Only after their intimate conversation and kiss did the couple notice the drastic change in the weather that had taken place while they had been napping. Dark grey clouds now covered the Paris sky, and rain was coming down in rhythmic drops. A rumble of distant thunder was what had pulled their lips apart and turned their gazes to the closed glass balcony doors.

"Goodness, how long have we slept for?" asked Maria, running her fingers through her short hair.

Georg got up off the bed to draw the cream curtains over the doors. "Long enough for a drastic weather change, it seems." He chuckled and turned to her. "Remember your first night at the villa? I thought the storm then came rather quickly, as well."

Maria laughed and nodded. "One moment I was putting on my robe and the next I was rushing to get the window closed. And it was close, too. It shouldn't have surprised me that all of the children would be scared. I suppose what surprised me most was that they came to me."

"Why?" asked Georg, stroking the back of her neck. "I watched eleven governess come and go, and compared with the way you were treated that first day, they were on the best behavior."

"So a pinecone on my chair and a frog in my dress pocket counts as best behavior, Captain?" asked Maria with a twinkle in her eyes.

"A frog in your pocket?" asked Georg in a surprised tone. "Well, they usually put in a snake, that is an improvement."

Maria exclaimed in shock and gave his shoulder a playful push. "You are as incorrigible as our children!"

"This from the woman who let them stay up past their bedtime?" Georg shot back smiling, and shocked her by playfully pushing her down the bed and tickling her sides. Maria giggled and tried in vain to stop his friendly assault, pushing against him and shouting his name through her laughter. Throughout, Georg just smiled, charmed and overjoyed at the sound of her laughter.

A burst of lightning followed by thunder that shook the glass of the windows and doors caused both to stop and look at each other. The light of the lightning brought their faces into sharp focus and both pairs of blue eyes to alight.

Suddenly Maria became very aware of how close their bodies were, and the positions they were in on the bed. A hot wave spread throughout her body, all coming from the center. That area now felt, for the briefest of moment, very hot . . . and, perhaps even, hungry . . . What was this feeling?

Georg felt the same feeling, but he knew exactly what it was. Her body felt so warm beneath his, and he knew the skin beneath her clothing would be just as soft and sweet as he had dreamed . . . And now she was his wife, here on their honeymoon, on a soft bed . . .

But then, he heard the chiming of the grandfather clock coming from the living room through the open doorway. He counted the chimes: seven. Their reservations were set for half an hour. No, it would not do for anything . . . further . . . to happen now. He had made a promise to her, and he would stay true to it.

So, sighing inwardly but keeping his expression as normal as possible, he sat up and pulled her up off the bed with him.

"Well, my love, I've made reservations for 7:30 here at the hotel for dinner. That leaves us a half an hour to get ready, if I counted the right number of chimes to the clock. Would you like the bathroom or the bedroom to change?"

Maria's mind was still slowly coming back to reality as her body cooled from these new sensations. Grasping at the power of speech, she said in a rather breathless voice, "Um, bedroom, I suppose. Don't know quite what I should wear. Something elegant?"

"I think that would be wise," said Georg, looking closely at how flushed her cheeks were and hearing how breathy her voice was. Had he frightened her? Had she seen the desire in his eyes and become frightened?

"All right, then," said Maria, who was relieved she could speak normally again, since her heart wasn't pounding so hard anymore. "I just hope I don't trip in those fancy shoes that go with fancy gowns."

Georg laughed, relieved. No, she was not frightened after all. His hands paused as he pulled out his tuxedo . . . then could she be feeling desire, too? Well, he would find out later. So with a small smile he entered into the bathroom, softly whistling a tune to himself.

Maria smiled as she listened for a moment on the other side of the closed door. Taking a deep breath, Maria realized that she had wanted him. Still wanted him, and she felt no shame this time. What a sense of relief flooded through her, which was soon replaced with worry.

She knew that, when the time came, Georg would make this first time for her so special. But what of him? This would be far from the first time to a father of seven and a former sailor to boot. Hadn't Max made some slip about that past at the wedding? How on earth was she to please him? She had no idea what she was supposed to do!

A rumble of thunder caused Maria to momentarily snap out of her thoughts, and remember that she should be now dressing for dinner. She would worry about this later . . . when the time came . . .

Maria opened the doors of the closet and looked inside, her eyes falling on the fine fabrics and silks of the evening gowns she had brought. At least something she could do now was attempt to look beautiful for her husband, look like the wife he deserved. Which would Georg most like her in? That was easy: the light blue silk, so like the color of the dress she had worn that special night six weeks ago.

