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 12: Wonderful News
When the children reached the dining room, Frau Schmidt told them to go ahead and begin, as the adults would be having their own dinner later. Louisa frowned a bit at that. Since when? In many families, she knew, it was customary for parents to dine much later in the evening, separate from their children. Since Father was the only adult in the household, however, the entire von Trapp family had always eaten together.
So what had changed? Of course, Louisa already knew the answer to that question. She wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that their earlier dinner hour was the baroness's idea. She had known it wouldn't be long before the woman tried to start changing things around the villa. Did she really think she could just come in and ignore the way things had always been? Why, she and Father weren't even married yet, and already she was doing her best to make sure that the children never got to spend time with him anymore!
The dinner table was unusually quiet that evening, the silence broken only by occasional excited outbursts from Marta or Gretl. "Fräulein Maria is back!" the youngest girls exclaimed over and over again, as if repeating it often enough would help convince them that it was true. Louisa shared their excitement at their governess's return, but her thoughts were still racing with unanswered questions.
Looking around, she saw that she was not the only one with things on her mind. Kurt dug into his food with even more enthusiasm than usual, hardly pausing long enough to draw breath, let alone speak, but Friedrich only picked at his dinner, studying his plate with a preoccupied air.
Across the table, Brigitta and Liesl hardly seemed to notice their food. Louisa met their eyes, and the oldest three girls exchanged meaningful looks. They didn't dare voice their thoughts, however, not with the younger girls in the room. Marta and Gretl were much too young to have picked up on the tension they'd witnessed between Father and Fräulein Maria, and besides, it was never a good idea to discuss sensitive matters in front of them. It wasn't that they would ever intentionally betray their siblings' secrets, but they did have a habit of blurting things out at the worst possible times. No, thought Louisa, it was definitely better all around to wait until they had some privacy.
The children finished their dinner quickly, in the same subdued silence. By the time they began to make their way upstairs, there was still no sign of any of the adults.
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Nearly three hours later, Gretl appeared in the doorway. "She's still not there!" the little girl reported, frowning.
Louisa sighed in frustration. The children were gathered in the common area between their bedrooms, desperate for a chance to see Fräulein Maria again before they had to go to sleep. Already it was nearly an hour past the youngest girls' bedtime, and Marta and Gretl had been darting down the hallway to their governess's bedroom several times an hour since they had finished dinner. And yet there was still no sign of Fräulein Maria. Her bags were in her bedroom, still neatly packed, and the room showed no signs of having been disturbed. Where could she possibly be?
After three more trips to the governess's room, Louisa and her siblings had eventually given up. "After all, it won't be long until morning, and we'll have plenty of time to talk to her then," Liesl had said, attempting to be cheerful. Louisa wasn't fooled. She could tell that her sister was as disappointed as she was to have to wait another night to talk to Fräulein Maria.
After carrying Gretl, who had fallen asleep in her lap, to bed, Louisa made her way sleepily to her room. Liesl and Brigitta were waiting for her, curled up on either end of Liesl's bed. She climbed into her own bed and propped herself up on her elbow to face her sisters in the dim light. All the questions she had been wanting to ask for the past few hours suddenly became a jumbled, incoherent mess in her head. Finally, she burst out, nearly forgetting to keep her voice down, "What on earth is going on around here?"
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The three girls had stayed up very late, despite drooping eyes and frequent yawns, trying to work their way through the many puzzles. The more they thought about it, however, the more confusing it all became. They talked long into the night, debating in whispers, but in the end they were only left with more questions.
The next morning, the children dressed quickly and hurried downstairs, reaching the breakfast table even before Father. He came in a few moments later, raising his eyebrows and sending them an odd look. Louisa knew he had to be wondering why they were all ready so early. Usually, it was such a challenge trying to get everyone out of bed in the morning that they came rushing in to the dining room just in time. Today, however, things were different. The little ones just wanted to see their governess again, and the older children were desperate for some real news.
Fräulein Maria came in, and Father gestured for them to take their seats. Presumably, the baroness and Uncle Max were still sleeping. Father turned to Fräulein Maria. "Would you do us the honor of saying grace this morning?" Louisa glanced at him quickly, surprised at his easy, almost teasing tone, but before she could think too much about it, Fräulein Maria had begun her prayer.
