetheless.

"Well, I suppose if the postulant has deemed your swimming trunks appropriate, then they must be," he agreed. She managed to give him a weak, apologetic shrug, to which he teasingly glared back. Despite herself and the absurd position she found herself in, she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips.

"Yes, thank you. Now, are we just going to stand here, or can we get in the water?" Herr Detweiler asked. The captain gestured towards the lake, allowing Herr Detweiler to take the lead. The captain made to follow but stopped short, turning back towards Maria a Brigitta.

"Brigitta, please make sure your governess stays hydrated," he said. She watched as Brigitta nodded enthusiastically.

"I assure you that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Captain," she retorted. A wide smile broke out onto his face.

"Certainly, but you don't always have to," he said. It hadn't been what she had expected him to say at all. There was something about the sentiment of the statement that rang clear beyond the teasing tone that hit her like a ton of bricks. She had hardly known anything else beyond taking care of herself that his kindness and the way he wanted to make sure that she was okay was entirely jarring to her.

"Fraulein, I think you should drink a little more lemonade," Brigitta said, breaking Maria's brief reverie. Maria turned her gaze towards the girl.

"Brigitta, I promise you that I am well and healthy. There's no need to fret," she assured the girl. Brigitta nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing as she examined her governess, no doubt using her excellent observation skills.

"Well, you are already less red. The lemonade must be helping," she said. Maria briefly thanked God that she was finally returning to her normal hue. Brigitta nudged the glass towards her, and she only shrugged when Maria gave her a withering look. "I promised father."

She couldn't necessarily refute that argument. Lifting her glass to her lips again, Maria drank nearly half of the contents in the glass before setting it back down on the tray. She felt pleased with herself when Brigitta gave an approving nod and redirected her attention back to her book. Maria was determined to do the same.

Something was off this time. Maria couldn't wrap her brain around the words on the page. She tried to read the same sentence eight times, her brain seemingly getting stuck in the middle of the sentence each time. She was too distracted, too agitated. Her brain was working in overdrive with a hundred different thoughts at once, and yet, not a single one of those thoughts was clear.

A shout of excitement caught her attention, and Maria looked up from her book. She regretted it immediately as she watched the captain jump halfway out of the water to catch the ball that Friedrich had thrown. If possible, her mind became even more muddled as her eyes fell over his broad shoulders and toned chest that were illuminated by the sun reflecting off the water droplets that clung to him.

She looked away, feeling her cheeks heat and her heartrate accelerate again.

What was wrong with her?

She had never felt such a way before. She had never really considered the physique of the man. When she was younger, she simply didn't have the interest. As she grew older, her focus had been set upon her devotion to God, and so, she had never sound herself much in the position to consider the physique of the opposite sex. She had always believed those thoughts were highly inappropriate anyways.

And now here she was, barely able to look at her employer, and yet, all too aware of him half clothed in the lake only a few meters away.

She wanted to blame the discomfort she was feeling on the fact that she had never seen a man in less than his shirtsleeves before. Or perhaps that her faith had always told her that such decorum was scandalous. She wanted to believe that her discomfort was based on the lack of experience in such a situation.

There was, however, a flaw to that method of thinking.

The warmth that flushed her body, the frantic beat of her heart, and the twinge deep within her gut had not occurred when she had looked at Herr Detweiler.

When he had walked towards them in nearly the same state of dress as the captain, Maria had felt nothing. She was mildly surprised at seeing him in such little clothing, but it was nothing like the shock to her system when she had seen the captain approaching her.

When she looked at the captain in such a state of undress, her heart had tried to jump out of her chest at the sight of him. It was horribly infuriating. She didn't want to feel that way when she looked at him. He was her employer!

And that made sense, didn't it? He was her employer. There was no wonder that she was so much more uncomfortable. It had to be. The difference between him and Herr Detweiler was that she worked for him, and so, there had to be a different level of discomfort involved.

The more she told herself that, the easier it was becoming to believe it.

It couldn't be anything more. She knew the captain in pretty much and entirely professional capacity and seeing him in such a state stepped outside of those boundaries.

