The Lonely Goatherd – Chapter 8

Maria's eyes stung as she fled the tavern. She had been so full of hope that when she'd arrive at The Lonely Goatherd, Georg would return her feelings of love but she hadn't expected to walk in to see him in another woman's arms – her friend's arms to make matters worse, and kissing her.

Maria was crushed and she felt like a fool for believing that Georg cared about her. She was angry, not only with him and her supposed friend, but mainly with herself – for allowing herself to believe that perhaps Georg loved her back. All she knew was that she wanted to run away from her hurt and pain, and from him. With her vision burred with tears, Maria barely even registered that her feet were carrying her towards the beach.

XxXxXxXxXx

Georg burst out of the front door out onto the deserted street. He spun around wildly as he shrugged his jacket on looking for some sign of where Maria had gone. He couldn't see her anywhere and with a deep regret, he realised that he was too late and she was gone. His heart sank at the thought of not being able to find her and make things right between them. Just as he was deciding which direction he was going to continue his search in, he heard a sound of a garbage bin being knocked over down the street in the direction of the beach. As he looked up, he spied a small figure with her skirt billowing out behind her disappear around the corner. Taking a deep breath, Georg ran after her.

As he arrived at the corner, Maria had already crossed the street and was now on the beach, the moonlight shining off her golden hair. As she tried to run across the soft sand, Georg saw her stumble several times until she tripped over her feet completely and landed on her knees. But instead of getting up straight away, Maria sank onto her bottom; her skirt flaring out around her and wept loudly, her head in her hands.

Hurrying across the street and following her onto the beach, Georg called out to her. "Maria!"

Her head immediately snapped up and she turned around. Maria stared at him for a moment in surprise, tears streaked down her cheeks before she squeezed her eyes shut and she shook her head, as if to say no. Then she sprang to her feet and continued to run down the beach away from him, stumbling every few steps.

Panicking that he was going to lose her once again, Georg ran after her. "Maria!" he called out again.

Maria slowed down and turned around to face him. "Go away!" she yelled, taking a few clumsy steps backwards. "Haven't you done enough to hurt me?"

"Maria, stop! I'm sorry!" Georg shouted back, catching up to her. "Please!" He attempted to grab her arm as she tried to side step him but the soft sand beneath her made her lose her footing and Maria fell down taking Georg with her. He landing on top of her and immediately Maria tried to wriggle free from his grasp and get up but Georg pinned her arms down.

"Maria, please listen to me," he pleaded urgently. She was angry with him, but his eyes showed such a genuine sincerity that she knew she had to listen to him. Maria stopped squirming, silently giving him permission him to speak.

"I've made so many mistakes in my life and I know I made another one tonight. I didn't realise that… I didn't know that when Margaretta asked me to dance tonight that she was going to kiss me. Please believe me when I tell you that I feel nothing for her…" At his words, Maria squeezed her eyes shut, her body shaking slightly with emotion. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"How can I even look at her, when I'm in love with someone else?" He let go of one of her arms and tenderly wiped the tear from her cheek. "It's you, and only you that I want."

Cupping her cheek with his hand, he leant down and lightly grazed his lips over hers, kissing her. "I love you Maria," he whispered.

The sensation of his kiss sent tiny tingles all through her body. It was magical! Maria lay motionless underneath him, barely believing his admission of love. Maria opened her eyes to see Georg gazing back at her with such love and tenderness that any hurt and anger she'd felt towards him before suddenly vanished. She let out a deep sigh of relief and her face relaxed into a small smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Oh, can this be happening to me?" she murmured as Georg claimed her lips in another kiss.

The kiss was soft, sensual and full of passion. Opening her mouth slightly, the kiss deepened as Georg enveloped her body in his arms. Georg smiled against her lips as he heard Maria whisper over and over again how much she loved him too. His senses heightened, Georg tried to imprint everything about these first kisses into his memory forever. From the warmness of her mouth and the way she moved her tongue slowly against his, to the feeling her soft body underneath his own and even way her fingertips moved lazily through his hair then down the back of his neck, continually drawing his face closer to hers.

He could hear the faint music still playing at The Lonely Goatherd and the sounds of the waves crashing down on the beach behind them, but none of those sounds even registered in Georg's mind as he was far too focused on listening to the soft moans and contented sighs his love was making as he kissed her over and over. Prying his lips from hers, Georg moved his kisses down her neck to gently suck on the soft skin there. Maria tilted her head back and let out a deep sigh, relishing the sensation of everything he was doing to her.

