Eleven

Maria and Mina took a taxi from the abbey to the villa, and throughout the ride both of them were silent. The girl was very glad that Maria did not ask her any questions about her injuries, but she knew that it was only a matter of time. She would have to explain what had happened at least when the doctor came to treat her. However, when that time came, Mina felt that she could trust this woman. Though only thirteen years old, Mina's quiet and shy nature gave her the gifts of listening and seeing as well as someone decades older than her. Those gifts told her that Maria could be trusted.

When the taxi stopped outside of the villa, Mina felt a great sense of fear rise up inside her. She had yet to look at herself in a mirror, but she knew she would look a fright and scare anyone who saw her. Rolf had told her that Liesl had six younger siblings, one as young as five. The last thing she wanted to do was scare anybody.

A hand covering her own hands brought Mina's mind back into the taxi. Her eyes met Maria's gentle blue ones. "Don't worry," she said gently. "The children will all be dressing for dinner right now, so we can sneak you inside and I can prepare them while you're settling in."

Mina just nodded, letting herself feel some relief. They got out of the cab after Maria paid the fee, and the woman wrapped an arm around the girl as she led her inside. Mina couldn't help but gasp at the interior of the house, which was even grander than the exterior if possible, with the double-story front hall and mezzanine.

Maria chuckled. "My exact reaction when I first came here," she said softly.

Again, Mina felt comforted, but that disappeared when she saw someone come into the hall and spot them. It was a woman, between middle-aged and elderly, her silver hair in a neat bun and dressed simply. Mina immediately lowered and turned her head, making sure her long, pale hair obscured her face. But she couldn't be sure that the woman had not already seen her face, and her wrapped wrist she couldn't exactly hide.

"Maria, you're back early…what's happened?" said the woman, who was approaching them.

"Frau Schmidt," said Maria, her arm around Mina firm. "This is Mina Gruber. She will be staying with us now."

Mina couldn't help but raise her head at that. Maria's voice was calm and firm as she spoke, the expression on her face reflecting the same. Mina felt as though a mother bird were taking her under her wing protectively during a storm. A new sense of security began to wash over her.

Maria turned her gentle gaze to Mina, indicating Frau Schmidt. "Mina, Frau Schmidt is the housekeeper here."

Feeling safe beside Maria, Mina shyly turned her gaze to Frau Schmidt (still making sure her hair covered half her face), and said very quietly, "Hello, ma'am."

Frau Schmidt's gaze was concerned and compassionate as she looked at the girl. Turning back to Maria, she said, "The room the Baroness stayed in is still made up. Will that do?"

Mina wanted to object – she didn't feel fit to touch the hem of a Baroness's gown – but Maria said, right away, "That's perfect. I am going to take her up there now. Would you please call Dr. Falk and ask him to come as soon as he is able?"

"Of course," said Frau Schmidt. "And should I tell Cook to prepare a tray to be brought up to Mina?"

"That would be wonderful," said Maria, and Mina couldn't deny that she would prefer not to dine with anybody in her condition.

With a nod, and a kind look for Mina, Frau Schmidt left them and hurried away. Her arm still wrapped around Mina, she led the girl to the stairs. But when they reached the top, a teenage boy of about fourteen with blond hair came out of one of the many rooms and spotted them. "Fraulein, I thought that was you, I…"

But he paused when he noticed his Fraulein was not alone. Not only that, but he recognized her. And Mina recognized him with horror, and immediately tried to hide her face with her hair again. She would have tried to stand behind Maria had the woman's arm not been securely around her. All Friedrich could do was stand there, his mouth open and looking gob smacked.

"Close your mouth, please, Friedrich, you are not a codfish," Maria snapped at the boy, who obeyed her immediately. Maria continued with firm authority: "This is Mina, and she will be staying with us now. So I expect you and your siblings to be nothing but welcoming to her, Friedrich, is that understood?"

Friedrich nodded his head, his eyes still flitting to Mina.

"Now, would you be a gentleman and show Mina where she will be staying, which used to be the Baroness's room? I'll go and talk to your siblings." She felt Mina stiffen beside her, and turned towards the girl with a comforting smile. "Do not worry. I'll be with you soon, and bring some food up for you."

