A/N Thank you for the kind reviews, they are much appreciated. Thanks especially to Sara KM for the historical inputs. This chapter will have less angst than the first one, I promise J
"Gentlemen, I do hope you will forgive me if I retire early, but I am sure you have so much to catch up on." Maria smiled graciously at the gathered company, as she placed a hand on her baby bump concealed beneath her lovely evening gown. All the men, including her husband, rose immediately from the dining table, bowing elegantly with their impeccable manners, some clicking their heels together. They all complimented her and thanked her for the wonderful evening. She replied to them with such natural charm it was hard to believe that she had not been born into this elegant life.
With pride in his eyes, Georg took her hand and kissed the back of it goodnight, his eyes conveying his private message. She squeezed his hand in response, giving her own loving message back with her eyes.
Privately she only hoped her latest strategy to make Georg see sense over his determination to stand against the Anschluss would work. A few days after their argument over whether he should stay behind to oppose the Anschluss while she and the children left Austria, she had suggested to him that he invite some of his brothers- in- arms from his navy days to catch up. She did not however, reveal her underlying motive to him - that they would hopefully be able to divert him from his dangerous course and talk some sense into him.
He had reluctantly agreed to invite them, though he had grumbled that he would much rather spend the evening with her and the children than with a bunch of 'ill mannered, drunken bores' as he dryly called them. She could tell though that he had been looking forward to the evening as he had made sure Franz had the library well stocked with single-malt whiskey, expensive cognac and cigars.
After she left the dining room, she could hear the men relaxing and letting go of their formality, some of them ribbing Georg about his young wife, though careful not to go too far in their ribald remarks, since he was infamous amongst the group for his fierce temper. She smiled as one asked Georg if he intended to have another seven children with her. She did not catch Georg's muttered response.
Someone else called out "You know Georg, I never knew that nuns were so beautiful and enchanting, I think in the future I may start lurking outside convents to hopefully convince one to become my next wife." Another said to loud laughter, "It's hard to believe that a rake like you would end up marrying a nun – since when does a devil get to marry an angel?" Georg's tone became irritated as he answered that she had only been a postulant rather than a nun. With a small laugh Maria could just imagine the scowl on his face, his brows furrowed in annoyance.
She saw Franz going towards the dining room with a tray. "Franz the gentlemen will be going to the library shortly and then you can finish for the night, thank you."
"Very well Baroness" his eyes somehow managed to be even colder than usual.
There was something about Franz that always made her uneasy. It wasn't the disdainful way he had treated her when she first arrived, looking down his patrician nose at her - she had gotten used to that. She knew that he was a consummate snob so he would rather have had the elegant and well-born Baroness Schrader as mistress of the house. No doubt he could not understand why the Captain had chosen her instead, but she did not let it bother her. It was more his coldness and watchfulness that she was most wary of. In her planning for this evening she had insisted that he should finish his work early so that Georg and his friends should have complete privacy. Franz, clearly not happy, had consulted Georg, who had got irritated and told him that he should always follow the Baroness' instructions since she was the mistress of the house.
As she climbed the stairs she stroked the baby nestled in her body, speaking softly to it, "With any luck your clever mother will succeed in keeping your very brave but foolhardy father safe. He may have a chest full of medals but let's see if we can't out-maneuver him."
The evening so far had been a success. The men had all arrived without their wives, complicitly and gleefully intending to have an all night drinking session without the need for the gentility and refinement their wives would expect. Most were staying overnight in the guest suites upstairs. Soon after they arrived the children had performed some lovely Austrian folk songs and classical songs. Maria was touched by how moved those battle-hardened and cynical war veterans were. Their compliments to the children were very warm and effusive.
She had last seen most of the officers at the her wedding two years ago, though she had to admit that there were so many guests and it was such a whirlwind sensations for her that she could not remember each one individually.
She did remember though, the wonderful double honor guard that they had formed as she and Georg had emerged from the cathedral as man and wife. Looking magnificent in their dress uniforms with their ceremonial swords unsheathed and raised in arcs over their heads, they had made a passage for the newlywed couple to walk through. She could tell even Georg was touched by their display.
Later, at the wedding reception, which again, she only remembered fragments of, many of his fellow retired officers had made toasts to the bridal couple after she and Georg had cut the enormous wedding cake with his own ceremonial sword. He had made witty and charming responses to their toasts, ever the refined aristocrat with his sophisticated banter, though his words of love and pride in tribute to his new wife were unvarnished in their beauty and simplicity. She had struggled to keep the tears from falling.
Maria remembered that the men at her wedding had all been charming, though some of their wives had been less so. She knew there was much gossip that she and Georg had been living as husband and wife for a considerable time before their marriage. Some of the wives had looked speculatively at her slender waist in her lovely wedding gown to see if there was another reason why Georg had suddenly abandoned his courtship of Baroness Schrader to marry his governess. She was simply too happy to mind, knowing in her heart that neither of them had done anything dishonorable, so she could hold her head up high.