Her mind was racing. After fleeing the tavern, she would have never believed that only minutes later, her Captain would be lying on top of her, kissing her passionately and whispering words of love and adoration. She wondered what she could have possibly done in her unhappy childhood that had made her deserve this man and his love. Her head filled with the most glorious melody of music.

As Georg slowly caressed and kissed her neck, he paused for a moment to listen as her soft moans and contented sighs changed to sound like she was humming some sort of tune. He moved his head to gaze down into her face. "Maria?" he asked in a hushed whisper. "Are you about to sing a song when I'm trying to kiss you?"

At once, Maria's eyes shot open and she felt her face burning red. "Oh, I was just thinking about…" she stammered, a little embarrassed. "There was music in my head..." she sighed with a smile. "A delightful little song about how I must have done something good to deserve you."

Georg chuckled. "Well, it sounds lovely, it really does. And perhaps you could sing it for me another time, and who knows, I might even join in with my own verse." He winked. "But right now," he playfully punctuated his words by kissing her quickly after each one, "all I want for now is just to kiss you."

"Yes sir!" Maria replied, giving him a mock salute. They both laughed before kissing again.

Maria lost track of how long they lay on the beach together kissing and touching each other. Each kiss seemed to ignite her body with fire. Then the way his fingertips brushed over her face to then travel down her body to lightly caress the sides of her breasts and land on her hips made her stomach lurch and flip several times. From the way his body moved over hers in order to kiss her more deeply as they lay together to how Georg then rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him, kissing her passionately and caressing her body tenderly, his wandering hands moving from her breasts then down past her bottom to lightly stroke the tops of her thighs from underneath her dress.

She loved the gentle intimacy of kissing and touching him without it leading to anything more, although Maria could sense how quickly their romantic encounter could escalate into something much more if they were somewhere more private. Part of her was glad that they were in such a public place being out on the beach so nothing more could happen between them. And yet she felt a deep curiosity to know and experience more with him, to take things further – to rid his body of his clothing and to satisfy the hunger and desire that he was stirring inside her.

Maria hoped those things would come in time if her relationship with Georg developed into something more official but for the time being, she was just content enjoying every moment she was spending with him.

Finally, as time went on and the sounds of the music from The Lonely Goatherd died down, their kissing slowed somewhat and they began to talk.

"Do you know when I first started loving you?" Georg asked her, sitting up and pulling her up with him. Maria shook her head. "That night at The Lonely Goatherd when you sat on that ridiculous pinecone." He burst into laughter in memory.

"What?" Maria laughed too, thinking back to her embarrassing moment. She was amazed that Georg had loved her for so long.

"I suppose I should say I knew the first time I saw you blow that silly whistle," she said with a smile. "But to be honest, I didn't know then just how much I love you." Maria took his hands as she spoke. "When we first met, you were so baffling. It was like a crazy world, full of crazy contradictions. First you were driving me wild and then you won my heart with your wicked art. However, while one minute you were tender and gentle, the next you were temperamental as a summer storm. And just when I believed your heart was getting warmer, you were cold, and you were cruel. But I, like a fool, tried to cope, tried to hang on to hope." She wiped away the tear that had formed in the corner of her eye.

Georg felt remorseful that he'd put Maria through all of that. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm glad you did try Maria, glad you hung onto that hope, had hope in me that I could change." Georg lowered his eyes and nodded faintly. "You're right, I was a mess – I am still such a mess, but I am trying to get myself sorted out. Maria, you've given me so much to live for, but I am still complicated and perplexing, I know. Nothing about me is simple. Sometimes I wonder that if you got to know me better that you wouldn't like me very much."

"No, I disagree," replied Maria. "It's the opposite, actually. The more I get to know you, the more I like you, or love you I should say, and the more I want to get to know you and be a part of your life."

Georg raised his eyes to look into hers. He leant forward and kissed her tenderly. "Good. I want that too," he said. "Now shall we get to know each other better now?" he asked. Maria nodded. Georg stood up and pulled Maria to her feet. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested.

Maria didn't know how long they walked for along the beach. Holding hands, they talked as they walked and occasionally they stopped to kiss again. Each kiss was all consuming, intoxicating, like fire pulsing through their veins, leaving both of them breathless at the end of the kiss. Now that they'd both finally admitted their feelings, there was no more awkwardness between them – the words and the conversation just flowed. Georg apologised once again for what had happened back at The Lonely Goatherd with Margaretta and they both had a laugh about their mutual miscommunication about how they were only ever going to be 'just friends' when clearly they both felt and wanted more. But they agreed and were thankful that their friendship gave them a solid foundation for their new budding romantic relationship.

