Thank you again to those who have waited patiently for me to resume the story. Here is a much faster update! Thank you as well to everyone who has reviewed. It does make a difference!
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Maria heard the car outside of the house before she saw them
Maria heard the car outside of the house before she saw them. Given how late – or now early – it was it took all of her new-found self composure not to run outside and throw herself into Georg's arms. Or at least start crying with relief. However, she had been married to Georg long enough to know that she would help him most by being calm and collected, and getting their guests into bed.
She was by the door when they arrived, and greeted each of them warmly. The tall, thin man introduced himself as Gustav and then introduced women as Ada and Irma.
Even if she hadn't already known that something had gone wrong, Maria would have been able to tell that it had by Georg's appearance. He was disheveled and his jacket was nowhere to be seen. Was this the impeccable, precise Captain Von Trapp who used to summon his children by whistle to maintain order? Certainly he had changed and softened, but not this much.
Maria opened her mouth to ask what had happened but was silenced by a quick shake of Georg's head. She covered her confusion and concern by turning to face their guests again, offering them something to eat or drink.
They all turned down her offer, and so she showed the women to their beds, leaving the Captain to show Gustav to his cot. The sooner she could get to them settled and be alone with her husband, the better.
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When Maria finally got the violinists settled and was able to retire their bedroom, Georg was already standing there, looking out a window. He didn't turn around and so she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms about his waist, resting her head against his back. He put his arms over hers, caressing them, but he didn't turn around.
After several moments of this embrace, Maria quietly asked "What happened?"
Georg released her arms and turned around to face her with enough distance that they were no longer embracing. He looked intently into her eyes and just shook his head, not speaking.
Maria took a step back and folded her arms across her chest. After all of that waiting and praying he wasn't even going to tell her what had happened?
She opened her mouth to protest, to tell him that she was in this with him and had every right to know what had happened, but there was a look in his eyes that silenced her once again. It was a dangerous look. Not dangerous to her, not dangerous in a way that made her feel scared for her personal safety, but dangerous. She suddenly could tell that he had been pushed into a place that was beyond where he had been willing to go. If he was less of a man – less of a soldier – she would have said he was frightened. Maria suddenly felt as though she were standing next to a smoldering fire.
She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him again, this time hugging him properly. Maria was gratified to feel him hug her in response, and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of him.
"Just promise me you'll tell me soon," she requested. "We're in this together and I'm going to need to know."
"Of course," he promised, "but not yet."
"Not yet," Maria agreed.
He kissed her on the top of her head and then let go of her, walking into the bathroom.
Maria sat on the bed feeling more than a little deflated and heard the water start running. What had happened that he couldn't tell her? And why on earth was he taking a shower at this time of night?
The water ran for several minutes and so she got up again, undressed and slipped into her night dress. She wasn't going to go to sleep until he was out of the bathroom – she didn't know if she'd be able to sleep at all that night, her curiosity and fear were too powerful. Maria was afraid. Whatever had shaken him so badly, that was something to be afraid of. She curled up in bed, her eyes glued to the bathroom door.
After several more minutes the water stopped running, and eventually her husband emerged, wrapped in his dressing gown. He joined her on the bed and bent down to kiss her. His kisses were usually so tender, but this one was demanding, almost fierce.
Maria wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling his still-wet hair. She tried to hold him close to her but he pulled away and looked down at her. Without saying anything, Georg ran his hands up her body, under her nightdress, and promptly removed it.
This was new and different too. There was usually talking, kissing, sometimes teasing and lots of loving before clothes came off. There was none of that now, just his intensity.
Maria could tell that he needed her, physically needed her, in a way that he never had before. Suddenly, all of the waiting, the anxiety, the prayers, and the fears, as well as his intensity, caught up with her and she realized she needed him too, more fiercely than she ever had before.
Georg wasn't surprised by the ferocity of his need for her – often dangerous situations, battle, and especially death made most people crave physical intimacy wherever they could find it. He was just relieved that she was responding to him so well.
There was no tenderness that night. No words of love or laughter, no gentle caresses. Just an intensity of physical need that they had never experienced before.
Eventually they were both spent. Maria was so exhausted and so sated that she realized she had been purged of most of the anxiety and fear. As she curled up next to her husband, ready to fall asleep she spoke the only words that she had said before he had gone into the bathroom: "You will tell me soon? I need to know."
