Twenty-Three

That evening, Maria and Georg left the Schraeder villa. The goodbyes were heartfelt and emotional all the way round.

As they waited for Maria to come down, and their taxi pulled up outside, Georg said his goodbyes first. Philomena gave him a gentle hug, mindful of his fragile body, and Elsa kissed his cheek. Both women wished him all of the blessings and luck in the world for him and the children. And he thanked them for this hospitality.

With Max, he shared a brotherly embrace. To his shock, Max said nothing about what he should do about Maria – which he was very grateful for. Max simply said: "Godspeed, my friend."
When Maria came down all ready to go, Georg went outside to help the taxi driver load the luggage in the trunk. Philomena immediately enveloped her in a big hug. "Be brave, dear girl," she whispered. "I know you can do it."

"I'll try," was all Maria could say in reply.

Elsa took her hands and kissed her cheeks. "You are always welcome here, my dear."

"Thank you, Elsa," said Maria. "For everything."

"It was the very least I could do."

Maria then exchanged an embrace with Max, like an older brother would give his little sister. Like with Georg, he only whispered a few, meaningful words: "You can do this."

Maria broke the embrace and looked at him with tears in her eyes, but they also shone with determination and resolve. "We'll call as soon as we reach London."

With one last kiss for everyone, Maria said goodbye and got into the cab with Georg. All three adults waved until they were out of sight. Maria kept looking out the back window even after the villa had disappeared. She wanted to look at the mountains as long as she could before they were forever left behind. And though she tried not to in front of Georg, a few tears managed to escape.

Georg noticed, but felt he couldn't do anything. It was a horrible feeling.

Twenty-four hours later, Maria stood at the railing of the ferry that was crossing the English Channel from France to England. Everything around her was beautiful.

The sun was just beginning to set, giving off radiant colors against the sky, the clouds, and the ever-moving ocean. And the ocean! Could Maria even begin to describe how glorious the sight was? Having lived all her life surrounded by mountains, she had never seen such an open horizon before. The breezes she reveled in, and the fresh, salty and healthy smell it brought with it. But what awed her most was the power the ocean exuded. She'd seen glimpses of that power when their train had arrived on the French northern coast during a storm, which had delayed their ferry ride to the evening. Now, on the sea itself, it seemed calm with the little waves that rose and fell, but Maria could sense that below her was an entire world of mystery and wonder.

Yes…there was beauty all around her.

But perhaps what was most beautiful to Maria was the man who stood beside her. In the light of the setting sun, he was the picture of peace and contentment. And it was no secret why: he was at sea again. He may not be beneath the waves or at the helm, but that didn't matter at all. After the terrible ordeal he had been through, after soothing so many nightmares, this sight was more beautiful to Maria than she could describe…even harder to describe than the beauty of the sea.

Georg seemed to sense her gaze, for he opened his eyes and turned his head towards her. She smiled at him warmly, and the sea captain had to catch his breath. Maria was already so breathtaking, in the setting sunlight and the sea breeze rippling through her short hair, but her smile gave her the beauty of an angel. She said, "I'm glad I have my first experience of the sea with a sea captain. You can't really ask for more than that, can you?"

He couldn't help but grin. He couldn't deny that he'd wanted to show this mountain girl the sea for nearly as long as they'd known her. Knowing how dear the mountains were to her, he knew that Maria would understand how important the sea was to him. Her eyes and smiled confirmed that now.

Knowing he would drown in that gaze if he kept looking into it, Georg broke it and turned his eyes back to the sea. "I can't deny how much I've missed it…" he murmured, running a hand through his windblown dark hair.

Maria sighed and turned her gaze back to sea, as well. Again reminded of its power and strength, Maria felt in her heart that now was the time. It felt as though God whispered with the sea wind, telling her that now was the time and that, no matter what happened, everything would be all right. This needed to be settled before reaching London tomorrow, and Maria felt she needed the sun to be out just a little – to give her strength.

