A/N: The story is set in that pleasant interlude between "Edelweiss" and "The Ländler". It takes place after "Underneath her wimple", and it begins about one week before the ball.

It is Maria's turn to feel a little jealous…

Thanks to Mellie D. for being both a beta and co-author of this chapter!

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own "The Sound of Music".

He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Three days later…

The players assembled at the gazebo - Baron and Baroness Eberfeld, the British Ambassador and his wife, one of Georg´s professors from the University of Vienna and, of course, Baroness Schraeder and Max Detweiller. For the first time in four years, another von Trapp treasure hunt was about to begin.

There were twelve clues in all. The first five clues were different for each player and each subsequent clue after the initial five were the same for each player. The clue was usually a riddle, which somehow pointed to a location on the grounds of the Trapp villa, where the following clue would be found, and so on. Only three rooms in the house were not to be entered – the master bedroom, the Captain's study and the attic. Everywhere else was part of the game, and could be fully and freely investigated.

Marta and Gretl were the only ones playing as a double, because of their age. They were also supervised by Maria, if for no other reason than because they needed someone to read the clues for them. However, even though there was a good reason for her to be among the guests, and even though she was not taking direct part in the game, Maria was not comfortable in her participation. She felt the guests' curious stares –and she attested it to the fact that they knew she was only the governess.

Last night had proven that to her in spades. The guests had been invited to dinner. She and the children had dressed for the occasion, but she had been quickly told by the Baroness that she would be dining with the "other help" that evening. Poor Gretl hadn't understood why Maria couldn't eat dinner with them, like she had every other night prior. Maria had explained to her that, with the guests, there simply wouldn't be enough room for both her, Baron and Baroness Eberfeld, the Ambassador and his wife, the Professor, the Baroness, Uncle Max, her father and all of her siblings. Although the dining hall could easily seat twenty, only fifteen places had been set, and the Baroness had expressed her disproval of Maria eating with the family.

Maria had quickly left the dining room not wanting everyone to see the flame of embarrassment on her cheeks. She, like Gretl, had simply assumed she would be dining with the family. She still felt that same awkwardness today – that she didn't belong with the group, and the Baroness was making that evident to the guests. She heard the Baroness explain on more than one occasion that afternoon that she was just the governess who would be helping the little ones so that they would be able to participate. Captain's orders.

As they stood in the gazebo awaiting the arrival of the Captain with the clues, Maria had some last minute helpful advice from Friedrich. "If you are going to help them, Fraülein… and they will need your help – the clues are not as hard as they seem. The answer is usually in the question."

"Usually?" Maria asked.

"I would not listen to him if I were you, Fraülein," advised Louisa. "You never know what father may come up with. Sometimes the answer is in the answer…"

The answer is in the answer? Maria wondered what kind of mind games the Captain was playing with her already.

Hearing her sibling's advice, Lies chimed in, "Sometimes not even in the answer – sometimes you just have to… read his mind…"

Maria placed her hand on her head, in her typical gesture of despair. How could he be so frustrating? The Captain had taunted her that it would be difficult – but for some reason she had assumed he meant finding the clues, not deciphering them. How is one supposed to know an answer from a question if the answer is in the question? Noticing the Captain approaching, she tried to remember what the children were saying.

Answers are in the questions, Answers are in the Answers, and Answers are neither questions nor answers, they're mind games.

When the envelopes were distributed by the Captain, there were exclamations of every kind as they were read. Some laughed, some were horrified, and some were utterly puzzled.

Maria reacted no differently – as she read the girls first clue and let out a moan of pure frustration. The clue was in French!

"Oh Captain!" Maria sighed.

"Anything wrong, Fraülein?" he spoke behind her. Her answer was to wave the paper where the clue was written in his bold calligraphy. "Allow me, please."

He took the clue from her hands. "Hmmm – you were lucky; this is by far the easiest one. Do not expect the next ones to be that simple!" He returned her the clue, and then, without a word, he left the gazebo.

This is impossible, Maria thought, fuming. Did he know that his daughters were five and seven years old? Did it ever occur to him that some people did not speak French? Did he need to make things so difficult for them, even with her helping? She looked at the note and conceded that she would not be much help if the next clues were similar to this one.