"Yes," Georg promised again, and reached one arm across her. Soon the two of them had fallen into a deep sleep.
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Georg woke up earlier than one would expect, given how late he had been up the previous night. But he couldn't rest. The fact remained that he had killed two men the night before and their bodies would probably be found at any time. He still didn't see any way around what he had done – not if he didn't want to be found. But Georg had no idea what kind of problems and investigations it would stir up and he wanted to be ready.
Maria wanted to know what happened, he knew that. More than that, she deserved to know. She was his partner in this mission, and his actions would directly affect her and the children. But he hadn't been able to get the words out of his mouth. Saying it out loud would make it all the more real.
But even worse was the thought of how would she look at him when she knew he had killed to men. She knew he had fought in the war, but that was so long ago. It had happened ages before they had even met. But this was fresh. This was new. He had killed as her husband, and he wasn't even fighting on any side of the war. At least not officially. How would she look at him once she knew what he had done? Would there still be the same love? The same trust?
'What else could I have done?' he asked himself once again.
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Anna was startled to see Baron Von Trapp walk into the kitchen while she was just beginning to cook breakfast. He had never come into the kitchen that she could remember – she rarely saw him for that matter – especially not so early in the morning.
"Excuse me, Baron," she said, putting the large lump of dough she had been kneading back onto the counter and smoothing her hands on her apron. She was too distracted to notice the streaks of dough she left there.
"Can – can I help you?" she asked.
'You idiot,' Georg admonished himself. 'Don't do anything out of the ordinary!'
"No, I didn't mean to bother you. I was just awake and a little hungry," he explained.
"Well," Anna turned around, still flustered. "I'm about to put the bread in the oven. I can give you some sausage now – not fresh, but it's cooked."
"That would be fine," the Captain reassured her.
"Excuse me, Sir, are your friends here?" Anna asked while she was cutting a piece off of a large sausage.
"Yes, we got in a little late, but they are here."
"Oh, good!" she responded with obvious relief. "I am making breakfast for twelve."
"Very good, then" the Captain responded, taking the plate of sausage from her. "Keep it up!" He felt increasingly awkward and couldn't wait to get out of the kitchen. "I apologize for disturbing you."
He closed the door on her protests and walked into the dining room to eat his sausage. Georg couldn't stop thinking of her eyes – so large, startled and yes, frightened. Would that be how Maria would look at him once she learned what he did last night?
Suddenly he ran his hand over his face and then through his hair. What was he doing worrying about his wife's reaction when for all he knew the bodies had been found and the Swiss borders were erupting? As a military Captain, he knew he had to be thinking at least two or three steps ahead of where he was.
Georg pushed away his now empty plate, got up and walked back into the kitchen.
Anna looked even more startled to see him again, if that were possible.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Anna," he said, as gently as he could manage given the stress he was feeling. "I find it rather chilly today and want our guests to be comfortable. Would you mind starting a fire in the sitting room as soon as possible?"
Anna turned slightly red as though she should have done this before he had asked, though as far as he knew she had never drawn up a fire for them before, and quickly assented. The Captain stayed in the kitchen, watching her as she put the bread in the oven and then hurried into the sitting room. He was glad that he had the boys' chop wood a few days ago, having explained that the most menial tasks can provide the best exercise.
After he watched Anna leave the kitchen, Georg turned around and walked out of the house, towards the car. He couldn't stop thinking of everything that might be happening at the station this morning, playing it over in his head like a film.
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Maria first woke up to a pit of dread in her stomach as she remembered what had happened – or more precisely what she didn't know had happened – the night before. There was something terribly wrong. She knew that Georg was trying to protect her by not telling her, but in a way not knowing was worse than the truth would be – or at least was worse than she feared the truth would be.
She allowed herself a few minutes of lying in bed and feeling worried before she forced herself to get out of bed. It was still very early and she doubted that many people in the house were awake yet, but there was so much she had to do.
Maria was still preparing for the concert in Geneva – the cover for the refugees' escape. She was still one or two pieces short, and the hymn she had sung to Louisa and Brigitta the night before had was running through her head. It had such sweet harmonies and she had no doubt that the children could sing it beautifully.
After Maria had finished getting dressed she still hadn't seen Georg but decided not to track him down. He would come to her when he was ready, and she was overwhelmed herself with the amount of work she had to do. There were three refugees – 'guests,' she corrected herself – to take care of, as well as the concert.
