Just wanted to say a quick (but very heartfelt!) thank you to everyone who is reading this story. A special thanks for the reviews too – I really appreciate them.
FOUR
Max Dettwelier had to blink several times at the scene in front of him before he could believe what he was seeing. He had taken his leave from Elsa so she could try on her new dress and had decided to take a walk out into the grounds to escape the stuffy confines of the villa. He had expected to find just the children and Fraulein Maria, but could not honestly say that he was terribly surprised to see Georg outside too, despite what the Captain had said about needing to get some work done in his study. When he actually laid eyes on the pair though, the question Elsa had asked him ran back through his mind immediately - this time his answer was an unequivocal 'yes'.
They were sitting on the grass underneath one of the trees just in front of the gazebo, neither speaking, just staring at one another with such intensity that it was almost uncomfortable to watch. Georg seemed to have misplaced his jacket and tie and the impresario noticed with surprise that he had even gone so far as to roll up his shirt sleeves and undo the top two buttons.
Max took a sharp breath as Georg lifted a hand towards Maria, brushing it slowly across her cheek as he leant towards her.
Surely he could not be going to kiss her? For quite apart from the countless reasons why he most definitely should not be kissing Maria in the first place - foremost that he was practically engaged to another woman and she was a committed future nun who was his children's governess - at this particular moment they were also in the middle of the grounds and therefore potentially in full view of everyone.
"Georg!"
Immediately he began walking towards them, determined to prevent Georg from making such a mistake. He knew the outcome could only be disastrous, not just to Elsa when she inevitably found out, but also to Maria when she came to her senses.
Thankfully, Max was saved from disturbing the couple himself. In fact he had hardly crossed ten paces towards the tree when a sudden cry of: "Father! Fraulein Maria!" rang through the air. The impresario was sure that he had never been as fond of Gretl as he was in that moment as the little girl ran past him, oblivious to what she was interrupting. The shout seemed to jolt Georg back to his senses and Max watched in amusement as he quickly dropped his hand away from Maria and spun around to meet his youngest daughter.
"Come and see what Friedrich has found!" Gretl exclaimed excitedly, running up to him and taking his hand. Georg took a deep breath as though to steady himself.
"Of course, darling..." he sounded slightly disorientated and turned to stand up, running a hand through his hair.
The second the two men made eye contact, Georg froze in place.
Max had never seen his friend look so awkward before, he decided with a slight smirk, and nodded a greeting, his smile leaving the Captain in no doubt that his exchange with Maria had not gone unnoticed. Maria, for her part, was still sitting on the grass, though she too had now turned around. The poor girl looked rather bewildered - as though she had just discovered fire and almost been burned.
"Uncle Max!" Gretl's enthusiasm had not waned at all for the lack of reaction she had received from either her governess or her father, "Friedrich found an old anchor in the lake and he and Kurt..." she carried on chattering away and Max chuckled, for the first time in his life blessing the absolute innocence of childhood, as he allowed himself to be led over towards the lakeside.
He opened his mouth as he drew level with Georg, but was met with a murderous glower and a muttered, "Not one word, Max!"
"Look, Fraulein Maria, Father... Uncle Max," Friedrich had come over now, proudly clutching a rusted anchor that he had apparently retrieved from the lake bed.
"That's very interesting Friedrich," Maria replied, walking in front of them quickly and reaching out her hand for the anchor, "However did you find it?"
He watched as she seemed to listen in rapt attention to what the boy was saying, though he was sure that she was taking in just as little of it as Georg was. The Captain studiously avoided everyone's gaze, instead fixing his attention on his shirt sleeves as he rolled them back down to their full length. Max suppressed a chuckle, turning it into a cough at another glance from his friend.
"I take it the heat was getting to you?" he asked would-be-innocently as Georg re-did his top buttons.
Maria flinched slightly.
"I think perhaps it's time that the children returned to their studies," Georg declared, turning back towards them. This time it was Maria who did not meet his gaze. He motioned for the children to make their way inside, ignoring their protests of 'please, just a few more minutes Father!'
Maria began to follow them inside, though her step faltered slightly as she passed Max and Georg. Max wondered whether the Captain might have wanted to speak to her, perhaps to explain himself, but he refused to leave until he had said a few choice words to Georg himself.
As soon as Maria and the children were safely back in the house, Max turned towards his friend.
"For heaven's sake, Georg, she is going to be a nun!"
"Max!" Georg exclaimed, "There is absolutely nothing-"
"Ha! Absolutely nothing?" Max interrupted him, "Come now Georg! I'm sure Elsa would not say that if she had seen the way you were practically... devouring the Fraulein with your gaze and you nearly-"
"MAX!" Georg exclaimed again. His eyes flashed as he rounded on the impresario, "You have expressed your concern and it is duly noted-"
"We are not on one of your ships now Georg," Max felt his temper begin to rise, "And you-"
"No we most certainly are not!" Elsa's voice suddenly cut through the air, and both men spun around in horror to see her descending the steps onto the terrace.
