A Time to Execute
When Maria woke up, she was lying on an unfamiliar sofa in an unfamiliar room. But before she could get frightened, she recognized the two faces hovering above her.
"Oh, my dear, thank goodness," said Max, squeezing her hand.
Hans, standing a step back, smiled. "It's good to have you back with us, Baroness," he said, pouring her a glass of water.
"It's Maria," the young woman said absently, bringing another smile to both of the men's faces. Max helped her sit up while she rubbed her head and took the water from Hans, drinking it slowly. "Wha…what happened? And where are we?"
"You fainted," said Max, sitting down on the couch beside her. "I caught you in time, and the damn soldier looked pretty uncomfortable so he left right away. Franz and Ellen helped me get you in the car, and I drove you straight to Hans's office."
Maria nodded slowly as she looked around the unfamiliar room. His office was a very nice room, with an elegant desk in one corner with various degrees hanging on the wall behind it. In another corner of the room was an examination table, and Maria felt extremely grateful they had placed her on the sofa rather than on that table.
Then she remembered just what had made her faint, and she found her eyes filling again and her breathing starting to shallow and quicken.
"Easy, easy, Maria," said Max, squeezing her hand again. "It's going to be all right."
"How can you…possibly…say that?" Maria managed to gasp out in an incredulous tone. She started rocking herself back and forth as a tear spilled out.
Hans knelt in front of her and held something in front of her eyes. "Because of this."
Maria's eyes cleared and she gasped when she saw what he was holding: an envelope with her name on it – in Georg's handwriting. With a trembling hand she reached out and took it, relieved to find it was real, and Hans took her empty water glass from her. She slowly rose from the couch – her head still felt a bit heavy – and walked over to the window. She stood by it as she opened the envelope with trembling fingers and unfolded the letter inside. It was one page and short.
Dear Maria,
If you are reading this then I thank God the plan was a success. Make no mistake about it: I am alive and I have escaped. It may take me some time to come back home, but do not doubt that I am traveling the moment you first read this. Max and Hans will explain everything to you, and forgive me for putting you through this, but it was the only way. I will see you soon and thank God to be with you again.
Georg
He wasn't dead…he was alive…he was telling her himself, and Hans wouldn't have given her the letter unless it was true. So it had to be true…not knowing what else to do, she let out a long exhale and leaned her head against the glass windowpane.
She stood there like that for a few minutes before she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Hans looking kindly apologetic to her with his hand held out. "I'm sorry, Maria, I need to destroy that. It's imperative that no evidence is left behind."
Maria realized he was talking about the letter, and, feeling speechless to argue, read the letter again to memorize the words before handing both the letter and envelope to Hans. He immediately ripped the letter into pieces and threw them into the burning fireplace. Maria felt a twinge of pain at the sight, and realized something: Georg must have written that letter back in January, before he had left, giving it to Hans personally so it wouldn't be intercepted. That had been back when they had both been too afraid to confess their love, which is why the word had not been mentioned (unlike all of his other letters).
She let Max lead her back to sit on the sofa, while Hans pulled something out of his locked desk drawer and then checked to see that no one was listening. Then he sat down on a chair right in front of Maria, while Max sat beside her. "I'm sure there are some questions that you would like answered."
Maria took a deep breath and nodded. "Am I right in assuming that you three have been planning for quite a while?"
Hans nodded. "Yes. From the moment I found out they wanted to draft Georg. It wasn't the right season to plan an escape for all of you then and there, also there wasn't enough time for such a plan. So we had to find another way to get you all out of here. Thank God for Georg's strategizing mind, which is why his money is safe in Swiss banks and why the American government is prepared to offer him a position when he gets there. All that is left to be worked out is getting the ten of you out of here."
Maria blinked. "Ten?"
Max said beside her, "I told Dominik about the plan after you came back from Italy. He had spoken to me a few times of wanting to play in America, and I knew you wouldn't want to leave him behind."
On the one hand, Maria felt extremely happy and relieved with this news, and she conveyed that to Max by taking his hands and kissing his cheek. But something was bothering her like a terrible itch, making her angry. "So…why was I kept out of the loop until now?"
Both Max and Hans sighed. The latter said, "Because we had to be extremely careful. Us three, Dominik and Georg are the only people who know of this plan, and you and Dominik don't know everything yet. With someone like Georg, who has a history of hating the Nazis, they would be suspicious if your reaction to his death was even a bit contrived, if you knew it wasn't true."
Maria slowly nodded, glad she understood but still feeling a little bitter. She got up and walked to the window again, her arms crossed over her chest. Hans got up and took a step near her. "Georg really wanted to tell you. Nearly got into a screaming match when I finally convinced him otherwise. Please understand I only did it to protect you all."
Again, Maria slowly nodded. "It's all right, I understand." She turned back around to face them. "So, what is the plan now? When will I see him again?"
Hans led her back to the couch and sat before her. Maria now noticed what he had taken out of his desk and was holding in his hand. "Here is the official story: when the children finish school, they will move to Switzerland to stay with their next immediate family, which is Georg's cousin Ernst. You, out of heartbreak, will return to Nonberg Abbey."
The thought of being separated from the children caused an automatic reaction in her. "Wait, but I –"
Hans held up a hand with a small smile, stopping her. "Like I said, that's the official story, though part of it is really true. When the children are done with school, they will indeed go to Switzerland where Georg's first cousin, Ernst, lives. I have their train tickets and travel papers right here." He handed the folder to Maria. "Now, what you and Max need to do when you get back is to tell the servants of Georg's 'death' and tell them the official story of where the family will go from here. I know Frau Schmidt has family in Switzerland, so if you ask if she will escort the children to their second cousin, I'm sure she will agree."
