The only other ball Maria had been present at was the one Georg had hosted for the Baroness, and at first glance, this party appeared no different. So why did she feel so different this time?

"Oh help!" she gasped, taking in the scene with the men in their spotless suits dancing gracefully with the women in their stylish, sparkling gowns. 'How can I ever measure up to this?' she thought to herself. Though she was dressed in the prettiest clothes she'd ever had, she suddenly felt plain in comparison to the other party guests.

"Maria?" Georg's calm voice brought her back to reality. "Maria, are you ready?" he asked.

She stared up at him and then slowly nodded her head. Gulping back her nerves, she let him lead her through the foyer to where Werner and Johanna were standing greeting the guests.

"Georg," cried Werner, when he saw his friend coming towards him. He had never seen the woman he was accompanying before; but he thanks to the notice Georg put in the newspaper, as well as the telegram he had been sent that this was his new fiancée, Maria. Her blonde hair was cut short; shorter than he had ever seen on a woman, yet somehow it seemed to suit her perfectly. Although it was obvious that she was nervous, she seemed to glow, shining in her red and gold gown and despite being several years younger than the Captain, Werner hadn't seen his friend look happier in five years.

"Werner," Georg said enthusiastically, firmly shaking his friend's hand. "It's so good to see you." He meant it too. His children weren't the only thing he'd pushed out of his life after Agathe had died; he'd also abandoned contact with his friends. Moments like this made him realise how valuable they were to him.

As Georg greeted Johanna, Werner lifted Maria's hand to his mouth and lightly kissed it. "How do you do, Maria?"

Maria, slightly startled, half-stumbled, half-curtsied at the man as she took in his appearance. He had dark blonde hair, which either wasn't as grey as Georg's, or simply better hidden. His eyes were a dark green, but she could tell they were kind. The years of Navy service hadn't been as kind to him as they had been to Georg; he was balancing ever so slightly on a cane and kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"I'm very well, thank you sir," she said softly.

"Maria, please, call me Werner," he insisted.

"It's lovely to meet you, Maria," said Johanna. Her eyes were dark, almost chocolate coloured and a long waterfall of red-brown waves that tumbled halfway down her back. She was dressed in an elegant peach coloured gown with silver sparkles glistening on the hemline and waist. "I'm sure we will all be very good friends."

"When is the wedding again, Georg?" Werner asked. "I'm so happy for you."

"In two weeks time," Georg told his friend. "I'm so glad you are coming. I hope you'll enjoy it."

"See, was that so hard?" Georg asked her as they made their way through to the ballroom.

"No," she admitted. "But the evening hasn't even properly begun. Who knows what will have happened by the time we have to leave?"

"Well, the orchestra is playing a beautiful waltz. I'm sure we can't cause too much trouble by simply dancing," Georg said. "So, what do you say?"

Maria nodded, and let Georg lead her over to the dance floor, before she relaxed in his arms and they began to move in time with the music.

"I still can't believe what you said to them as we came in," Maria murmured into Georg's shoulder as they spun lightly around the room.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, it still seems so surreal that we're getting married, and in only a fortnight," she replied. I'm still having enough trouble comprehending how these things could possibly happen to me."

"Does this make it seem believable?" Georg asked, capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

She nodded, pressing her lips more firmly to his in an effort to portray just how much love she felt for him.

They danced on and on, losing track of time; aware of nothing else but each other. Maria asked Georg if he knew anything about Werner's limp, and he told her the tale of when the submarine fleet collided with a bomb.

"We managed to get everyone out in time," he said. "But a few men, like Werner had their legs irreversibly damaged in the blast. Some even lost their limbs." His eyes glazed over at the memory.

"Bad times, then?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, bad times indeed," he said. "But I've been through worse."

"Well, let's try not to think about it right now," she suggested.

"Oh, now you're the one telling me to forget my worries enjoy the party," he said cheekily. "You, Fraulein, are amazing."

Her cheeks tinged pink, but she smiled, put her head on his shoulder and they continued to dance.

It seemed like they had only been dancing for a few fleeting minutes when it was announced that it was dinner was served. With her hand locked firmly onto his, Georg led Maria through the crowd of partygoers to the dining room.

They had seats opposite another good friend of Georg's, Karl Reimers, and his wife, Elisabeth. Like Werner and Johanna, they offered the couple their best wishes on their impending marriage and they both thought Maria was absolutely charming.

As Georg pulled out Maria's chair, she relaxed slightly, leaning back against a suit of armour. She didn't realise what had happened until it was too late; the armour had toppled over and had bumped against the table, sending the spear straight through the roasted pig, with the apple, that was previously in the pig's mouth skewered on the end of the spear.

Maria's eyes widened, her mouth dropped open and her hands automatically moved to cover her cheeks, but there was no mistaking that she was blushing.

"Are you alright, dear?" asked Karl.

Maria was too stunned to respond.

"Are you sure?" Elisabeth said. "Your face is all red."

Maria just wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground and weep until she was drowning in a pool of her own tears. She knew something like this would happen. Oh why had Georg forced her to come tonight? Everything would be so much better if she had just stayed at home.

She felt Georg's arm wrap around her as she buried her face in her hands. But then, a shout from the head of the table made her change her mind on everything. "Anybody for pork?" Werner cried happily.

Her face beaming, she securely took her seat to enjoy the rest of dinner.

By the time dinner was halfway over, Maria was feeling much more comfortable with her current situation, and her little hiccup at the beginning of dinner was lost in her memories of the past. Maybe life in the Austrian aristocracy would be so bad after all. And as long as Georg was right there beside her, she felt positive that it would all be alright.

Thanks for all the amazing comments on this story. I love you all. And thank you so much to bingblot for letting me use Karl and Elisabeth in my story.