So, Maria took a deep breath and asked casually without turning her head, "So…how long will everyone remain in London?"

Georg, too, kept his gaze on the sea, and spoke in a determinedly casual tone: "A week at most, I think. Just enough time to settle everything before setting sail for the west."

Maria nodded her head. "Good. That will give me more than enough time."

Georg's brow furrowed in confusion, and looked at the calm Maria out of the corner of his eyes. "More than enough time to what?" he asked, his tone not quite so casual anymore.

But Maria remained cool as a cucumber, gazing at the setting sun as she replied: "Time enough to arrange my passage back to Austria."

She could sense clearly all of Georg's attention turn to her, and alarm radiated off him like heat. "What?"

Maria just shrugged, not turning her head. "Why not? My mountains are the only home I have, and the Reverend Mother would be more than happy to take me in until I found a job. Elsa also said I would always be welcome with her, so –"

"Maria, no." His urgent, pleading words came with his hand coming up to grasp her shoulder. This made her head finally turn, and she had to stifle a gasp at the raw emotion on his face. "I beg you, do not go back there."

She took a deep, steadying breath, resolving to stay strong. "Again I ask: why not? I would be in no danger. I am not wanted for anything. Why would the Third Reich want anything to do with a peasant mountain girl who wanted to be a nun for all the wrong reasons? More importantly: where else would I possibly go?"

"With us," said Georg immediately, on impulse.

His hand was gentle and warm on her shoulder. Maria refused to let it weaken her resolve. "Why?" she asked, looking at him pointedly.

Georg seemed to sense he had spoken without thinking. He dropped his hand from her shoulder and shifted his gaze as he replied haltingly. "The children…they would be heartbroken if we left you behind."

Maria did not reply for a few long moments, and when she did her voice was soft. "And you?"

Georg looked back at her with widened eyes, the perfect image of a man who had been caught. "Maria…what…" was all he could stutter.

"Children grow up," said Maria, letting emotion enter her voice slowly as she continued. "Eventually, they would no longer be children and lead their own lives. And what then? Where would I go in a country that is not my own, especially if Hitler still reigns in Europe? I do not merely want to live somewhere – I want a home and where would that be? I've heard that home is where the heart is, but if where my heart is won't have it, then I truly belong nowhere."

Tears were coming to her eyes, blurring her vision of Georg's frightened face. "Maria…I…"

"How can you think so little of me, Georg?" It burst out of her – the question that she most needed answered since she had overheard his conversation with Max.

Confusion mixed with hurt on his face. "Less? You think I think less of you?"

"Yes," said Maria, furiously blinking back tears, needing to say all of this before she became truly choked up. "How could you think I would hate you for what happened? That I would be so stupid not to understand that what happened wasn't your fault? Do you think I would have stayed with you through all of this if I truly thought you a monster? I know what it is to live at the hands of a monster, so I know for a fact that you are not one."

She nearly shouted this last part; she just had to make him understand! Georg seemed to have frozen solid, so Maria felt in no fear of interruption for this last and most important part.

After taking a deep breath, she took a step towards him, close enough to nearly feel each other's breathing. She forced herself to keep her gaze locked with his. "And do you know why I've stayed with you? Why I've done so much to help you? Risked my life to help save you? Because…because I love you, Georg Von Trapp. It took me a long time to come to terms with that, and I know that saying it isn't something a well-bred woman does. But I'm anything but a well-bred woman, and you know by now how outspoken I am. Like my tongue, I can't stop and can't help loving all of you so much. Only with you could I ever be home…but I heard you tell Max last night that you didn't want this and wouldn't have it."

She stepped back from a still stunned Georg, and wiped the stubborn tear that had fallen onto her cheek. With the last bits of strength and dignity she had left after revealing all of her heart, she said firmly and softly: "I would rather live under the thumb of Hitler than be with the man who would throw my heart away."

And with that, Maria turned on her heel and walked along the railing away from Georg, letting sobs rip from her throat.