Maria stripped off her summer dress let the fine blue material slide down her raised arms and head, enjoying the sensation of it sliding down her body like water. She couldn't help but love how these fine fabrics felt on her skin, for someone used to more coarse and thick fabrics her whole life.

After slipping into the manageable matching heels, Maria ran into a bit of a snag. She could quite zip her dress all the way up. It wasn't the zipper; it was that her arms weren't an extra inch longer.

She heard a soft knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you ready, Maria?"

"Um . . ." she said, still trying to zip up. Realizing it was no use, her face flushed and she turned her back to the bathroom door so he would get the message when he came out. "Nearly . . . I just need your help with something."

Maria stood still as she heard the door behind her open. She could practically feel Georg's eyes on the exposed skin of her back as he approached her slowly, until she felt his warm breath on her neck. Ever so slowly, she felt her top becoming tighter as the zipper slid upwards. His fingers never touched her skin. When he was finished, she found herself almost out of breath: partly because the top of her dress was tightly fitting, and partly because she could feel that burning feeling again with him so close and his breath warm on her neck.

"There," he breathed.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face her husband. His eyes were a low, smoldering fire, rather than a blaze. This was a fire that could wait patiently. Her eyes were the same. "Thank you," she said.

Georg's eyes drifted downward to look at her body clothed in light blue silk. Maria suddenly felt very exposed, but in a good way. The gown accentuated her slim figure perfectly, and was just tight enough in the waist to give her the illusion of an hourglass. Her shoulders were nearly with the V-neck cut that could have been more plunging but still provided quite enough.

His eyes met hers again. "Belle," he breathed.

"Will I have to guess this t–"

He kissed her lips, silencing her.

"Well, whatever it means, I'm guessing I would like it," said Maria, smiling dazedly from the kiss.

Georg merely nodded, his eyes still burning. Then they began to glow with tenderness, and he reached into his pocket to pull out a lovely pearl necklace. "This is for you. May I?"

Too shocked to speak for a moment, Maria just nodded and turned again so he could put them on her and set the clasp. "Georg . . . you didn't have to buy these for–"

"I didn't," said Georg. "They belonged to my grandmother, given to her by my grandfather when they were newly married. He loved her more than anything in the world, and I learned so much just by watching him and listening to him. I know they would want me to give these to the person I love more than anything."

A tear welled in Maria's eye, but she blinked it back, turned around to face him, and kissed his cheek softly. "Thank you."

A moment later, he stepped back and offered his arm, coinciding with another roll of thunder outside. "Shall we?"

Maria smiled and took his arm, and they walked out of their suite.

The storm continued all through their dinner, but the newlyweds did not even notice. Maria was too caught up in the beauty of the restaurant in the hotel, and Georg was too caught up in the beauty of his wife.

Maria had not imagined she would ever feel so comfortable in this world she had married into. Perhaps it had to do that here, in Paris, no one knew the history of her relationship with her husband. To everyone else here, they were a newly married couple very much in love; nothing unusual about that. To a person who had spent six weeks away from the man she loved because of gossip, this was heaven.

The intimate restaurant had dim lighting and dark rich colors all around. Maria seemed to glow in the setting. How natural she looked like this, dressed to the nines and glowing with happiness. What had happened just before they had left had confirmed in his mind that she was not afraid of him, and that she just might be feeling as much desire for him as he felt for her. This knowledge was not only a relief to Georg, but something that made him afire just to look at her. But he knew how to be patient.

Their meal was delicious, starting with wine and ending with dessert. Georg took the liberty of ordering their wines, since Maria had so little experience drinking alcohol. He made sure to order her a light, sweet white wine for her that would be easier for her to drink, and was pleased that she did not hate it. Their meals were nice and hot, and their dessert of chocolate crème Brule was exquisite.

After their meal, they decided to dance. In the restaurant was a nice space for dancing and music was always playing. But they only danced one dance. This was a slow waltz, and the music was practically dripping sensuality. Both could feel it, at least on a subconscious level. This was why such a strong heat seemed to develop in the almost non-existent spaces between them and at points of contact: his hand on the small of her back, her hand on his shoulder so near his neck, their intertwined hands. Cheek rested against cheek and their bodies moved in sync and in perfect timing to the music, smooth motions and all.

One dance was all it took. As the music faded, their faces pulled away so they could look into each other's eyes. Each saw the same burning of desire, the same want, and they didn't attempt to hide it.

"Are you ready to go back upstairs?" asked Georg, his voice soft and low.

Maria only paused for a second before answering, softly but with sureness.

"Yes."

A/N: Hmm, I wonder where this could lead to? All I can say is that I will mark off any future sections that cross the line from my 'T' rating, so don't worry about that; there will be something for everyone. Keep reading and reviewing!