Maria had decided that the older children, specifically Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, and Kurt, would be singing, along with her. Given their public performance and by now notorious escape, the last thing she and Georg wanted was to bring attention once again to seven children, in ages that went steadily down like the steps of a scale, all singing together so beautifully. Maria also knew that the younger children were far more likely to attract attention as singers, and so with these four she felt she could put on a high quality performance without attracting too much attention.
Brigitta seemed unfazed by the fact that she wasn't singing at the concert, but Maria wasn't sure whether she was genuinely unfazed or was becoming increasingly stoic. She wasn't sure which idea concerned her more. Marta and Gretl had both come to love performing and as a result Maria had already had to deal with a few temper tantrums from Gretl and plenty of tears from Marta.
It was so hard to explain to them why they couldn't perform, why they needed to stay as inconspicuous as possible. Eventually she had promised them both that there would be other concerts that they would sing at.
But the end result was that the four older children would be singing together, billed not as a family but as a youth choir. Maria would join them as the director of that choir.
Maria could smell breakfast cooking but knew that it was still too early for the children to be up. If she could keep her mind off of Georg, this would be a rare opportunity to prepare more of the music they would be singing.
As Maria sat down at the desk in a small room on the first floor that was rarely used, she gathered a stack of paper and began to draw the five close lines that represented a staff. The prayer from Hansel and Gretel would be a wonderful song for the five of them. She could start off the first verse as a duet between Louisa and Kurt, both in their high sweet voices. Then she and the other two would join them for the second verse, filling out the music. After that, she intended to modify the music into a sort of fugue where they would repeat what they had already sung, each beginning at different times and with different variations of the theme. She could already hear it in her head. Now she just needed to get it down on paper.
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Once he was satisfied that there was a strong fire roaring in the sitting room, Georg retrieved his blood stained jacket, still on the floor of the car. He had to destroy it, and burning it would be far more effective than burying it. He hoped the smell of breakfast would mask the smell of burning clothing.
He pushed the jacket further into the fire until it began to flame on its own. Then he turned around and stood in front of the fireplace, guarding it against anyone who might come into the room and see the suspicious clothing still burning.
Georg's mind was, once again, spinning with possibilities, both bad and good. There was one thing he was now certain about: he had not taken his family far enough. Switzerland, while technically neutral, was still in Europe. There was no guarantee that the Nazis wouldn't overwhelm it. Even if he was currently out of the reach of the Nazis, it was clear that this was not the safe haven that he had once hoped. And if the death of those two officers were to be linked to him – and Georg was fairly certain that with a few days and enough brains they would be – well, the Swiss would be smart to hand him over to the Germans in order to retain what peace they could.
Georg turned around to face the fire where his jacket was now engulfed in flames, and put his arm on the mantle, staring down as this damning piece of evidence was gradually destroyed. The answer was obvious, but painful. He would have to uproot his family again and take them far away. A border was not enough. He needed to put an ocean between his family and the Third Reich. America. After so recently promising them they would be able to stay, he needed to take them to America.
The Captain straightened up again, feeling the full force of his responsibility to his wife and children. They had a narrow window of time in which to get out of Switzerland. A narrow window of time while he and his family were still legal political refugees, recognized by Switzerland. A narrow window of time before he was linked to the murders and they became fugitives on the run again.
As much as he wanted to, he couldn't take all of his money out of the Swiss banks – that would make it too obvious that they were permanently leaving. No, the best he could do was take a decent amount out claiming they were going to visit France and needed money for the trip. There was the jewelry - that would help as well. But once these violinists were safely crossing Lake Geneva, he and his family would have to do the same. And then cross over to England and finally book passage to America.
Would there be time, he asked himself. Would they even be able to get through? How tight would the borders be now that two German officers had been killed on the Swiss side? Would there even be enough money to book passage for nine people or support them once they arrived?
He had to try. There was nothing else he could do.
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A short time later, with Georg's jacket satisfactorily destroyed, all nine Von Trapps gathered at the breakfast table along with Irma, Gustav, and Ada. The older children were visibly relieved to see their father safely returned along with the three violinists. All three of the violinists seemed happy and encouraged to have made what they thought was a clean escape out of Austria. The younger children were excited to have their guests here, and were in high spirits, picking up on the general mood at the table.
