After the children had finally finished eating breakfast and had gone off to either finish getting themselves tidied up or to help Herr Kramer clean up after breakfast, Maria quietly slipped outside and sat down in the grass, again looking down the mountain into Dorfli. The letter that she had slipped inside the top of her dress felt like it was burning a hole in her chest. Finally, with a few moments to herself, she took it out and read what her husband had to say.

oooooooooo

'Dearest Maria,

I pray that this letter finds you and our children as well as you were when I left you a day ago. It feels as though it's been so much longer. I miss your face, your voice, even the smell, of you more than I can say. If all goes well, I will be able to come for you in a few days.

As I'm sure you deduced from the gifts I sent with Pietr, I was able to reach several Swiss bank accounts and collect most of the money I had forwarded here. We have as much as I could have hoped. Our lives here will not be glamorous, but they will be comfortable.

Dorfli is a lovely village, but it is quaint and small. There is no place here that can even compare to our villa back home. I do believe, however, that such a small town would be an ideal place for us to live right now. The men we are trying to avoid would have to specifically know of this town to even try to find us. A big city may be more anonymous, but it would also be more obvious. I feel safer just knowing that we are comfortably behind the Swiss border, and it also seems that almost all of the people I have met in Dorfli do not approve of the German regime.

Brigitta and are staying in the inn that Herr Kramer recommended. His directions were impeccable. The inn is clean and comfortable, but far too small for our entire family.

You would be as proud of Brigitta as I am. She seems to intuitively know who to trust, and who to still be wary of. She has also remained as silent as I could have hoped, revealing nothing of our situation.

I spent most of the day yesterday contacting banks, and then figuring out how to get more food to you and to Herr Kramer. I feel fortunate that we met Pietr. Brigitta seems to have taken an instant liking to him, and he to her. He seems as honest and hardworking a boy as I could hope our boys will be here.

There are a few houses for sale here. None, of course, anywhere near as large as the home we left. We are still looking at the houses, but the one that seems to have the most promise also seems to need the most work. It is the largest, with 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a large kitchen, and some sitting rooms. It is also on the furthest outskirts of town, closer to the mountains than any other house available and with a river nearby. However, it has very little furniture and the roof are in need of repair. It is also the only house that Brigitta approves of. I can't tell you – again – how right you were when you said she notices everything. Every other house has had some fatal flaw that she has discovered. Either it is too close to the village and will be too noisy and public, or the kitchen is not well situated with the dining room, or the bedrooms and bathrooms are not conducive to being shared by our particular set of children.

If I do not find a better house, my plan is to buy this one and get enough beds installed as quickly as possible so that you can move in here and finally sleep properly again. However, I don't want to draw too much attention to our family at first, so I'm also hoping that you can use your skills as a seamstress to help outfit our family. Although I'm afraid you'll need to make drapes as well as clothes, instead of drapes for clothes! Nine people shopping all over the village would be too conspicuous.

I am also going to try to hire a cook but am wary about letting a stranger into our home at this time. My sense of propriety and practicality says to find a cook, but my sense of caution says that may be a dangerous addition.

I trust that the gifts I sent will be helpful. I know you need as much food as you can get, but Herr Kramer is also a man whose friendship I want to keep. I hope he approves of the goats. I never thought I'd buy goats, but it seemed to be the best gift to give him. Pietr was a help.

I hope – I plan – to send more with Pietr tomorrow.

In the meantime, tell the children that I love them and that we will be together soon. Know that I love you with all my heart.

I think of the six of them up in the mountains, sleeping in a hayloft, and I am filled with concern for them. Then I remember that you are with them and I know they are, and will be, fine. And probably treating the whole affair as a jolly picnic by now.

I can't wait to be with you again. I'm sorry we've had to be separated so early - so dramatically – into our marriage. I miss more than the sound and sight of you, I miss the feel and taste of you.

Know that I am working as fast as I can to bring all of you down here with me.

All my love, G'

oooooooooo

Maria fell back onto the grass and stretched out with a happy and relieved sigh. They were fine. She knew how relieved Georg must be that they still had a good amount of money and she was relieved as well, more for him than for herself. It would have been awful for him to be stranded in another country with all of the children and no money, living hand to mouth. The fact that he was still able to provide for his family must have been a relief for him.

It was also so good to hear what they were doing down in Dorfli and what his options were. A large house on the edge of the town sounded perfect, even if it needed some repairs. It wouldn't be the villa – nothing could ever be the villa – but as long as they were together it would be home.

Although she knew how much he loved her it was equally, if not even more, gratifying to hear his words of love. Feeling like a silly teenager she raised the letter to her lips, almost but not quite kissing it.