"Whatever are you two arguing about?" she asked, though thankfully her tone was light-hearted.
Georg had the good grace to look guilty even as he fired another warning glance in Max's direction. The impresario was not about to betray anything to Elsa though, and nodded in agreement with Georg's swift: "Oh, nothing at all, darling!"
"I think the heat is just getting to all of us," Max added awkwardly as Elsa raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Yes, it is frightfully warm!" she replied, "And you look rather... frazzled darling..." she purred towards the Captain. Georg could only manage a strained smile by way of explanation as she leant up to kiss him on the cheek and Max let out a quiet sigh.
"Yes, Elsa, my dear," he said to himself, "You most definitely should be worried."
...
It took a good couple of hours before the children began to resemble those of a wealthy Austrian aristocrat again, and a large part of Maria was heartily glad. With the little ones to help dress, the boys to keep in check, five girls' hair to help braid and the inevitable discussion with Liesl over which dress would be most appropriate for the girl to wear that evening, she found that she hardly had a second of free time to think about what had happened between her and the Captain. Eventually however, all of the children were dressed smartly again, and Maria ushered them into the school room despite complaints from many of them that it was still too hot to be inside.
"Now, children," Maria said firmly, pushing open all of the windows to try and let as much air in as possible, "You promised me that you would concentrate on your studies for the rest of the afternoon if I allowed you to play in the lake, didn't you?"
She was met with seven rather resigned looks, but inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as the children begrudgingly returned to the studies that she had assigned them that morning.
Maria took a seat near one of the open windows and looked out across the grounds. She could just about make out the tree that they had been sitting under and frowned slightly as she saw it.
What on earth had almost happened out there?
Had he been about to kiss her?
But no, that was an absolutely preposterous idea, she immediately decided. Georg Von Trapp would not kiss her! She was to be a nun; he was to marry Baroness Schrader…! No, it was just her imagination running away with itself.
She dismissed the incident from her mind with her usual determination, turning her attention instead to the dress she was struggling to finish for the next day. The sleeves were still not quite right, she decided, and it was imperative that she concentrate all of her attention upon fixing them, for she was sure that the following day would be completely taken up with the final preparations for the ball. No, there was no time at all to think about the Captain – heaven knew she had already wasted enough time on him that summer!
In fact, a rather cynical observer might well have commented that if there was one thing which Captain Georg Von Trapp shared in common with his children's governess, it was his spectacular ability to distract himself when he did not want to think about something. For the Captain it had been the glitz and glamour of Vienna - days of soaking himself in champagne and stumbling about to half-remembered waltzes had occupied his mind far more pleasantly than worrying about happenings at home. It had of course been Maria who had finally made him face up to what he was doing, and it seemed that it would take an equally momentous occurrence – namely an enchanting dance and the deviousness of the formidable Baroness Schrader – before she herself would think properly about what was happening that summer.
But until then, there was plenty to distract herself with… though she would take a day off and go up to her beloved mountains, she decided as she threaded a needle, just as soon as the ball was over. If there was anything left to think about she would do so then, far away from the villa and its enigmatic owner.
"Fraulein Maria…" she was jolted out of her musings, "Is it really true that we shall be introduced to Lieutenant Steiner?" the question came from Liesl, but all of the other children immediately looked around.
"I told you Liesl," she answered, looking up from the dress, "Your father said that he wished you to briefly meet his guests, but that we would not be dining with them..."
Liesl smiled, her eyes lighting up, "Oh, I wonder if he is as handsome as they say he is Fraulein!"
Maria chuckled, "I wouldn't know, Liesl, but-"
"I heard that he was the handsomest man in the Navy," she gushed.
Not likely, Maria thought as an image of the Captain immediately crossed her mind. She instantly felt horrified with herself.
"And apparently he looks just like Hans König!" Liesl continued, referring to the film star heart-throb.
Kurt groaned as Liesl looked dreamily towards the wall of the study-room, her mind evidently filled with her fantasy of just what Lieutenant Steiner might look like. Maria opened her mouth to reply, but Louisa had already burst into a laugh.
"Oh, and isn't he just the handsomest man in the world, Fraulein?" she was clearly mocking her older sister, and Liesl immediately turned to glare at her, "Do you think he is even more handsome than Rolfe, Liesl?"
The other children all laughed now, their work forgotten as Liesl flushed pink and continued to glare towards her sister.
"Don't you think he's handsome, Fraulein?" the eldest girl appealed to Maria.
"Oh I don't know Liesl, in the abbey we were, I mean, are... discouraged from seeing men in that way."
"You mean you have never found a man handsome before, Fraulein?"
Liesl had a rather mischievous look on her face now.
Maria shifted uncomfortably at the question, feeling immediately guilty.
"Not even Hans König, Fraulein?"
