Her Father's Daughter
by Bluebird88
Disclaimer: The Sound of Music is the property of Rodgers and Hammerstein, 20th Century Fox, and various script writers and producers. No copyright infringement is intended. Several lines from the movie are quoted at various points throughout the story. If it sounds familiar, it probably isn't mine.
Chapter 4: Thunderstorms
It seemed to Louisa that she had been asleep for only a few moments when she was jerked suddenly awake by two muffled thumps and the sound of squeaking bedsprings. Blinking blearily, Louisa realized that the noise had been caused by Marta and Brigitta jumping onto her bed. Instinctively, she glanced again toward Liesl's side of the room, hoping to find her sister's sleeping form. No such luck. The bed was still neatly made: proof that her sister had not yet come inside.
For the first time, Louisa noticed that the droplets of rain she had heard earlier had given way to a full-blown storm. A loud clap of thunder sounded, and Louisa immediately realized what had brought her sisters to her room. She wrapped her arms around Marta, who had climbed, trembling, into her lap. Grabbing Brigitta's hand, she asked, "Where's Gretl?"
Brigitta shrugged. "She was gone when we woke up. Maybe she went to see the new governess?"
Louisa just nodded and pulled her sisters closer. Each time a clap of thunder sounded, the three girls buried their faces in each other's shoulders and huddled even closer together. Finally, Marta spoke up in a terrified voice, "Can we go see if Gretl's with Fräulein Maria?"
Louisa exchanged glances with Brigitta, then shook her head. "We're too old to go running to the governess in the middle of the night. Anyway, it's just a thunderstorm. There's nothing to be scared of." But the truth was, Louisa was scared. She hated thunderstorms. They all did. During those awful months when Mother had been so sick, Louisa and her siblings had often huddled together this way, trying to draw some comfort from each other as they listened to the storms raging outside. Now, none of them could listen to a storm without remembering those horrible times.
But still, Louisa wasn't a child anymore. She was thirteen years old, after all. That was much too old to be frightened of a little storm!
Marta, apparently, had no such qualms. Tugging on her sister's sleeve, she begged, "Please?"
Louisa was just about to refuse again, when a particularly loud clap of thunder destroyed what was left of her resolve. With a stifled gasp, she grabbed for her sisters' hands.
The three girls raced down the hall and reached the governess's room just in time to hear Gretl telling Fräulein Maria that they were in bed, sleeping and unafraid. If only she knew.
"Oh no?" Maria remarked upon seeing the girls gathered there. "Look!" She considered them for only a moment before saying with a mock sigh, "All right everybody, up here on the bed."
"Really?" Marta cried in a mixture of delight and disbelief. Louisa couldn't blame her. None of the other governesses had ever even allowed them to set foot in the room, let alone on the bed. Hearing Fräulein Maria's invitation, Louisa was suddenly very glad that they hadn't planned any more pranks that night.
As the girls bounced excitedly onto the bed, Fräulein Maria remarked cheerfully, "Now all we have to do now is wait for the boys!"
"You won't see them," Louisa told her confidently. "Boys are brave!"
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, another clap of thunder sounded, causing Louisa to bury her head in her arms. When she straightened, Kurt and Friedrich were standing at the foot of the bed, attempting to look dignified. Well, so much for that idea!
"You boys weren't scared too, were you?" Fräulein Maria teased.
"Oh no," Friedrich assured her, none too convincingly. "We just wanted to be sure that you weren't."
The governess smiled tolerantly and assured him that that was very thoughtful of him.
"Oh, it wasn't my idea. It was Kurt's!"
Somehow, Louisa thought to herself, the surprised look on her younger brother's face didn't quite support Friedrich's story. She would be sure to tease him about it later. Once this was all over, that was.
Another loud clap of thunder sounded, and the boys hopped onto the bed, hiding their faces along with their sisters.
Marta complained softly that the thunder's "angry" answer to the lighting made her want to cry.
"Well, whenever something's bothering me and I'm feeling unhappy, I just try to think of nice things," Maria told her.
"What kinds of things?" the children demanded.
"Oh, let me see…nice things…" Fräulein Maria thought for a moment. "Daffodils! Green meadows. Skies full of stars! Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens…"
The governess began to sing, turning the list of her favorite things into a bright, cheerful tune that helped combat the dark atmosphere of the storm outside.