"What does it say Fraülein Maria?" asked Gretl, trying to peek at the paper she was holding.

"It's – uh – it's French! I don't speak French! I never could. I'm afraid I cannot help you with this one." She had always thought that it was a beautiful language. She had the required lessons in school, but somehow she could never manage the pronunciation, which earned her frequent reprimands from her teacher. Because of that, she developed a particular dislike for the study of that language.

"Read it for us, please," asked Marta.

"Do you think you can do anything with it?" Maria looked at her two little companions.

"We can try!" Gretl was so excited about the treasure hunt, that Maria could deny her nothing.

Maria began to read, her pronunciation atrocious. "À… la… cla... claire... font..."

Suddenly, a small voice next to her began reciting the same words she was trying to read, her pronunciation flawless:

"À la claire fontaine,
M'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle
Que je m'y suis baigné

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai

Sous les feuilles d'un chêne,
Je me suis fait sécher
Sur la plus haute branche,
Un rossignol chantait."

"Marta, you speak French!" Maria stared at the seven year old, absolutely aghast. The girl nodded proudly. "But you are so little!"

Gretl giggled. "They all do, Fraülein"

She looked at the smallest one, puzzled. "Ehm – they?"

"Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Brigitta and Kurt," recited Gretl. "And father, of course."

"You too, Gretl?"

"She is still learning, Fraülein," answered Marta.

"But Marta is the best," her sister interrupted. "She is even better than Liesl." Marta nodded proudly. "She is teaching me."

Why am I so surprised, Maria thought? The von Trapp children came from two very aristocratic families. Certainly French was a very important part of their education, as well as other languages. She remembered that Friedrich told her that the Captain spoke a dozen languages. At the time, she had thought the boy was exaggerating his father's praises, but after today's revelation, she was no longer sure. After learning that the man could fly a plane, she would believe anything that she was told about him.

"Very well, then Marta. Can you translate it?"

Maria wrote the words down, while Marta translated. The result was a bit strange, but at least she could now understand the words.

At the clear fountain,
While I was strolling by,
I found the water so nice
That I went in to bathe.

So long I've been loving you,
I will never forget you.

Under an oak tree,
I dried myself.
On the highest branch,
A nightingale was singing.

"Hummmm…" Gretl said. "Is this supposed to mean anything? What do we do with this, Fraülein?"

"I think that it to direct us to a place on the grounds where we will find the next clue. Come on, what place do these words remind you of?"

"We could look for a fountain, an oak tree, nightingales…" Marta said.

"But we have no fountains here," said Gretl.

"I found the water so nice that I went in to bathe," Maria quoted.

"I know, I know - the lake!" exclaimed Marta, looking towards the water.

"Fraülein, is there an oak tree by the lake. What does an oak look like?" Gretl was becoming more excited as they figured out the first clue.

"There are many oak trees bordering the lake. It can't… What is it, Marta?" The little girl was tugging at her skirt, trying hard to catch her attention.

"It must be the one with the heart."

"Yes," Gretl agreed.

"What are you girls talking about?"

"Someone drew a heart in the trunk of a tree. A heart and an arrow."

"Father says that uncle Max did it as a joke, before he married mother," Marta informed them.

So long I've been loving you,
I will never forget you.

It had to be right!

"It is not far away. It is right there," Gretl said, pointing to a group of trees bordering the lake, not too far from the gazebo.

"Let's go and find it!" exclaimed Maria, and they were off.

They are as bright as their father! Maria thought, as she followed the girls to the heart tree, as they called it. Well, she should have known that, shouldn't she? After all, their father man was terribly intelligent, fiercely loyal, and wickedly handsome. Wickedly handsome? She had already acknowledged the fact that he was handsome, but wickedly handsome? She chastised herself for such improper thoughts.

Engraved in the tree trunk was a heart, crossed by an arrow. It was funny that she never noticed that before. High above, hanging from a branch, there was a blue piece of paper – their clue.

"We found it!" The girls yelled, jumping up and down. They began dancing around the tree.

