'Camping? I don't think that is something I'm prepared for.'
The children giggled at the thought of the Baroness sleeping in a tent in her negligee. Georg swept a look around the table and hushed them. Elsa smiled, less ruffled than she could have been. She didn't appreciate being made fun of by the children but she knew the image of her attempting the great outdoors made for a humorous sight.
'I was thinking the garden. Safe enough for the children' said Maria mildly. 'The night should be warm.'
The children looked at their father. Georg wondered how it was that he and Elsa had mutually agreed on quietly ending their relationship and she was still visiting. He had no objection, it was pleasant to have another adult around the house on equal footing and there was only so much of Max's frivolity he could take. Elsa was refined company. Every time she visited, they dined just the two of them and they spoke about things they had not spoken of before. He was surprised to realise that a friendship had simmered, not quite the relationship he had intended with her. A careful courteous one that would have been entirely suitable. He had been a lucky man to have secured her attention and for her to seriously consider him for a lifetime. And yet, he knew she was not the one, no matter how she had dazzled him at first. That kind of intimacy was out of reach. They had poked and prodded around the thorny tangle of their emotional nooks and crannies and were getting on better than ever. It was the melancholy end of summer and Maria was still thinking of ways to annoy him. So far she'd taken in some stray cats who were nestled in their own room, willingly doted on by Frau Schmidt, set fire to a tablecloth and managed to switch salt instead of sugar for the latest baking experiment. Elsa and the children found it funny. He didn't know if it annoyed him that Elsa seemed to enjoy having Maria around, even if it was uncertain if they actually did get on with each other. Elsa could be a little catty towards the governess.
'Fraulein Maria can organise a camping trip in the garden' he said decisively.
'And the adults can camp out on the veranda with a drink' Elsa said mockingly. More giggles. Maria smiled and glanced in her direction. Elsa raised her glass slightly.
'How about Friday evening?'
The children nodded enthusiastically and Maria continued organising. Georg liked that he didn't need to do anything. Liesl liked that Maria would permit her to wander off to meet Rolf in the cover of the trees. The others liked the idea of cocoa under the stars. Elsa stole a quick peek at Maria. She liked the idea of observing her under the cover of darkness. She'd been too bold of late.