Mina could do nothing else but nod, and Friedrich could do nothing else but say, "Yes, Fraulein."

Maria nodded in satisfaction, gave Mina one more reassuring look of kindness, and then walked into the room Friedrich had just come from. For a moment, the two fair-haired teenagers just stood there, Friedrich trying to catch her gaze and Mina hiding her face. Both were remembering an incident in the spring that stood like a white elephant in the hallway with them.

Finally, Friedrich spoke awkwardly, "Um…could you, uh…follow me?"

Mina, her gaze at his feet, nodded. They began to walk down the hallway, along the railing of the mezzanine, as Friedrich led her to the wing where the guest rooms were. Both were very quiet and didn't look at each other, but inside each of their minds were raging. Frankly, neither of them had ever thought they would see each other again. Friedrich felt very guilty and very worried; Mina felt very shy and very alert.

They reached the room, and Friedrich motioned for her to enter awkwardly. "Well…here it is…"

Mina walked past him and into the room, and the bed alone was enough to take her breath away: it was huge. She would be very comfortable in this room – at least physically. When she turned back around, she saw that Friedrich was still there, standing awkwardly in the open doorway. "Can I…um…do anything?"

Mina shook her head, her back to him. "You've done enough."

A pause. "No, I haven't. You know I haven't."

"Maybe…but now, I just want to be alone…"

"Mina," said Friedrich, taking a step into the room, his voice small and pleading. "Please know, what happened last May, it's not what you think, you were never supposed to be –"

"Get out," said Mina softly. Her eyes had caught a reflection of herself in the mirror, and suddenly the world seemed to press around her unbearably. When Friedrich didn't move, she nearly screamed as hot tears of horror filled her eyes, "Go away, please leave me alone!"

Friedrich could do nothing but obey, by leaving quickly and closing the door.

Mina couldn't tear her gaze away from the reflection of herself in the mirror, even after the tears blurred her vision completely. Finally, her body, racking with sobs, collapsed onto the bed in utter despair.

Because seeing herself in the mirror had chased away all hopes that what had happened was only the worst nightmare she'd ever had.

When Maria approached the door to the best guest room, a tray in her hands laden with food, the sounds of muffled sobs broke her heart. But she wasn't surprised; the poor girl couldn't have remained stoically silent for long. She knew too well that even the strongest of men couldn't keep it reigned in forever.

Silently, she opened the door and closed it again once in the room. The sight of Mina on the huge bed, curled up and sobbing without restraint, caused tears to come to Maria's own eyes as her heart moved for this girl, whom she could relate to in the most unfortunate way. After putting the tray down on the vanity table, Maria sat down on the bed beside Mina and rubbed her back until the sobs quieted and calmed.

When Mina became silent again, very gently Maria turned the girl's face to hers and looked at her without judgment or disgust. As Maria very gently wiped away the tears, mindful of the bruises on the girl's face, she said softly, "Every single bruise and mark that I see will heal, lovely girl. You may not feeling anything like gratitude now, but you will. Someday, you will thank God that you will have no physical scars to carry…it took me years to come to terms with my own, and I wouldn't wish that on anybody."

Mina's pale eyes widened slightly. "You…you?" Her voice was broken and hoarse, but clear.

Maria nodded, echoes of great pain passing through her. "All able to be hidden under my clothing, thankfully, but will remain there until my dying day."

"Who…?"

"My parents died when I was about eight years old, and I was sent to my uncle. He drank heavily, had a horrible temper, and I was anything but a docile child."

Nothing more needed to be said about that for Mina to understand completely. It all made sense now to Mina, why she felt she could trust her so completely and why Maria managed to know just how to treat her. "But you made it through…" she said, with admiration and new hope.

Maria nodded. "Yes, I did. It wasn't easy, it was anything but easy. But I know in my very bones that you will too, Mina. Never doubt that."

The floodgates opened again, and Maria held Mina while she let out the tears she still had inside of her. Her gentle hand stroked Mina's hair as the broken girl's head rested on her lap.