Maria looked up, puzzled. How on earth had the Captain managed to hang that piece of paper up there? Did he know how to climb trees as well? Was it another one of his hidden talents, as Herr Detweiler liked to say? She could not help but to be amused by the image of the ever so formal and impeccably dressed Captain climbing the oak tree. Then wondered if he had known that it would be one of his children who would have this clue and not one of his houseguests. She looked at the girls, who were now walking around the tree, studying the best way to climb it. Maria was sorely tempted to climb it herself, but with the grounds full of people, she didn't want to embarrass herself or Georg von Trapp. Captain von Trapp her mind screamed correcting her. Seeing Marta about to climb the tree, she was pulled away from her thoughts.

"No, no, no," Maria warned. "Marta, Gretl, don´t try to go after it. It is too high up; I need to find us a ladder. I think there is one by the house. You wait here while I fetch it," she said, walking away.

Georg von Trapp? She chastised herself for her mental slip of using his name. Why had she called him that? She had never used it before, so why now? Why today? She supposed it was because of their little trip earlier in the week. On their return trip home he had appeased her curiosity and let her discover what book he had purchased. After a while, he had regaled her with stories of his childhood and his desire to be a submarine Captain. His stories had made him seem almost human, almost… likeable.

As she approached the gazebo, she noted that the Captain and Baroness were walking in her direction. They were strolling hand-in-hand in the garden, apparently unaware that they were being watched.

Caught in her own thoughts, she had not realized that she was now very close to them – although they had not seen her yet. To keep herself from being seen, she hid behind a tree, with every intention of staying there until it was safe to leave unnoticed. She glanced at her young charges, and noted that they were standing by the tree, looking up at the note high above the ground. She returned her attention to the strolling couple. She was horrified when she realized that she could also hear them. What could she do? If she moved a muscle, she would be seen, and that would be embarrassing for all of them, most of all to her. She had no intention of eavesdropping, but there was no way she could help it.

"But darling!" Elsa stopped their stroll, turning to Georg with her plea.

"Elsa, do be patient. You know why I brought you here. I let you turn my house upside down with treasure hunts and lavish parties for a reason."

"I know. But have you ever thought what is it like for me? All this uncertainty, this waiting? There is a limit to what a woman can take, even a woman like me. When my husband died, I vowed I would never be alone and unhappy again, and now..."

"When my wife died, I have vowed never to marry again."

She wove her arm through his and continued their stroll. "I guessed as much. It is difficult for any woman, you know, to compete with a ghost."

"On her deathbed, she wanted me to promise her just the contrary – that I would remarry one day, for the sake of the children, and for my sake. But I… I couldn't do it. It was the very last thing she asked of me, and I refused her. I don't think I will ever be able to forgive myself."

She playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "It is never late to change that, you know?"

"Elsa... I know, and that is why I am reconsidering it. I know it what is expected of me, that it is the right thing to do."

"For the children?" She dreaded his answer. Was he wanting to marry her just so that the children would have a new mother?

"And for me!" He stopped their forward progress, within a few feet of the tree Maria was hiding behind. He took both of Elsa's hands in his.

"Then what is stopping you?"

"I don't know," he whispered.

The baroness's tone became lower, almost husky. "Then tell me what can I do to change your mind?"

There was a short silence during which Maria imagined, with an inexplicably dull ache in her heart, that they were kissing. Since they would be distracted, she felt safe enough to leave her hiding place. Stealing a glance around the tree, she saw that the Baroness was playfully tugging the Captain's tie, a simple gesture that, to Maria, appeared as excruciatingly intimate.

Maria bit her lip to prevent a low moan of indignation from escaping. The Baroness wiping away lipstick from the Captain's face had just confirmed her suspicions.

How dare he be so… so… chauvinistic? She thought.

Only three days ago he was insinuating that half of the male population in Salzburg was flirting with her, when all she did was to be nice and talk to an old friend. Three days ago, he had taken her to that heathen place owned by a pirate with an eye patch and she had seen those books. She had prayed for forgiveness repeatedly that night, asking God to forgive her, and to forgive Peggy and Hans for indulging in such a unique life because they did seem like nice, good people. She had prayed that God wouldn't smite her for admiring the Captain on their trip, or for thinking of what fanciful lands the little dragon locket had come from. She had asked God to bless Werner in his studies – and to forgive the Captain for his quick judgments. And now here he was, in the garden in full view of his children, with a tall blonde Baroness all wrapped around him. And yet, he had dared to question her religious vocation, to question the path she had chosen for herself? He had been so harsh in his comments that he had forced her to furiously wipe away her tears in the car.

