Never having had a mirror in her cell at the abbey, she took a good look at herself in the full-length mirror that was inside the door of her closet. Maria wasn't vain at all, but she liked what she saw reflected back to her. The suit had a beautiful color and a cut that was revealing for someone who had only ever worn a habit or dresses made from sturdy fabrics. But it covered everything that she wanted covered and still displayed her assets. She slipped on her new shirt and grabbed a towel - and then she had nothing to do but wait for Georg.
She didn't have to wait long before she heard someone gently knock on her door. She opened it to reveal her captain, dressed in a casual pair of pants and the light shirt that he had worn on their hike earlier in the day. When he looked at Maria in the soft light that the setting sun sent through her windows, he was speechless. Never had he seen her in such a short outfit, and with her backlit in the room, he could just imagine her beautiful body underneath.
"You are breathtaking, my darling", he said, walking into her room and taking her in his arms where he proceeded to kiss her, slowly, deeply. Maria was surprised that such a simple garment could provoke such a response from her Captain, but who was she to complain about his kisses?
However, it was quite warm in her room and getting hotter by the minute, it seemed. So, they broke apart and made their way out of her door toward the basement of the villa hand in hand. Where Maria would have picked up her rusty bike, Georg led her to another door and they exited the house on the far end where two bicycles stood on a gravel path, waiting for them. Maria looked at him with a question in her eyes. "I haven't ridden my bike in the longest time, and this is the one that you've used with the children", he explained, having gotten them out of the shed before he picked up his fiancé.
"We don't have any towels, Georg. I forgot mine in my room", she said, turning back toward the house before he caught her arm.
"Don't worry, Maria. I have taken some things down to the lake this afternoon", he said. "Come on, let's go!"
Maria smiled at him and wondered what "things" would be waiting for them and when he had time to do that. But she climbed on her bike and off they went. Both enjoyed the cooler night air as they rode their bikes towards the shore of the lake where Georg had found Maria the previous night.
When they arrived, Maria was at a loss for word. Not only had he brought towels for them to that little patch of grass where she had swum several times in the previous weeks, but he had also laid out a large picnic blanket and some pillows, had a bottle of wine chilling and some tidbits to eat. But he had also set an incredibly romantic atmosphere by lighting many candles in larger and smaller glasses to protect them against the wind.
"Oh Georg, I feel like a princess in a fairy tale", she said between the tears that had started running down her cheeks. She secured her bike and stepped up to him, caressing his cheeks with her hands and pressing her lips to his.
Georg let go of his bike and pulled Maria toward his chest. She felt so good in his arms, with barely anything between him and her subtle, delicate body. Even though he could feel the bathing suit under her shirt, she was soft and warm, and he could caress her curves easily. He held her tightly as he opened his mouth to her lips, deepening the kiss. Their hands started to roam across each other's backs until Georg found her buttocks and pulled her into him even more. Eventually, the reluctantly let go of the other.
"Georg, I'm so hot, I have to jump into the lake", Maria said, pulling her shift up. She was totally oblivious to Georg's look.
'You have no idea how hot you are', he thought, watching her slender form in her new bathing attire.
It had been highly unusual for him, a widowed man, to go into Frau Goldstein's "Wäschegeschäft" in one of Salzburg's more prestigious areas. He'd hoped that the owner was still running the business as she knew him quite well. As luck would have it, the elderly lady was behind the counter when he came through the door that morning.
"Captain von Trapp", she exclaimed, surprised to see the man who had been a regular customer when his late wife was still alive. He loved to pamper Agathe with beautiful lingerie made of silk and lace, and Frau Goldstein was sure that the Captain enjoyed it quite a bit as well. As unusual as it was to see a man in her establishment, the shop owner had always been fond of the Captain. He was a generous, charming and easy-going man, and he obviously cared for his wife. But never in her life had she expected to see him again after the untimely passing of the woman he was married to for almost 20 years.
"Frau Goldstein, how nice to see you", Georg replied, shaking hands with the woman. "How are you doing, how is the business going?", he asked.
"Oh Captain", she said, shaking her head sadly. "I will be honest with you. I don't feel save here in Salzburg anymore, there were some occurrences in the past weeks that made me decide to close the shop." She looked at him with sad, tired eyes. "I don't want it to be taken away from me."
Georg was enraged and sad at the same time. Like many business owners, Frau Goldstein was Jewish, and she had always been well respected in the community. Through Agathe he knew that Salzburg's high society frequented her shop and spent quite a bit of money. But apparently nothing was like it used to be any longer. It just strengthened his conviction to leave the country as soon as possible.
"Frau Goldstein, I am so sorry about this. But I totally understand you. Times have become very difficult in Austria", he agreed sadly, looking her straight in the eye. "You have family in Canada, do you not?", he inquired.