But she could not agree with this thought of hiring a cook. The danger of allowing anyone into their home at this stage was too great, and she was a perfectly sufficient cook to take care of her family. Plus, she was already starting to teach Liesl and Louisa how to cook. Although Liesl was taking to it much more. Louisa still wanted to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

There was no question in her mind. They could take care of themselves. She knew how to cook, she knew how to sew, and there was no need to hire help at this early stage. Just being in a house and sleeping in beds would feel like luxury after what they'd been through.

oooooooooo

Maria made sure that all of the children were occupied in some way; helping or playing, depending on what was appropriate, and she decided to take the time to write a letter back to Georg. He would need to know how they were and what she was thinking just as much as she needed to hear from him.

She procured some paper and a pen from Herr Kramer, who gave it to her with a knowing smile, and sat down to write.

'My Darling Georg,

I hardly know how to begin this letter! I want to tell you so many things first! I want to tell you how much I love you and miss you, I want to tell you the children are all doing well, I want to tell you what a wonderful, perfect gift the food and the goats were. There are so many things I want to say that I hardly know where to start! But I guess I have already started.

I am delighted to hear of your success with the banks. I never doubted, my darling, that you would find a way to provide for us here. I'm also glad to hear that Brigitta is doing well and is discerning when it comes to houses, but I am not surprised. That's our girl, and she's probably enjoying being with you and having such grown up responsibilities.

Even though I have not seen it, the large house on the edge of town sounds perfect. We can easily fit into 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms – after all, we have been living outdoors or in a barn for the last several days. If you feel the repairs needed are not too severe and that you can start getting furniture quickly, I would love to think that you've found our home!

I must agree with you that bringing a cook into our house would be dangerous right now, and I want to tell you there is no need for one. I am no expert, but I can easily cook well enough to feed our family. Liesl is learning to cook as well. Nine people will keep us busy but it will be safer than bringing a stranger into our house when we are so new to this village.

I know you will do what is best, but there is no way we be able to hide nine people moving into such a small village. Even once you buy a house, people will know about it. If you buy this house you have told me about, people in such a small town will already know that it has very little furniture and that it needs repairs, so they will be wondering about - and discussing – what we are buying and how we are fixing the house. I'm afraid gossips are found as much in small mountain towns as they are in large cities. In small mountain towns it's all the worse because there aren't as many people to talk about! I believe that if we try to stay too hidden we will become mysterious and attract more attention. We won't be able to hide that we are Austrian, we won't be able to hide the condition of the house we buy, and we won't be able to hide that we are a large family!

I do think it is wise though – if you agree – to keep our financial status as quiet as possible, and I think we should try to keep it quiet that we are arriving with no luggage – only the clothes on our backs. I will be happy to be seamstress as well in our new home, but even given this, I think we should buy each of the children some basic items when we arrive. Making clothes for nine people will take time, and they have been living in the same clothes for several days now. They have learned how to clean their clothes, though I'm sorry to say that something about living outdoors like this has made them a little more immodest than they used to be. I have had to explain to Gretl that I cannot wash everything she is wearing at once or she will have nothing to wear at all!

That makes me wonder – have you and Brigitta bought any new clothes? I think of you every moment of the day and want to know what you are doing and what you have done – even the smallest details. I cannot wait to be with you again.

Be assured that we are all safe. Friedrich has taken his role very seriously and I highly doubt that anyone could come down through the Swiss mountains without first being found by him. There is still some sadness and heaviness in their hearts, but as we get settled again and they realize they are truly safe and loved, I have no doubt that they will return to their old selves. In the meantime I am making sure that they are still having time to be children, to play, and we keep singing.

Ooops – I must dash. The younger children have finished getting ready for the day and are looking for me.

We all love you very much and can't wait to be reunited.

PS (added later) I have told Pietr that you will pay him for delivering this. If you can tomorrow, please send up paper and pen so that I can keep writing to you. Herr Kramer doesn't have much of a supply.

All my love goes with this letter.

Maria

ooooooooo

The next morning, after Maria had set another loaf of bread to rise and before the children were awake she went to sit in what had become "her" spot, anxiously looking down into Dorfli. She didn't know if Pietr would bring another letter from Georg, but she dearly hoped she would hear from him. She hadn't thought it was possible to miss her husband more than she had the day before, but she did. She burned with how much she missed holding him, and she felt like a part of her was down in Dorfli before she was there in person.

She hadn't been able to stop thinking of what he was doing down in the town. The potential house sounded ideal. She realized that she would hate living in the middle of a town, even if it was a small one. She hadn't thought of it before receiving Georg's letter, but she had largely lived a quiet life. First in the mountains, then in the abbey, and then in the villa. Though the villa was loud with the sound of the children, it was far away from anything else. Maybe that was why she had always loved music so much. There had always been room for it in her life - always space to fill with the sound of beautiful music. She hoped that Georg would find a quiet home that they could fill with music, but she also trusted him to choose the very best house possible.