But it was obvious to Georg that Maria was still deeply concerned. She joined in the lively conversation at the table, and he once again saw the woman who had lied so coolly and calmly to Herr Zeller's face. Georg's insides twisted uncomfortably he hated every moment of this. He dreaded telling her that he had killed two men. He dreaded telling her he was going to uproot the family once again.
For the first time, Georg wished he was married to Elsa. Perhaps, if he loved a little less, this might be easier. But he was married to Maria who he loved whole heartedly, and he knew that he had to tell her everything soon. There was too much at stake.
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At the breakfast table, the children were peppering Ada, Irma, and Gustav with questions about playing the violin and playing in a professional symphony. Their enthusiasm quickly convinced Maria that it was time to introduce them to something more than guitars and singing. The children, as natural musicians, were craving instruments. They just didn't know it yet.
She tried not to look at Georg too often for fear that she wouldn't be able to look away.
As Anna cleared away the breakfast dishes, and the family walked into the sitting room where the fire was now dying down, Maria brought out the two full sized violins that Ernst had sent them. Gustav, Irma and Ada all lit up so vibrantly at the sight of the violins that she wished that their third violin was full sized as well rather than sized for a child.
They took very little convincing before they had agreed to perform for their hosts, and Ada and Irma took up the two violins and began to tune them.
Georg had made his excuses and retired to his office. Maria tried not to watch him leave, not wanting to reveal her deep concern. Soon, though, she was swept away as Ada and Irma began to quickly and expertly play the Vivace from Bach's Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor. The music was so full, so soulful, that the sound of only two violins was enough to fill up the entire house. Ada and Irma played with so much love for the music and for their instruments, perfectly in sync although they both frequently closed their eyes.
As the piece ended, Maria realized that her eyes were filled with tears. The music was so pure and beautiful. It took her a few moments to come back to the sitting room where she saw that all three violinists had tears on their faces as well. She realized quickly that they must have wondered whether they would ever play a violin again. For a moment she was grateful that whatever Georg had had to do or endure had allowed this music had survived.
Wordlessly, Irma handed her instrument to Gustav who began to play the violin solo to Sibelius' Finlandia. Maria was once again swept away by the music, but not before she noticed that Marta had risen to her feet and was listening to the music, mouth open in awe.
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A few hours later, Georg had determined what they were going to do. Once again, right after the concert, the family would leave the country under the guise of going on a brief vacation to France. That would give them the opportunity to pack some luggage so that they would be able to retain some extra clothes.
Once in France they would travel directly to the western border and cross the channel into England. After another journey, they would set sail for America from the coast of England. It was the only way to keep them all safe and far away from the Nazis.
He reemerged from his office, sober at what he was about to do to his family, but determined.
Georg couldn't put it off any longer. He had to tell Maria now.
There was singing coming from the yard in back of the house and so he naturally assumed that Maria would be there.
As he walked to the back of the house he stopped in mild surprise to see Ada kneeling down next to Marta, showing her how to hold the child's violin that Ernst had brought.
Georg shook his head a little and continued on, hoping that he wouldn't have to cart a violin as well as a guitar with them. But he also realized that if Marta were to start learning the violin it might distract her from everything else she was leaving.
He walked outside but Maria was still not there. Instead, Liesl was leading a practice session with Louisa, Friedrich and Kurt, obviously preparing for their concert. They stopped singing when they saw him, possibly concerned they were going to meet his disapproval for singing in public.
"You sound beautiful, please don't stop," he encouraged them, and stood for a few moments listening to them resume.
Eventually, Georg found Maria in a small room, leaning over a desk with Irma and Gustav. He watched her for a moment, so reluctant to disrupt the peaceful moment. Maria seemed to sense his presence because she turned around after only seconds and met his eyes.
Her heart jumped into her throat as she knew that he was going to tell her what happened. Suddenly she didn't want to know. But she stood up, excused herself from Irma and Gustav, who continued to work on her variations to Hansel and Gretel.
Georg took her hand and walked with her to his office where they wouldn't be overheard.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She returned his embrace, knowing at this moment that she'd rather know what happened than not. He rested his cheek against her hair, closed his eyes and said the words that he had been dreading.
"Maria," he began, "It was as bad as it could have been. I was seen – recognized. I know I was. And I – I killed two men. I had to. It was the only way."
He felt her pull away and opened his eyes in time to see the horror fill her eyes as she took a step backward and away from him.