The elderly lady looked at him, surprise in her eyes. "Yes, one of our sons lives near Toronto. My husband and I will visit him in September. And I believe we will stay", she said, with tears in her eyes. "Can you believe it, Captain? I have lived in Salzburg for more than six decades. And when I'm almost ready to retire, I have to leave the city that I love so much because it is not safe to stay."
"I know", Georg murmured, "and it makes me furious to see the country I have served disappear", he added more clearly. A look of understanding passed between the two. This was probably the last time they were ever seeing each other.
"Now, Captain", the woman with the full head of white hair said resolutely, "what brings you in on this beautiful day?"
Georg knew that this woman was discretion personified – she had to be to run her shop successfully for such a long time. So, he confided in her.
"I will be getting married in a couple of weeks. Nobody knows this so far, it's a delicate situation."
At his choice of words, Frau Goldstein lifted an eyebrow at him.
"No, no, nothing like that!", he said, shaking his head, grinning at his poor choice of words.
"You see, at the beginning of the summer, I was desperate to find a governess for my children. They had run through eleven at that time, and nobody would come into my house voluntarily. I called the Mother Abbess at Nonnberg Abbey to send someone. Expecting a strict old nun, I was very surprised when a postulant showed up at my doorstep. Not only did the children respect and admire her almost as soon as she started her job, she also managed to bring their father back from his despair and the wrong waters he was about to navigate to. I fell in love with the most amazing woman I have met for a long time, and I proposed marriage to her a couple of days ago."
Frau Goldstein had tears in her eyes, listening to the Captain's passionate speech about this fiancée of his. She must be someone very special to bring the old Georg von Trapp back, who had only been a shadow of his former self when his beloved Agathe had passed away almost five years ago.
"Now, you see, the Abbey only provides what is strictly necessary for their postulants. And I want Maria to have some of the finer things for herself. She is very humble and modest, coming from a very poor background."
"I understand, Captain", she said, not sure what he was looking for. "Now, tell me, how can I help you then?"
Georg had originally come here to get a bathing costume or two for Maria, but now that he knew Frau Goldstein was closing soon, he made a quick decision. "For now, I need a bathing costume. Not too revealing, I don't think she'll be comfortable with that. And I would like to buy a couple of sets of underwear for her as well as a slip or two, so she has some pretty things to wear. Oh, and perhaps a nightgown for this heat."
"Do you know her size or her measurements, by any chance?", Frau Goldstein asked.
"She is quite tall and very slim, but she has curves", Georg said. No need to describe her lovely breasts, he thought, even though he got a delightful glimpse of them last night.
Frau Goldstein had an idea now, but it was quite difficult to figure out the exact sizes for the Captain's fiancée. "From your description, I can only guess at the sizes. Please, have her look at what we choose, and if something is off, you'll just come back, bring her or send her so we can exchange it for a different size."
"Thank you, Frau Goldstein. She'll return anyway as she needs to fill her trousseau, and owns barely anything, anyway. And I may be back, as well", he said with a grin and a wink. He wanted Maria to have nice things, but he was also aware that she wouldn't let him buy her everything. So, some of the more delicate things may have to come tied up with string, on special occasions, he thought.
The shop owner chose three bathing costumes for the Captain to look at, one in black and with entirely too much fabric – a habit for the water, basically, he thought and shook his head "no". The next one was a low-cut dark red piece. While he liked it and could imagine Maria wearing it, he knew she wouldn't be too comfortable in it yet. "I'll add that one if the size is right next time", he said, pointing to the beautiful blue suit that Frau Goldstein held in her hands. "Now that looks perfect for what I had in mind."
After that choice was made, she looked for some slips that Maria could easily wear underneath her dresses and showed Georg a couple of nightgowns made of luxurious fabrics that were suitable for the warm summer weather. He chose two and a light robe to go with them, in a lovely shade of light blue.
"Let me ask, Captain, does she have blue eyes?" Frau Goldstein suspected that may be the case, as he leant toward that color.
"Yes", Georg said, "the most beautiful, intense blue eyes".
Finally came the most delicate pieces. Frau Goldstein picked some of her nicest bras and panties, that were not too fancy and not too plain. Something they both would enjoy, she thought. Again, Georg picked what he liked best and asked the proprietor to ring up his purchase. With the promise to return very soon, they shook hands and Georg left to find a florist to get some roses for his Maria.
Now, by the shore of the lake, he shed his clothes until he was in his bathing trunks, hurrying to join Maria in the water. He had hidden some of his purchases in Maria's closet and had left one of the new summer gowns on her bed, neatly folded. He was looking forward to her reaction.
