Maria glanced at her as Elsa patted the last seat available, turning to smile conspiratorially. So she had noticed. Liesl sat down gratefully and the maid brought out the breakfast. As they partook of fresh bread and pastries, slivers of cheese and lashings of jam, Elsa poured the coffee and kept conversation flowing. Liesl had decided to take this opportunity to share information she would not have ordinarily volunteered.

'I remember having feelings for a young man I grew up with. He was preparing for a life of service in the military. I had all sorts of romantic notions about us.'

'Did he kiss you?'

Liesl's enthusiasm was girlish and whimsical.

'Well. I wanted to kiss him. That wasn't the done thing. But no, we didn't. He was fond of me and perhaps in time, we could have kissed.'

'Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you married him?'

'I think of him occasionally. But I cannot guess what my life would have been like if we had married. I am trying to imagine what his life would be like now. Perhaps married to a witty socialite with a lazy eye and a few children, maybe four. Things were different when I was your age, Liesl.'

Maria tried to supress her laughter. The Baroness was on top form.

'Have you never heard from him again?'

'Not since the war. He died fighting in the trenches.'

Elsa blew some impressive smoke rings, indifferent to the stares around her. Liesl had put down her cup in horror. Maria's smile had vanished. The table fell silent. Elsa looked out beyond to the garden. It had been a fleeting romance, built up over a number of years. It had been slow, gradual. She had not known that some people claimed to have loved at first sight, until she was married.

'Well now, I've ruined the mood.'

'You may as well have told us, Baroness' said Maria. 'The war affected the entirety of Europe. Nothing has been the same since.'

'We must adapt to new society ideals. In our own ways. Never mind that, Liesl, tell us about the delivery boy.'

Maria was quick to reassure the girl.

'I didn't realise the Baroness had night vision' she teased as Liesl looked relieved that her secret was safe for now.

'I saw his hair in the moonlight' quipped Elsa who had done no such thing. He'd kept his cap on. She'd heard him though, sneaking up and resting his bicycle in the bushes. She could think of only one person who would be delivering something so late at night.

'Did he kiss you?'

Liesl smiled winsomely into her coffee cup. Both women recognised the signs of infatuation. They weren't going to tell her father.

'By all means, kiss him some more' the Baroness encouraged. 'There's no harm in indulging. Just make sure you keep it to that for the time being. How he makes you feel now is special but it is not everlasting. You may not think it now but give it a year and perhaps you will have your eye on another boy.'

Liesl protested.

'Ah no, my dear, just remember, you mustn't settle on the first boy. How else would you know he is the right one for you if you do not have anyone to compare him too? I wish I had had the opportunity to do so at your age. Just make sure to be cautious and if you do not know what to do about a situation, you must speak to us' said Elsa, rather generously, Maria thought. Maria was hardly the one to go to on matters of intimacy. But men were far from her mind as she struggled not to look at the object for her affection, who was playing her usual self marvellously.

'Did you feel that way about father?' Asked Liesl slyly. Elsa was prepared for this question and smiled, unruffled in her answer.

'Your father and I have had a pleasant time. I could compare him to my husband or indeed other men I have kissed but there would be little need. A relationship cannot and will not survive on the idealism of kisses. There must be so much more. Take advantage of your youth the way I was hardly allowed to be, for all my experience was gained after I married.'

Liesl drank in the words reverently. This was the communication she had been dying for. With no mother to guide her, she had been lost as to how to handle her impending womanhood. She had her youthful arrogance but it could only take her so far. She looked upon the Baroness in a new light. She was beautiful, yes but she was also wise. She had underestimated her.

'The Baroness has learned all there is to know about being a lady' added Maria. 'She is an excellent guide.'

'I could even teach you a few things, Maria' said the lady, mockingly.

'Good luck to you, that'll be a hard battle to win' replied Maria.

Liesl smiled along with them, never picking up on the atmosphere between them.

'I will have a word with your father as to changing a few things around here. But don't let him know that you know. There is time to learn how to assert yourself in a particular manner' Elsa counselled. 'If you allow yourself to get distracted, do so in the privacy of your room only. If he knows about the delivery boy he will put a stop to it. I'm sure you can be trusted not to go too far with him.'

'If something does not feel right, stay true to that feeling' added Maria.

Liesl thanked them gratefully at the end of breakfast. She was learning such a lot.

Elsa leaned towards the other woman, keeping her voice soft.

'Speaking of things that do not feel right, have you any thoughts on the matter? I can imagine there might be.'

Maria looked steadily at her.

'Not on my part, Baroness. I didn't feel the need to question it. I try not to question everything but I find that difficult. This was something I did not need to think about.'

The look of relief on Elsa's face almost made her want to kiss her. But she couldn't. Not there. Elsa smiled at her but drew back. She was mindful of being in public.

'I shall sort it out with Georg that you have a weekend off. And perhaps you may consider that open invite to Vienna.'

Maria could think of nothing more thrilling.