She slept very well after her conversation with the Captain, which surprised her. She expected to be awake all night, tossing and turning from a busy mind, trying to find the meaning behind his kiss, working through her confusion. But she awoke feeling better than ever.

It was already incredibly hot in her bedroom by the time she was dressed and on her way to awaken the children for the day, and she knew it was going to be a long day as a result. The children would be testy and argumentative with one another due to the summer heat, and there would be no relief until the sun set. They were caught up on their studies, so the day was open for exploration and fun. She couldn't decide what that would mean yet.

She and the children arrived to breakfast together, taking their seats. She was surprised that the Captain wasn't there first. He was always first due to his extreme attention to punctuality. Max and the Baroness arrived together, wishing everyone a good morning, a side glance of distaste toward Maria from the Baroness for good measure. She was actually starting to get used to that, she mused.

Apparently the Captain was taking breakfast in his study, she learned after one of the children inquired. It was not common of him to miss a meal with his children. She honestly couldn't say he'd missed one since she became their governess, aside from being out of town to Vienna. But she decided not to worry. She wasn't sure she would be able to face him properly after what happened the night before.

When deciding what they wanted to do with their day, the older children had opted for swimming in the lake, while Marta and Gretl decided on drawing pictures. Maria sat with the young girls upon a blanket beneath the tree in the garden. She was able to keep an eye on the older kids, and the idea of sitting in the shade and catching the breeze off the lake sounded wonderful on such a hot day.

She vaguely noticed the Captain, the Baroness, and Max move out to the veranda, indulging in the pitcher of lemonade that had been brought out for the children. It was the first time she'd seen the Captain all day, and even out of the corner of her eye he took her breath away. She only wished she knew what he was thinking.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes against a small breeze that moved across the grass. She tried to relax a bit, knowing she'd been tense for a little while. She allowed herself to imagine she belonged there, that somehow she was truly part of the family. Being a part of the children's lives every day for the rest of her life, the Captain by her side, perhaps holding her hand, an arm around her. What would it be like to be married to him?

Her eyes sprung open at the thought, and she took a quick glance in his direction. He had apparently been watching her, as their eyes briefly met before she turned her attention back to the girls. It was improper for her to think about a life that couldn't be, and she chastised herself for thinking in such a way.

But...what if she didn't have to go back to the Abbey? She could love God and serve him wholeheartedly without being a nun, couldn't she? Of course she could, plenty of people did that. She could even begin taking the children to Mass, which she had done while the Captain was in Vienna. The Captain...

He was obviously interested in her from a romantic perspective, but she wondered what exactly that meant. His kiss was enough for her to believe that he felt more for her than a small infatuation, but she wasn't sure how she was supposed to know that for certain. In fact, she had no idea what he was thinking most of the time. She felt his eyes on her often, but wasn't sure if that was him trying to tell her something or if it was simply a physical attraction. Couldn't he just make it easy and tell her how he felt? Or would that make things more difficult, because she didn't even know how she felt? She sighed in frustration, standing from the blanket and stretching out her back.

"Do you girls want to take a break for some lemonade?" They nodded and hurried to their feet, all making their way to get a drink on the veranda.

She helped them fill their glasses, and they rushed to their Uncle Max to pick on him, causing her to smile. It filled her with joy to watch the way they fawned over him. Even though he was very obviously trying to exploit them for their singing talent, he did love them as if he were their real uncle. She looked toward the children in the water as she took a sip of her lemonade, counting the heads above water to make sure no one was missing.

"Fraulein Maria, you must be so pleased to have such an easy job. The children seem to take care of themselves while you sit in the shade all day." The Baroness smiled, which she returned kindly. Nobody else spoke, and she was a bit annoyed that the woman continued speaking to her in such a way without any kind of response from the Captain.

"They are quite occupied today."

"Leaving you all the time in the world to color pictures, like a child yourself."

"I do find that staying within one's boundaries and lines can be quite tedious. While coloring pictures, of course." She took another drink, hearing Max cough to stifle his amusement from his place with the children.

"I'm sure you do find boundaries troubling, my dear." She ignored the comment, certain that she was being baited yet again, and not willing to be anything other than polite in front of the children.

It was nearly time for lunch, so she and the girls walked to the water to let the others know it was time to come inside and change. The boys were splashing about, flinging water toward her as she approached. She broke the news that it was time for lunch, and Kurt was the only one who didn't groan.

"Come along, children. Perhaps after lunch we'll work on a new puppet show." They seemed excited enough at the prospect, but were still slow to leave the water. She didn't blame them. She could feel beads of sweat dripping down her back from standing in the sun. The water certainly felt cool and inviting in comparison.

Lunch was light and fast, thankfully, and they were quickly off to work on their new puppet show. Maria stitched little costumes for the puppets, mostly just making additions for their current clothes, while the children created the story and song. She chimed in when they struggled with lyrics or began to argue, but they really were doing a great job on their own. It made her smile when she realized that only a few months ago they weren't even allowed to enjoy creativity, and there they were currently spouting creativity as if it were second nature.

She sighed, unable to remove the smile from her face. She really did love the children.