Finally, he made it into the cool water where Maria was already swimming toward the closest island. He followed her, enjoying the cool lake water on his skin. This time, there were no roots hanging into the water, it was just a sand lump in the water. Maria made her way out of the lake and onto the tiny dry surface, Georg right behind her. They sat down, and she leaned into his chest immediately while his arms went around her frame.
"Maria, I must say you look very beautiful in your swimsuit", he complimented, pressing a kiss to the shoulder closest to him.
His fiancée blushed a little but accepted the praise. "Thank you again, Georg. I have never had the opportunity or the means to just go ahead and just buy whatever I wanted or even needed." She just stated a fact, but it still made Georg sad that she had such a hard life when she was just a child.
"Maria, you will never again want for anything, I can promise you that", he said sincerely. Not to brag, not to shove his wealth into her face. He just wanted to make sure that she knew.
"Georg, you know that your money is not the reason why I'm going to marry you", Maria replied tersely.
"Yes, my darling, I know", he said, caressing her arms and playing with her fingers. "And you have seen how wealth cannot bring happiness or contentment to a person or a family. But it is convenient to have, especially when you don't know what the future brings."
"You're right, Georg. And I didn't mean to sound so irritated. It's just hard for me to imagine to just have enough money for everything at any given time. But it sure is good to know that we will have the means to travel to a safe place, have food and a roof over our heads."
Georg started kissing Maria's neck and her shoulders before making his way around her jaw to her mouth. His tongue caressed her lower lip, asking for entrance into her mouth. She turned slightly in his arms to have better access and Georg leaned back on the sandy surface, pulling Maria with him. They kissed and caressed each other languidly, with no care or hurry. Maria loved the feeling of being in his arms, she felt appreciated and secure. Probably for the first time in her life.
Georg's hands were everywhere on her lithe body, stroking her sides tenderly, massaging her back with sure hands. All of a sudden, she became aware that his hands had pushed the straps of her bathing suit aside as she felt the night air touch her breasts. Her bare breasts. Georg's lips were on the way to her left nipple that had puckered up under the breeze and this whole new world of feelings that she was experiencing. She knew that this was not appropriate, but she couldn't stop him from doing something that felt so good.
At Maria's low moan Georg came back to reality, seeing what he had done. He sat up quickly, an apology on his lips. But Maria stopped him, slowly pulling her suit up to cover herself.
"Georg, it's okay", she said, pecking his lips and caressing his shoulder. He looked at her, surprise in his eyes.
"It feels so good to be kissed and loved by you", she said, looking straight at him. "I want you to see all of me, to kiss and caress all of me, to make love to me. I feel pretty for the first time in my life, and I feel I belong. To you. To your family. For the first time, I don't feel alone in the world."
He pulled her into his arms once more, humbled again by this strong woman. "But please, let's keep our things on tonight, even though they don't leave much to the imagination." She looked down to his lap pointedly, where his excitement was easy to see.
Georg looked at her with innocent eyes, shrugging his shoulders. "I can't help it that you are so beautiful, and I love to be near you", he said with a grin.
Maria smiled back but became serious quickly. "I don't feel comfortable seeing the Reverend Mother tomorrow if we have done something that is considered a sin. I don't want to lie to the only mother figure I've ever had, and I don't want to blush all the time should she ask me about our relationship."
Georg told her that he had telephoned the abbey while they were riding their bikes out to the lake. The Abbess had agreed to meet with them on the following day in the early afternoon.
"Maria, I am sorry. I should be the one to show some restraint. I'm far from being a hormone-driven teenager and I should know better than to make you feel uncomfortable."
"No, Georg, no. I don't even know how to name all these feelings that I have inside of me. I feel proud that you react to me like this. But then I feel shy because I don't really know what to do. I feel loved and cherished and appreciated. I want to feel you near me and I want to know what it is like to become one with you. But I'm also a little scared."
"You know that I wasn't a saint in my youth. I was a sailor. And while I didn't have a girl in every port, there were women I spent the nights with. It was the way it was, and it's ancient history. But I have never even looked at another woman after I've met Agathe. With me, it's all or nothing. Whether we make love before or after we get married doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that it feels right and that we are in a situation in which it doesn't seem forced. I want you to feel comfortable. And if anything doesn't feel good, before or after we are married, in bed or out of bed, I want you to tell me. All right?"
Again, Maria felt tears well up in her eyes. This man was just perfect, and he was all hers. Body and soul. She looked deeply into his eyes and nodded. She had a feeling that they wouldn't last until the wedding night...
From their little haven in the lake they could see the romantic scene that the Captain had set by the shore. The candles were glowing in the night and Maria was ready for some of the treats she had seen. She started to get up and took Georg with her. "Let's swim back, I want to enjoy my fairy tale a little longer."
They swam back, and Georg opened a towel for her, just like he had last night. He rubbed her shoulders and arms in quick strokes, lest she get cold in the breeze.
