Elsa's footsteps echoed behind her, fading away until only the peaceful sounds of the night could be heard. Georg took a deep breath, casting a glance at the empty room behind him before turning back to the lake, where Maria had been standing. He frowned; she was no longer there. His eyes darted around, wondering if she'd returned to the house.

No, she was near the gazebo. Georg's fingers twitched with nervous energy, and yet he remained standing there. Elsa's words repeated in his mind. Was… was he that obvious? And if so…when? When had it started? When had Maria become something more than the governess?

Georg sighed, knowing he had to be honest with himself. She'd always been more, and he'd been too frozen or too foolish to notice. It wasn't until the night of the party, holding her in his arms, that he finally started to see it.

And then she left.

He leaned against the banister, his mind drifting to those dark days after she'd vanished. They were different from after Agathe had died. He'd fallen into a void then, lost and left with a hole in his soul he knew could never be filled. Or would it?

When Maria left, he felt like the sun had stopped shining. He was as miserable as the children, only they were smarter and didn't even try to put on a brave front. They were openly despondent where he'd forced himself to not revert to that empty shell of a man he'd been at the beginning of the summer. He'd tried so hard, he'd nearly made a disaster of everything by proposing to a woman who deserved better than he could ever hope to give her.

He frowned, replaying why he'd proposed to Elsa in such a hasty manner. In some ways, it had been anything but hasty. They'd been in each other's company for years. They were similar in age and status. Everyone commented on how attractive a couple they made. He'd thrown a party for her to meet his Salzburg friends. It was all but inevitable.

So why had it felt like he was making up for something?

He stared across the lake, his mind wandering back to those gray days after the party, when he'd thrown himself into caring for his children. He hadn't realized that he'd been masking his own sadness at Maria's departure. And in some ways, he'd still avoided his feelings as he had when Agathe had died.

Instead of hiding behind a bosun's whistle and orders, he'd used logic to silence his heart. He forced himself to believe Maria's words: that she had missed her life at the abbey. And despite whatever it was he'd felt, he told himself it was nothing for her and simply fleeting for him.

Maria was an attractive woman, but more than that, she was beautiful inside and out. She was captivating and lovely, filled with a goodness that left him in awe. And he had been pulled to her; how could he not be? He'd thought she might have had feelings for him. But she hadn't felt anything. Her note all but said as much. And even though he couldn't remove the memory of how soft she was in his arms in the garden, he told himself it was his heart at risk and he had to forget about her.

His head told him to move on, and his heart, used to being suppressed, remained silent. He moved on with what was expected of him and asked a woman he didn't love to marry him.

And then Maria returned.

Georg's eyes opened, and his gaze drifted back to the gazebo. She came back, but why? For the children? That was most likely the reason. He couldn't deny that if the children were the only reason, it would hurt. It already had hurt, as his mind flickered back to her refusal to even look at him during dinner. But earlier, when he'd heard his children's joy and saw them surrounding her, he had been struck with how perfect, how right, that moment felt. It had rendered him powerless; he could only stand there at the top of the stairs, staring at her. She had touched his soul, and he never wanted to be parted from her.

Loving Maria had made him feel more at peace than he had in years. But it had been too late. He thought he'd lost his right to declare himself, because he'd been a fool and asked Elsa to marry him.

The thought of Elsa made him whip his head back to the house. Elsa was gone, or at least she would be soon. She'd been far more gracious than he deserved. And even though she'd broken off their engagement, Georg still was unsure if he could walk down to the gazebo.

How did Maria feel? The whole mood since her return was off, and for the first time since he'd met her, he couldn't read her. She wouldn't let him. All he knew was that she was miserable, and hadn't been until she'd seen him. He hated himself for that. Remembering her slumped shoulders and unhappy countenance made him nearly groan in agitation. He'd really made a mess of things, hadn't he?

Maria was back, and he was free. But should he say anything? There were other impediments. She was a postulant. Georg's eyes drifted upward. Fighting another man for a woman's love was one thing. To turn her away from her vows to God felt… unwise. Who was he to derail her vocation like that? He was also considerably older. Would such a young and vivacious woman truly be happy with a man whose eldest child was closer to her age than he was?

He frowned. Despite the feelings he finally allowed himself to acknowledge, were he and Maria simply just not meant to be? The idea of her not being in his life left him cold. He actually shuddered.

But the memories of the past few months cascaded over him. Maria's bright smile and laugh. That angelic voice. How magic she was with the children. Their easy conversations that lasted for hours yet felt only like a few minutes. The way she looked at him and the countless times he was left breathless. He was powerless under her charm, and he no longer had any desire to logic his way out of it.

Religious orders and insecurities about his age drifted away. All he was left with was a strong, unwavering conviction that he was in love with her. That was all that mattered. He was in love with her, and he needed to know if she loved him too. He thought she might be.

Because she came back.

Georg inhaled, his fingers tapping the cool stone. He turned and saw Maria's figure framed in the moonlight. His lips turned upward again. Oh, Fräulein…

Without a second more of hesitation, he turned to walk down the stairs, all but running to the gazebo.

A/N - thank you for your lovely feedback! Because of that, I added more to this chapter and even wrote an additional chapter to further explore that awkward dinner ^_^