Both Maria and Georg knew they should call it a night and get Maria back to the hospital before Sister Berthe discovered she had missed her curfew, but both of them didn't quite want their romantic night to end, especially knowing that Georg was leaving Pola in the morning.

Despite the night being warm and balmy, a light breeze had whipped up over the water and Maria started to shiver. Georg gave Maria his coat and they found a secluded part of the beach out of the wind to sit together and just snuggle as they watched the waves crashing down on the sand and the stars moving across the sky above.

The last thing Maria recalled was laying her head on Georg's chest and closing her eyes…

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Maria started to stir. Still with her eyes closed, she could hear the sounds of the waves hitting the beach and sea gulls flying nearby. She lay on her side and the sand beneath her felt cold and hard, but the arm wrapped protectively around her middle was warm and comforting.

Just as she was starting to wake more, she felt warm breath on the back of her neck and the sensation of light, gentle kisses just behind her ear. She sighed and relaxed into Georg's warm embrace, enjoying the sensation of his early morning kisses as her eyes fluttered open. It felt completely natural to wake in his arms. The sun had barely risen and the sky was still tingled orange and yellow with the rays of golden sun. She rolled half onto her back and pointed her chin in Georg's direction and was rewarded with a sensual kiss.

"Good morning," he murmured through their kiss as his lips sought hers again.

"Mmmm…" Maria sighed sleepily as they kissed again until the shocking realisation hit her: It was morning. They'd stayed out all night.

At once Maria's eyes flew wide open and she was wide-awake. She sat upright. "We stayed out all night," she cried in a panic. "Oh my goodness!" Maria slapped one hand to her forehead. "Sister Berthe is going to kill me!" Maria began to scramble to her feet but Georg grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

"Wait! If Sister Berthe is going to kill you anyway, you may as well spend another minute here."

But Maria shook her head. "No, Georg, you don't understand. I'll be waxing and kissing floors for the next year if she catches me coming back to the hospital now."

"Maria, don't panic. I'll get you back to the hospital undetected all right. And I'll handle Sister Berthe for you. Trust me." Maria bit her lip and nodded. Georg raised her fingertips to his lips and kissed them. "Let's go," he said.

They walked back along the beach together, hand in hand. As they walked, Maria wriggled her shoulders and used her free hand to give her neck a rub. "Ugh," she groaned. "Whoever said sleeping on sand is comfortable is clearly wrong. My neck is so sore!"

"I'm sorry," replied Georg, who stopped walking to give Maria a quick shoulder massage. "Better?" he asked. Maria nodded as they continued their journey back to the hospital.

"Well," Georg began somewhat casually. "Next time we spend the night together, I promise you it'll be in a big, warm and soft bed."

At the mention of sharing a bed with Georg, Maria stopped in her tracks. "You, ah, want me in your bed?" she asked shyly. Georg turned to her and gave her such a look of desire that it was clear what is answer was. "What do you think?" he replied, his voice low and husky.

"Yes," she breathed, feeling her heart begin to race as all sorts of images of her Captain naked above her and claiming her as his own filled her head.

Georg didn't reply but quickly claimed her lips in yet another all consuming kiss that left Maria breathless. As he pulled away, he said nothing to her but just took her hand again and they continued to walk silently back to the hospital.

But after a few minutes, Georg broke the silence. "You know Maria, I'm not going to lie to you. I have been with other women, leading the sailor's life – one-night stands and that sort of thing. But that's not what I want from you, I want more than that. My intentions are honourable, trust me." He stopped and turned to face her. "I want to marry you," Georg stated somewhat bluntly.

Maria's eyes widened, half in surprise, half in shock as he clarified his statement. "I, uh, ask you to marry me." Maria stared at him open-mouthed, still in a state of shock. "So will you, Maria?" he asked again. "Will you marry me?"

There was no doubt in Maria's mind to what her answer was to be. A broad smile spread across Maria's face and she answered yes. Her heart leapt with joy as Georg kissed her then embraced her. As they parted, Maria let out a little laugh. "Well, you certainly took me by surprise."

Georg shrugged. "I suppose one thing I've learnt through the past year at war is that you can't take anything for granted. I once did, and I almost lost it all. Maria, by not acting earlier on my feelings, I almost lost you too last night. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I love you and I want us to be together."