"Excuse me for a moment, will you?", Maria said after a little while of standing close together, grabbing her towel and a little bag she had brought. She went behind a tree, took off her wet bathing suit and put her underwear and shift on.
She stepped back around the tree and went towards the blanket where Georg was waiting for her. Apparently, he had also changed out of his wet trunks as he was wearing his shirt and pants. He reached out to her and together they sat down on the blanket. "Are you warm enough?", Georg asked with a concerned look. Even though the summer night was still warm, the breeze from the lake was quite cool.
"Yes, I am perfectly fine, my darling", Maria answered him, knowing that he had a hard time coping with even as little as a common cold since Agathe had died.
Again, she leaned against his chest and looked across the lake, suddenly quite melancholy. "This place will always have a special place in my heart", she said quietly. "I have learned so much here, about myself and about life." She sat even closer to Georg, never wanting to let him go. "Thank you for taking the time to get to know this stubborn, poor girl from the mountains."
There was so much feeling in her voice that Georg felt tears well up in his eyes. What an extraordinary person this young lady was. And what a lucky man he was to spend the rest of his life with her. He tightened his hold on her, trying to convey his love.
"Maria, believe me that it was a pleasure. And I'm looking forward to learning more and more about you as the time passes. I've told you before that I think you are a remarkable woman. You prove that every single day that I have the pleasure of spending with you. And I want to thank you that you have never given up on me and my family. You know how much that means to all of us."
They turned to each other and their lips met in a tender kiss. But as soon as their lips touched, they felt a fire ignite. They clung to each other almost desperately, their tongues dueling in a fight that needed no winner. After a while it was Maria who broke the kiss and leaned her forehead on Georg's shoulder. She just breathed in his scent and his strength. This man was home now. Hopefully for a long time. And that was exactly what she was going to tell the Reverend Mother tomorrow.
"Would you like some wine, Maria?" Georg asked after a while of silent contemplation. Maria nodded and her Captain let go of her to pour them both some of the Veltliner that he had brought. He handed a glass to her and together they took a sip of the dry Austrian wine. Maria had never tasted any alcoholic beverages bevor she came to Aigen, but she'd tried a little glass of wine with dinner when she felt like it. Georg had taught her a little about the reds and whites that in his house came almost all from Austrian vineyards. And Maria enjoyed what she was having – until her stomach started to make funny little noises. Georg put a hand over the grumbling that he heard and looked at his fiancée in mock shock. "Do we have to feed that beast?", he asked with a crooked grin.
Maria blushed a little, after all, dinner had only been just two hours ago. "I think we'd better", she replied, laughing despite herself.
So, Georg rummaged in the basked that he had put aside, bringing out some cheese and fresh bread – a treat that Maria liked very much, he knew.
"Oh Georg, you are the best", Maria exclaimed. Even though she had a sweet tooth, this was much more to her liking at the moment. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and took a piece of bread, enjoying the taste of it. "Mhhh, this is my absolute favorite of everything that comes from your kitchen", she said.
Georg grinned at her enthusiasm. "I know, my darling. That's why I made them bake a new batch of bread this morning", he said.
They both had their fill of the tasty cheese that was made high up on the mountains during the summer, the fresh bread and their wine. After eating, they lay down next to each other and looked at the stars in the night sky. Maria turned her head toward her fiancé and said quietly: "I have never been as happy as I am now. Promise me, Georg, that we will always make time for us, for moments like these – no matter where we are or how crazy the world is around us."
"I promise", he said, pulling Maria gently on to of himself and sealing his promise with a tender kiss.
After laying on the ground for a long while, they reluctantly agreed to pack up their picnic and return to the house. It was getting cool in the night air and they were both tired after a long, eventful day.
Riding their bicycles back to the house, they put the leftovers of their picnic into the kitchen for the staff to take care of in the morning. Georg took Maria's hand and led her up the stairs toward her room. "Darling, as much as I would like to spend some time with you in my study, I'm just too tired", he apologized for not spending more time with her. But he needn't have worried – as he looked at Maria, he saw her suppressing a big yawn.
Both had to laugh at this. "Sorry, Georg", Maria managed to say between giggles.
They made it to her bedroom door where Georg took his fiancée in his arms. "Maria, I love you so much", he said, very seriously. She looked deeply into his eyes and their lips met in a tender, loving kiss.
"I love you, too, my Georg. So much", Maria said after their kiss had come to an end. He took her right hand in his left, caressing her wrist and palm and gave it one last kiss for the night. "Sleep well, my darling. I can't wait to see you in the morning", he said tenderly, winking at her.
"Good night", she whispered, closing her bedroom door behind her. She couldn't wait either.
SCHNIPP-
As always, I don't own anything... I just like them. This story isn't dead yet - we'll see where it goes from here.