As Maria sat watching the sunrise and dreaming of their new home in Dorfli, the figure of Pietr and his goats came into view. There was another figure strapped onto his back that was so familiar – so unmistakable – and so perfect that her eyes again unexpectedly filled with tears. She blinked them back quickly as Pietr approached and stood up to greet him.

"Good morning, Baroness," he said cheerily, lifting his hat. "As you can see I have more presents for you from the Baron."

"Good morning, Pietr," Maria responded fondly. She already liked the boy, and hearing that he had befriended Brigitta made her like him more. "I see that. Shall we go to the house so that you can unload your burden before you collect the goats?"

Pietr nodded in agreement and the pair of them walked the short distance to the house, Maria slightly behind, admiring the familiar curves of the guitar case strapped to Pietr's back. Everything about the last few days had been so urgent and so primal that she hadn't even realized how much she missed her guitar. Yet Georg obviously knew, to send her one so quickly. That he had bought her a guitar before they were even settled reminded her of how well he knew her, through and through, and made her love him all the more.

Maria smiled again. Just when she thought her heart had expanded to the fullest – when she thought she already possessed all the love in the world – her love expanded that much more. 'I never knew it was so wonderful to be in love,' she thought to herself, 'and I could never have imagined being so loved.'

oooooooo

Maria had already opened and played her new guitar before reading the corresponding letter. She couldn't resist seeing and hearing it, and the children had wanted to see and hear it as well. It was a beautiful instrument with a sweet and mellow sound, perfect to sing to. But now the guitar was back in its case and Maria went back to her spot to read her letter.

'My Beautiful Wife,

It was so good to hear from you and to hear that you and the children are all well and safe. I also appreciated hearing your views on small town living. Who would have thought that when I had the extraordinarily good taste to fall in love with the spirited governess who had helped bring my family back together, I was also falling in love with the woman that would become such a help on this … journey.

I have bought the house I told you about, the one on the edge of town. I am convinced that it is the best house for us in Dorfli and that Dorfli is the best place for us to stay right now. I bought the house quickly, and I am sure people are talking, but I am too eager to be reunited and bring the rest of you under a proper roof again that I decided that was worth it. I have also ordered 7 single beds and 1 large bed, with all of the appropriate bedclothes. So people also know that there will be 9 of us, but as you said, that couldn't be hidden.

I already have a man repairing the roof, and as for the rest of any repairs – they can be done while we are living there.

Brigitta and I have already selected who will sleep where. You and I, my love, have the master suite, of course, with the large attached bathroom (had I mentioned there was a master suite?). Marta and Gretl will share a room as will Brigitta and Louisa, and the four of them will share a bathroom as well. The boys will share a room and a bathroom, of course. And there is one small, lone garrett room that we thought Liesl could have. She will have to come downstairs for the bathroom, but hopefully she won't mind as she will have her own room.

Most of the home preparations will be done under your watch, Maria, but the beds should be delivered and in place by this evening.

As for the rest of the plans, I do think it will be wise to use your skills as a cook for now. I hope this does not take too much of your time away from us and from the children, but I am too reluctant to hire household help yet.

It has been illuminating to spend a few days alone with Brigitta. I thought I had come to know them all so well this past summer, but I find there is so much more to know. She is very well educated about what is happening in the world, and has very strong views as well. Yet she is still a child, and has the fearful vulnerability of a child. I think it was that vulnerability that has surprised me most of all. I am watching her struggle with the same questions I asked as a young man during the War: how could such evil be possible? Where was God? Has the good in the world been overshadowed by evil? Yet she told me that somehow good always works out in the end, and that when the Lord closes a door, someway He opens a window. I wonder where she heard that?

It is comforting to know that our children have such a wise, reassuring and loving mother. Not that I ever doubted that, my love!

I have also seen her spirits rise as we found the house, befriended Pietr, and selected the guitar. Good things still can and do happen.

Now, about that guitar, I hope I did an adequate job of selecting it. I know that if you were here you would be able to buy a guitar with a much more experienced eye, but I couldn't bear to think of you up there without a guitar. But then, this family will need more than one guitar I should think. This is just the first, and a small token of how much I love you.

Because we have the house now and will have the beds set up, Brigitta and I will come for you in the morning. I can hardly wait, my darling, to be with you again. It is a long trek back and forth so we will leave shortly after Pietr and should thus arrive slightly after him.

All my love, Georg'