"I want us to be together too," replied Maria softly, a blush rising to her face. All sorts of provocative thoughts about making love to Georg filled her head. Seeing the blush on her face, Georg gave her a wicked smirk and Maria had a sneaking suspicion that he was thinking along the same lines as her. They kissed again before Georg motioned that they should continue making their way back to the hospital.

"But one thing, Maria," Georg said as they walked. "I want to wait to marry until the war is over."

"Wait?"

"Yes," Georg sighed. "I've seen a lot of horrible things during this war. Good men killed indiscriminately. War doesn't care whether a soldier is single or married – it just kills. I don't want you to be waiting for me, or to become a widow if anything were to happen to me…"

"But nothing will…" Maria began to interrupt.

"But it may," Georg insisted firmly. "I lost a lot of good men when the Agathe sank and next time, that could be me." He stopped and gently ran his hand through her golden hair. "You're young and beautiful. I don't want you wasting your life grieving for me if anything were to happen."

Maria shook her head. "Married or not, I would grieve for you if anything were to happen to you. You're part of me now. I love you Georg and I'm not sure I want to wait to be married. This war could go on forever, and I'm not that patient," she giggled and gave him a wink.

He chuckled. "Well, how about we discuss wedding dates next time I'm in town?" Georg said as they crossed the final street to stand outside the door leading to the nurse's quarters of the hospital. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, like he was in deep thought about something, and then he patted his shirt and pants pockets down before letting out a deep sigh. "Well, I haven't planned this very well – I don't even have a ring to give you."

"That's all right," replied Maria as she noticed Georg glancing down at his own hand. He wore a signet ring on the pinkie finger of his left hand. Giving the ring a few big tugs, he took it off and handed it to her. "I will get you your own ring, but until then, will you accept this?"

Maria slid it on her finger, but it was too big. She tried several other fingers, as well as her thumb but the ring was too massive for her slender fingers. "Oh Georg, I can't wear this," she cried in dismay. "It'll fall off and I'll lose it."

"Hmm…" Georg grunted as he thought. Then he spied a thin, gold chain around Maria's neck that had a small crucifix hanging from it. "How about this?" he asked as he reached behind her neck, undid the clasp, slid the chain through the ring, then re-did the clasp up so that his signet ring now hung on the chain just hovering above the cleft of her breasts.

Maria beamed. "Perfect. I'll keep this with me always."

There was an awkward silence as now they were back at the hospital, it was time for them to say goodbye to each other, but both didn't want that moment to come just yet. They held each other in a long embrace before Maria pulled away. She took off Georg's jacket, which she was still wearing, and returned it to him. As he slid it on, he could faintly detect the smell of her perfume lingering on the coat.

"I should go," she whispered.

"Will you be all right?" Georg asked. Maria opened the door to the nurse's quarters and peered inside. The corridor was dark. She nodded. "It doesn't look like anyone is up and about yet. I should be able to just sneak inside without Sister Berthe finding out I stayed out all night long."

"I hope you don't get into trouble."

Maria laughed low. "Oh, I always seem to be in trouble. I'm fairly certain Sister Berthe thinks I'm either a flibbertijibbet, a will-o'-the wisp or a clown – a problem she needs to solve, or something like that," Maria smiled before she tenderly patted Georg's arm. "Don't worry, I'll be all right, I'll just miss you that's all."

"I'll miss you too," he replied. "I love you, Maria."

"I love you too, Georg," she whispered back as Georg drew her close and kissed her deeply. Maria clung to him as she kissed him back.

They were so engrossed in each other that they didn't notice the shadowy form of Margaretta sneak in the door to the nurse's quarters behind them. Her dress was torn and her lip was split and bruised. Margaretta paused momentarily to watch the couple kiss. She knew when the Captain had run out of the tavern the night before that he would eventually find Maria and they would end up together. But seeing them kissing in front of her was like a stab through the heart. Margaretta had thought that she could forget about the Captain by having a night to remember with Rolf. But her many bruises and the soreness between her legs, not to mention the memories of Rolf's cruelty, made Margaretta wish that she could forget about her night with him forever.

She slipped quietly inside the hospital and to her room. Minutes later, Margaretta heard Maria tiptoe inside as well and as Margaretta got into bed, she began to cry.

A/N: Still more to come. Please review and let me know what you think. Also, I'll have a new story coming over the next few days. Look out for it!