"Yes, I am sure too…wait, I'm really not going with the children?"
Max shook his head. "You are to stay at the villa and wait for Georg to come back. Both of you will lay low for about a week. That's how much time will be in between his return and when your train leaves for Switzerland." He handed her another smaller folder. "Guard these well; these are your tickets and travel papers under false identities. I've made sure they seem authentic."
Maria nodded and took that too. "What about my brother?"
Max spoke, "Thankfully, since he is not your blood brother, he is completely unknown. He finishes at the conservatory at the end of May, and will meet you and Georg at the Abbey before the three of you get on that train."
"And…my husband? You are certain, beyond a reasonable doubt, that his plan worked? When will I see him again?"
Hans gave another small smile and showed her a folded piece of paper. "This telegram came for me moments before you and Max arrived. A coded message from Georg saying it was successful, and he would be back by the end of the month. He has a bit of a journey ahead of him to get back, since he's under the radar. But, knowing Georg and that he escaped them, you know nothing will stop him from coming back."
Finally, Maria let absolute relief rush over her. She buried her face in her hands and let a few silent tears fall. Max rubbed her back, and she heard Hans tearing up the telegram.
For the first time in a long time, she felt hope that could not lessen or be crushed: God was with her family.
That hope did wonders for Maria's health and her determination.
She didn't stay much longer at Dr. Falk's house, because Max wanted to ask Hans what Maria was ailing from. After describing her symptoms over the past few weeks, Hans concluded that Maria had just been too stressed and worried and depressed, and that had manifested into physical symptoms beyond mental ones, as can happen. But, with the news he had just given, and the fact that her nausea had passed, Hans was confident that she would be better than new very soon.
From the moment the two returned to the villa, Maria and Max set the plan in motion to execute it precisely. They spoke to the servants, who were all very supportive and grieved with her, and Ellen immediately hugged her and told her that of course she would escort the children to their father's cousin. But, once Maria and Max got Ellen alone, they told her that Maria would join them soon, so Ellen agreed to stay with the children until Maria arrived.
Maria was glad that executing the plan with the servants had gone so smoothly, for she was more nervous about telling the children. She would not tell them the news she had received today, but tell them Frau Schmidt was going to take them to see their second cousin Ernst in Switzerland for a holiday, and Maria would join them later. When some of the children began questioning why she would not being going with them right away, Liesl surprised Maria by shushing her siblings and just do what their mother told them to.
The two women exchanged glances, and Liesl stayed with her while the other children went to wash up for dinner. Before Maria could ask what she knew, Liesl said, "Dominik told me what he knew. Is it true Father and Dominik will be coming with you?"
While Maria felt a little annoyed that yet another person had known of the plan before her, she mostly felt relief that Liesl was in the loop; Maria would have told her a few things before they had left, either way. So Maria gave her a hug and said, "Yes, they will."
Both females shared a tight hug and cried a little.
As the days passed, and the twenty-seventh came closer, Maria got better and better. Her appetite and energy were back, and by the time the children were finished with school, she was, as Hans had predicted, better than new. The day after school ended was spent packing, which was indeed an all day job, for they needed to travel light.
The next day was the day the children would leave Austria for good; the little ones didn't know it, the older ones suspected it, and the oldest knew for sure. But none of them complained, which made Maria very proud. The family and servants said good-bye, for this was also the day they would leave. This was the day the villa would be officially evacuated.
Max drove Maria, the children and Ellen to the train station. As they all stood on the platform, Maria hugged them all goodbye tightly and gave each a kiss. The little ones did not want to be separated from their mother, but after some comforting and reassurances, they soon quieted down and promised to be good.
All seven of them and Ellen waved to Maria and Max as the train whistle blew and the train slowly pulled away, gaining speed as it turned the corner and disappeared.
When Maria returned to the villa and locked herself in, she practically collapsed in the front hall, lying down on the cold, smooth floor. She felt completely exhausted after being in commando mode for nearly two weeks, sticking to the plan and getting her strength back.
Max had driven the car to the hotel he would be staying at now, so Maria could make her way back to the villa the way she had the first time she had arrived there nearly a year ago. He had told her the ground rules: to letters, no telephone calls, no telegrams, basically no communication in or out of the villa. She couldn't even leave the property, and it helped there was plenty of food there already. So, Maria would basically be isolated in the villa until Georg came back…
When he came back…all they knew was that he would come back at the end of May. Well, it was the twenty-seventh now, so he had four more days. He could come at the end of the deadline, or he could come right now.
Either way, Maria would be ready. She had to be. Tired as she was, she would not stop worrying or be truly at ease until she was in her husband's arms again, until she heard his voice, until she saw him again with her own eyes.
She laid on her back on the stone floor and wondered: Georg, where are you now? Were you hurt at all in your escape? How hard is your journey? Will you be here tomorrow, or the day after? She prayed to God, too, that the plan would work.
As she lay there, Maria knew that, until Georg was home and with her, time would move slower than a snail…
A/N: I may be writing an angsty story, and I may be the queen of cliffhangers, but if you think I'm going to throw all of my good work and your good faith in me away by having Georg truly dead, then I'd never forgive myself. Keep reviewing and keep an eye out for what happens next.