"For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen." Louisa grinned to herself, recognizing the prayer as the same one Fräulein Maria had said her first night at the villa. To think, back then they had been desperate to get rid of her! Who would ever have guessed then that they would have been so overjoyed at her return?
After a few "good morning's" and brief pleasantries, the table lapsed into silence. There were so many questions Louisa wanted to ask, but she could not figure out how to voice them. After all, it wasn't like she could just turn to her governess and ask her straight-out why she had left, or demand to know what was going on, the way she had the previous night.
She found herself wishing that Brigitta would find a way to bring up the topic. If there was ever a time her sister's forthrightness would come in handy, it was now. After all, surely someone bold enough to inform a new governess that her dress was the ugliest one she'd ever seen would be able to broach a delicate subject. Louisa imagined her outspoken sister turning to Fräulein Maria and demanding, "Well, are you in love with Father or not?" She had to bite back a giggle at the thought of the reaction that was likely to incur.
In the end, it was Gretl who finally broke the silence. "Father?"
"What is it, darling?"
"Does this mean we are still going to have a governess? Even though you and the baroness are getting married?"
Father set his fork down carefully and glanced at Fräulein Maria with an expression Louisa couldn't identify. "Well, I suppose I should start by telling you all that the baroness has decided to go back to Vienna."
Louisa sat up straighter. "For good?" She could hardly keep the eagerness out of her voice.
"Yes, for good. Try not to sound so disappointed," Father added sarcastically. He frowned at her, but Louisa thought she could detect a hint of amusement in his expression. "Baroness Schraeder is a fine woman, and a good friend, but Vienna is her home. We came to realize that it would be a mistake to ask her to leave it, no matter how much she might care for us."
Gretl was not about to be distracted from her original question. In her eyes, nothing Baroness Schraeder did could be anywhere near as important as her governess. "So Fräulein Maria is going to be our governess again?"
Father regarded her seriously. "No, Gretl. I don't believe we'll have any further need for a governess around here."
What? "Father, you can't do that!" Louisa burst out, not caring if she was being disrespectful.
Her siblings were equally shocked and dismayed. Everyone began protesting at once, begging Father to reconsider. Marta's desperate cry summed up their feelings on the matter. "But we need her!"
Fräulein Maria broke in, "Georg, don't tease the children so. It really isn't fair of you, you know."
To Louisa's shock, Father didn't seem at all angry at Fräulein Maria's scolding. He simply leaned back in his chair with a rueful grin. "I suppose you're right, Maria."
Maria? Since when did Father call their governess by her given name?
Father looked around the table at his children. "Well. I take it you would like it if Fräulein Maria stayed with us?"
"Oh, please, Father!" Louisa cried, joined by her siblings.
"Well, I suppose that could be arranged."
Frustrated, Gretl burst out, "But you said we weren't going to have a governess anymore!"
Father smiled at his youngest daughter and put a hand to his heart dramatically. "Ah, that's right! I did!" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, whatever shall we do about that?"
Father rose from his chair and came around the table to stand behind Fräulein Maria, placing his hands on her shoulders. "As a matter of fact, I was wondering if I could convince you to share your governess with me."
Louisa stared at him. Could he possibly be saying…
"You see, I had hoped to ask Fräulein Maria to stay here with us forever. As my wife."
Silence. Dead silence met this pronouncement. Louisa could hardly breathe. Surely, surely she must be dreaming. It was all too perfect. Fräulein Maria was going to stay with them forever? Father wasn't going to marry the baroness? Fräulein Maria did love Father, after all, and he loved her back? It was too good to be true. It couldn't be real. It just couldn't. And yet…
Father heaved a heavy sigh. "Well, if none of you like the idea, I suppose we may have to reconsider."
That was enough to snap Louisa out of her frozen state. Nearly knocking her chair over in her hurry, she leapt up from her place at the table and rushed over to hug Fräulein Maria. She was soon joined by her siblings, who pulled Father in as well, desperate to be close to both of the people they loved most. From her position, squished between her siblings amidst peals of laughter and joyful tears, Louisa was certain she was going to explode. For surely it could not be possible for one person to be so completely and overwhelmingly happy.
A/N: Feedback is very much appreciated!