And why on earth do I feel like crying again now? But she would not let it happen, he would never, ever see her tears again.

Suddenly, Maria noticed that the couple was no longer embracing. Baroness Schrader was looking straight at her, and the Captain was looking out towards the water. Only then did Gretel's cries made their way into her consciousness.

Maria turned her head to see what the Captain was looking at.

"Gretl!" she yelled, seeing the girl on the ground, next to the tree, and running towards her. The Captain wasn't far behind her.

"I told her to wait, Fraülein, I really did, but she is so stubborn!" Marta yelled as she knelt next to her sister.

"I am not," said Gretl crying.

As Maria approached she began bombarding the little girl with questions. "Are you all right, darling? Oh, of course you are not, but I told you to wait for me to bring the ladder, didn't I? Where does it hurt? Did you hit your head? Are you…" She knelt next to the youngest von Trapp.

"I'll take care of that, Fraülein." said the Captain, kneeling on the other side of his daughter. He obviously had been trained to handle basic medical emergencies, Maria thought, judging by the way he felt his daughter's arms and legs for broken bones. Much to everyone's relief, all Gretl suffered from was shock and a scraped knee.

"Dear heavens, what happened here?" asked the Baroness, arriving some time later, since her high heels forbid her to run. "Oh Georg, I told you it would not be a good idea to allow the little ones to play. Look at what happened! That is terrible."

The Captain playfully patted Gretel's head. "She'll be fine, it is just a scrapped knee."

"But it hurts," Gretl protested.

The Captain looked over to Maria, accusingly.

"Fraülein, what happened here?" He stood up enraged at the young woman's ineptitude.

"Well, I – I… uh… I… I was… I did not see… I told her not to… I don't know!"

"You obviously saw many things, except for my youngest daughter falling from a tree!" Maria gasped – did he know she had been watching them? "You were supposed to stay with them. You are employed as their governess and if you can't do your job properly, then I will find someone who can!"

"Captain, I was just getting…"

"Are you finally able to understand why I do not want my children climbing any blasted trees!" He looked at her daring her to contradict him.

Maria was absolutely dumbfounded at his lack of comprehension. "Then you should not have placed one of your blasted clues up in a tree," she fired back, angrily.

The Captain was rendered speechless for a moment. He stood towering over his daughter and his stubborn governess and he was absolutely seething. How dare she question him? The Baroness took a step back, looking absolutely scandalized by what was, in her opinion, the governess' appalling behavior.

The pregnant pause was interrupted by the little girl next to Maria. "I cannot play anymore," said Gretl. "My knee hurts!"

Maria directed her full attention to the little one. Her face and tone of voice immediately softened. "It's all right, darling. Come, let us go inside, and I'll take care of it." The both stood, Maria helping Gretl.

"Will it hurt?" Gretl looked up to Maria with large eyes.

"Well, if it does, I'll let you play with my guitar for a while, how is that?" Maria playfully nudged the little girl, and Gretl giggled. Maria took her answer as a yes.

Damn the woman, can I do nothingright? Unwilling to acknowledge that he was entirely at fault, he felt compelled to exert his authority. "Fraülein, you stay with her until the game is over."

"Of course, Captain," Maria answered meekly, feeling sorry for another angry outburst. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. I was not wrong her conscience cried. But you didn't have to yell said another little voice.

"What about me, father?" asked Marta. "I can't play alone."

The Captain thought for a moment. "I'll take you to Liesl, Marta. You can stay with her from now on." Seeing his daughter and governess walk towards the house, he called out, "And you, Fraülein…"

"Yes, Captain?" She turned, her eyes seeking his. She needed his reassurance that everything would be all right. She didn't get it, instead she received a reprimand.

"I want to see you in my study after this ridiculous game is over."

A/N:

"À la claire fontaine" is a traditional French children's song. The translation was obtained online.

Thank you all those of you that wrote reviews so far. This story has been a challenge to me, and I am happy to hear your opinion about it.