Her thoughts were once again interrupted by Louisa and Brigitta's derisive impression of their older sister:
"With his dreamy eyes..."
Dreamy, dark, midnight blue eyes...
"And gorgeous smile..."
Gorgeous, wicked, teasing smile that she had never seen him wear before...
"And kissable lips..."
Kurt made a fake vomiting noise from the corner.
"Oh, stop it!" Liesl exclaimed suddenly, jolting Maria out of her reverie. She felt her face flush once again as she returned her attention to the children.
Louisa and Brigitta were both kneeling on the floor, their hands clasped across their chests as they pretended to extol the attributes of Hans König. Marta and Gretl, despite being too young to really understand, were still giggling along with them, and Friedrich, bored with the conversation, had returned his attention to the anchor which, unbeknownst to Maria, he had been studying since entering the school-room.
Despite her younger sisters' teasing, Maria saw a flash of amusement pass over Liesl's face, and was relieved that the oldest girl could see the humour in the situation.
"Come on now, children..." she began again.
"You must think he is handsome too, Fraulein," Brigitta ignored her, "Your face is red."
Maria willed herself not to flush any deeper.
"You see!" Liesl exclaimed, "You are just too young to appreciate handsome men!" she turned contemptuously away from her sister.
"I shall never appreciate Rolfe, no matter how old I get!" Brigitta retorted immediately.
Before Liesl could make any kind of come back, Maria called for quiet.
"I think this conversation is getting a little out of hand," she said calmly, "And is certainly not at all helpful to your studies..."
"But the Franco-Prussian war is so boring, Fraulein!" Louisa interjected, "At least Liesl can dream of marrying Rolfe or Hans König, or Lieutenant Steiner, or..."
The children laughed again as Maria's look caused Louisa to fall back into silence.
"All I know about Lieutenant Steiner, Liesl, is that he is much too old for you," Maria said, returning to the original question and trying to ensure that the girl did not waste any more time thinking about the man, who, for all of the Captain's descriptions, sounded far too much like a rogue for Maria's comfort.
"Oh, I know Fraulein, I-" she was interrupted by a sudden tap at the half-open door of the school room.
Maria looked up to see the Captain standing in the doorway, now dressed in a dark grey suit. His eyes met hers, and immediately she saw something flicker across his expression before he deliberately broke her gaze and turned towards the children.
There were several exclamations of "Father!" as he stepped into the school room.
"I came to see that anchor, Friedrich," he said, walking across the room to where his eldest son was sitting, the anchor resting on his knees. The boy proudly lifted his prize and passed it across.
"This really is a very good find!" he said a second later, sounding genuinely impressed.
"I helped him get it out of the mud!" interjected Kurt.
The Captain turned and ruffled his younger son's hair, "Then well done to both of you," he said. "I think we should get this polished up then," he continued after a pause, "And see whether it has any kind of markings on it..."
He turned towards Maria and smiled at her, his eyes twinkling: "But of course we will have to ask Fraulein Maria for her permission," his tone was suddenly the same teasing one that he had used earlier, "I'm sure you don't mind the boys missing an hour of study, do you Fraulein?"
"I... no...um, of course not, Captain," she could hardly think what she was saying. With just one smile and a look he seemed suddenly capable of rendering her mute. Sister Berthe would have declared it a miracle.
"But, Father," Brigitta chimed in, "We don't want to study either!"
The Captain shrugged. He looked around at the assembled children and then back at Maria.
"How about we give them the afternoon off?" he asked her with a grin.
She opened her mouth to reply, but was drowned out by exclamations of "Thank you, Father!" as the children all jumped to their feet. Maria could not help but laugh herself at their beaming faces as they began excitedly moving around the school room, books happily forgotten once more.
"I assume you don't mind Fraulein?" he was suddenly right beside her - why did he have to stand so close?
"Not... not at all Captain," she managed, "In fact they have been quite distracted this afternoon..."
He laughed.
"Fraulein Maria?" Louisa asked, "Can we practise the song you taught us for the ball?"
Maria opened her mouth to answer, but her words turned into a swallow as the Captain suddenly leant closer to her, practically whispering in her ear:
"I can sympathise, Fraulein," she felt the warmth of his breath tickling her ear and suddenly shivered, "Dreamy eyes, gorgeous smiles and kissable lips... can be most incredibly distracting..."
She was stunned by his words. He pulled away from her and for a brief moment she was sure she could see the same look in his eyes that he had captivated her with earlier. A second later however the look was gone, and instead he was smiling in that lop-sided way he often did when he was teasing her. With a wink he abruptly turned away, no doubt passing his comment off as joke. To Maria however it most certainly did not feel that way and she stood mute for a few moments, struggling to take a breath.
"Fraulein Maria?" Brigitta had come up beside her, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes of course!" Maria forced her mind back to the children, disliking the knowing look she saw on the girl's face, "Just let me get my guitar..."