And yet, as her gaze betrayed her once again and fell upon him, every bit of what she had been telling herself rang false. She squeezed her eyes shut. Something was definitely wrong with her. Maybe the heat had been making her ill after all. She simply didn't feel like herself in that moment.

"Fraulein Maria?" Brigitta's voice came from beside her. Maria opened her eyes to look at the girl. "Are you still feeling alright?"

Maria fought to conjure up a suitable answer. Her mouth felt dry, and her heart felt as if it were beating a mile a minute. She felt wrong.

"You know, I am feeling a little rundown after all. I think perhaps it would be best for me to go lie down for a while," she said unsteadily. Brigitta frowned, her eyes inspecting her governess cautiously.

"Did you want me to get father? He can call the doctor."

"No!" Maria said far too quickly. "Erm, I mean, It's just a little spell of dizziness. It is probably just too much sun. Nothing a few hours of rest can't fix."

The girl regarded her curiously. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh, no, thank you, darling, but I assure you that I'm fine," Maria said with a gentle smile. Brigitta looked entirely unconvinced. She spared a glance to where her siblings and father were as if debating whether or not she should alert them. In the end, she met Maria's gaze again and nodded slowly.

"Please feel better soon," Brigitta said.

"Thank you, Brigitta. I'm sure I'll be perfectly back to normal by dinner time. You'll see," Maria replied, a reassuring smile on her face. Brigitta returned the smile, but it lacked its usual enthusiasm. Maria rose slowly. The world felt off balance as she stood, and she simply concentrated on not falling over. She knew that even a simple stumble would have Brigitta alerting the captain of her condition, and that was the last thing she needed.

Her pace was steady as she made her way from the tree to the terrace. There, the baroness was still seated as she continued to fan herself. Her brows furrowed as she saw Maria walking up the steps alone.

"Fraulein Maria, is anything the matter?" the baroness asked her, clearly seeing the distress on Maria's face. Maria forced a tight smile.

"Just a little rundown from the heat is all," she replied. The baroness nodded in understanding.

"Poor thing. I don't blame you; it is rather warm out there," the baroness said, her gaze directed out to the lake. Maria refrained from following her gaze. "Is there anything I can do for you, dear?"

"Oh, no, thank you, Baroness, but I think I'm just going to lie down for a while," she replied. While she appreciated the baroness's kindness immensely, Maria was desperate to be in her own room behind a closed door where no one could see her.

"Would you like me to inform Georg?" the baroness asked.

"If you would be so kind," Maria answered. The baroness gave her a smile.

"Consider it done. I do hope you feel better," she said. Maria bowed her head gratefully.

"Thank you," and with that, she finally escaped into the house, which was at least ten degrees warmer than it was outside. Maria found that she barely registered the heat. She was too far gone in her own mind to give a second thought to the blazing temperatures.

She made a hasty escape to her room, allowing herself to finally breathe when she closed the door behind her. She felt heavy, weighed down, but not by the heat. There was an immense guilt that seemed to hang over her and it was pushing down on her chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

She moved to the bed, but rather than lying down on it and resting as she had said she would, she sunk to her knees by the edge of the bed, her body falling into the position she knew so well. Her hands clasped together, and her eyes fell shut. As the familiar words fell from her lips, she felt comfort begin to settle over the nerves that had set her on edge.

She found herself repeatedly asking for forgiveness. She wanted to be forgiven for whatever feeling had overtaken her out in the yard. She wanted to be forgiven for momentarily getting distracted from what she had been sent there to do. She wanted to be forgiven for ever straying from the path she was meant to take.

She couldn't begin to comprehend whatever heat related ailment had possessed her, but she only prayed that it never happened again.


A/N: This was by far the hardest chapter I have had to write for this story. I felt that this was a very important but delicate part of their journey where Maria feels this attraction to Georg, but she doesn't allow herself to actually feel it because she doesn't really understand it, nor does she want to. I really hope I did it justice, and that you've enjoyed this chapter.

And yes, I definitely believe that Max owns an array of clothing that he had when he was a young man, and he definitely believes they all still fit. In my head, that is canon.

As always, thank you for every favourite, follow, and review. Each one makes my day :)