Every once in a while, a particularly loud clap of thunder would sound, and the children would bury their faces again. Fräulein Maria, however, kept singing cheerfully.
"Does it really work?" Marta wanted to know.
" 'Course it does. You try it! What things do you like?"
"Pussy willows!" Marta giggled.
"Christmas!" Louisa put in.
"Bunny rabbits!" was Gretl's laughing contribution.
The other children joined in. Soon, they were all naming "favorite things" that ranged from the expected ("Chocolate icing! No school!") to the slightly bizarre ("Snakes! A good sneeze!").
"Telegrams!" Liesl joined in, slipping into the bedroom from the bathroom, wet-haired and sporting a nightgown that was much too big for her.
"Birthday presents!" Louisa added, smiling in relief at the sight of her sister and pulling her over to join them.
"See what fun it is?" Fräulein Maria took up her song again.
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, silver white winters that melt into springs, these are a few of my favorite things!"
As the song continued, the children hopped off the bed and began dancing, laughing and shouting. Caught up in the fun of the song and of playing in the governess's room late at night, none of them realized how loud they had become.
"…These are a few of my favorite things! When the dog bites…dog bi-"
Uh oh. All the singing and merriment stopped immediately as Louisa and her siblings realized what had made Fräulein Maria falter. There stood Father, glaring at them all. Hastily, the children formed their line, trembling a bit in their nightclothes. Louisa chanced a glance at Father's face and gulped. He was wearing one of his most severe expressions, eyes narrowed and mouth set into a firm, hard line. She wondered if he would dismiss Fräulein Maria right then and there.
"Frauline, did I not tell you that bedtime was to be strictly observed in this house?" Father didn't even bother to look at the governess; he just swept his eyes up and down the line of children.
Fräulein Maria tried to explain. "Well, the children were upset by the storm, so I thought that if I…" She trailed off, before deflating a bit and acknowledging, "You did, sir."
"And do you or do you not have difficulty following such simple instructions?" That was the worst kind of question, Louisa knew, and the sort Father always seemed to ask when he was angry with one of his children. There just wasn't a good answer!
It seemed Fräulein Maria, however, was not so easily intimidated. She looked at him boldly and replied, "Only during thunderstorms, sir."
Kurt gave a snicker at that. Bad idea, Louisa realized, for it had drawn Father's attention back to his children. He rounded on Liesl, telling her in a stern voice, "I don't recall seeing you anywhere after dinner."
Eyes wide and attempting to look innocent, Liesl searched for an excuse. "Oh, really? Well, as a matter of fact, I…"
"Yes?" Father prompted impatiently, his tone dark.
"Well, I was…I was…" She trailed off helplessly.
Fräulein Maria stepped in. "What she would like to say, Captain, is that she and I have been getting better acquainted." Looking immensely relieved, Liesl smiled and nodded at Father. Louisa felt a surge of gratitude towards her new governess. This was the second time tonight she'd had the chance to get the children in trouble with Father, and hadn't taken it. Now she was really glad that they'd decided to hold off on the pranks.
"But it's much too late now to go into all of that," Fräulein Maria said briskly, clapping her hands. "Come along children, you heard your father. Go back to bed immediately."
The children raced quietly down the hall and into their bedrooms, relieved to have avoided the brunt of Father's anger. Louisa and Liesl said good night to their younger siblings, no longer feeling afraid, and retreated to their own room. Instead of going to sleep, however, Louisa immediately bounced onto her sister's bed and demanded in a whisper, "Liesl, where on earth were you all this time?"
"Shh!!!"
"Well?"
"Nowhere," her sister insisted.
Louisa was having none of that. "Don't even try that with me, Liesl. I'm not stupid, you know. You got all dreamy-eyed the second Franz mentioned Rolf's name, and then you snuck out in the middle of dinner, and you haven't been back since! What happened?!"
"Well…" Liesl hesitated. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course! Cross my heart, I won't tell a soul."
"He kissed me!" Liesl breathed, her face lighting up in a brilliant smile.
Louisa nearly squealed aloud, but remembered herself just in time. She settled for throwing her arms around Liesl. A moment later, she pulled back, grasping her sister's hands. "Oh, Liesl, tell me everything!"
A/N: Feedback is very much appreciated!