As she reached the children's floor her thoughts came back to the present. She checked in on each of the sleeping children. She tucked the blankets more firmly around Gretl and Marta, her heart brimming with love for her two adorable little girls who were now growing up fast. Brigitta's eyes were closed, as usual with the light still on and a book open on her bed. Maria put it away and stroked her hair gently so she would not wake up. Kurt had his mouth slightly open and Friedrich's hair was endearingly ruffled as she looked with pride at her two fine young sons. Louisa looked serious even in sleep while Liesl looked as beautiful and serene as ever. She she kissed all of her children and she made a silent promise to each that she would do her best to keep their father from harm.
As she made her way to her room she wondered how the men were getting on downstairs. She could hear the occasional burst of raucous laughter from the library. She had placed a lot of hope in one officer in particular – Heinrich - to help her save her husband. She had taken to Heinrich immediately because of his kind and sincere eyes. He had been Georg's Second Officer on his U-boat patrols in the Adriatic and she knew that he was fiercely loyal to her husband.
During the pre-dinner drinks she had drawn him aside to confide in him and ask his advice on what she should do to keep her husband safe. "Heinrich, I do hope you can help me. I am so worried about Georg. You know how opposed he is to the coming Anschluss and he often says it publically. It is getting more and more dangerous, and the worst thing is that he wants to send me and the children away so that he can stay here and make his opposition to the Anschluss known. When the Nazis take power I know what they will do to him. I am so scared for him but I can't seem to persuade him to change his mind."
Heinrich's eyes had been sympathetic and worried. "Baroness, I am aware that the Captain has these views, and he does not seem to be bothered who hears them. He also cannot resist baiting Zeller, who could become extremely powerful soon – he will be a formidable enemy to have. The Captain has always been his own man, with strong and principled views, and I fully respect that, but I agree with you Baroness, it is very dangerous to be so forthright in these turbulent times. When the Anschluss comes he will be in a very difficult situation."
"But that's just it Heinrich. He believes he has to make a public stand for Austrian freedom and independence as part of the oath he made to the Imperial navy. He loathes the Nazis, but they are getting more powerful every day. I'm so frightened Heinrich, because he is so stubborn. I fully respect his views too but I know we cannot be safe here when the Anshcluss comes. He would never be able to live under them in silence. I must persuade him to come away with us but I simply don't know how. Can you help me? Perhaps if you and the others here this evening can talk to him, he may listen."
"I'll do my best Baroness, but you should know that most of this group do not agree with the Captain. Many are military men who refuse to get involved in politics – they will serve whoever is in power. The military was their whole life – at least until we were all forced into retirement at the end of the Great War under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. I know Werner and Hans for example would be thrilled if they were offered commissions in the Third Reich navy. The new German U-boats are huge and sleek with very advanced technology compared to what we had in the Great War.
Also Baroness, some of the others in this group feel a great camaraderie with the Germans and look forward to the union. They remember fighting side by side with them during the Great War. They see Germans as cousins who have been through similar difficult times. Many still feel angry and humiliated over the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which bankrupted both our countries, decommissioned the naval forces and imposed impossible and onerous conditions.
And another thing Baroness, as you know Austrian politics have been chaotic since the fall of the dual monarchy – there has been so much violence and turmoil. Everyone is craving for some sort of order and stability. They feel that with a strong Third Reich we can get back the pride and dignity that we have lost. So I am afraid that we may not have much influence over the Captain. These views could just make him angrier and more determined to make a stand."
"Well we can only try, Heinrich. Let's just see what happens. Please, Heinrich, I beg of you - do your best" Maria had pleaded with him. As she had looked around she noticed that Georg had been watching them from the other side of the room, looking distinctly annoyed. She hoped he hadn't guessed what she was up to, as he had made his way towards them.
"Heinrich" he had nodded curtly towards his former Second Officer.
"Captain", Heinrich greeted back, clicking his heels and bowing slightly. Some habits die hard, Maria had observed with some amusement. She could tell that Heinrich was struggling to curb his instincts to salute his former commander.
"If you could excuse us for a moment please Heinrich, I'd like a word with my wife."
"Of course Captain," He bowed again.
Georg had looked at her with an unreadable expression. "You seemed to be having a very intense discussion with young Heinrich...?" he had questioned.
"Oh not really, we were just talking about your old navy days," she had lied, and she knew he could tell because he raised an eyebrow skeptically as her cheeks went pink.
He had looked at her for a long moment. "Well perhaps you will tell me later on what you really talked about," he had suggested with a definite edge to his voice. She hoped that he would not figure out about her little conspiracy with Heinrich if her plan was to work.
Fortunately Georg's mood improved during dinner, and they all had a very pleasant meal together as they told amusing anecdotes of their days in the Imperial navy. As soon as dessert was finished she retired for the evening, falling asleep exhausted and cradling her baby bump tenderly.
She awoke with a start at dawn, as Georg stumbled in, tripping over something in the bedroom with a curse. He undressed and climbed into bed smelling strongly of whiskey and cigars, nuzzling her neck and mumbling something incoherent as his hands roamed. Then, to her amusement, he abruptly fell asleep. So much for the suave, debonair charmer, she thought with a small laugh as she drifted back to sleep. She would see later in the morning with Heinrich whether her plan had worked.