When Maria woke the following morning, she frowned at the amount of sun streaming in through the small slit between her curtains. She had set her alarm early enough to give her enough time to prepare for the day before she had to wake the children for school which meant that the sun should have just begun to rise. Somewhat confused, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table, gasping when she saw that she was waking nearly an hour later than intended. It seemed someone had turned off her alarm. Maria was a bit surprised the children had managed to do so without waking her, but she did not have much time to dwell on that, for she was woefully behind. Putting on a dressing gown, she rushed to the bathroom down the hall and performed her morning ablutions as quickly as possible before returning to her room and dressing for the day.

Once she had dressed, Maria went first to the older girls' room, pleased to see them already awake. She warned them to dress quickly for breakfast before leaving to wake their brothers. The boys were still sleeping, but Maria managed to rouse them from their beds by pulling off the covers and opening the drapes to let in the morning sunlight. They groaned loudly as they rolled out of bed, Kurt making his way blearily to the bathroom and Friedrich to his closet. Maria instructed them to be ready for breakfast in 10 minutes before going to wake the younger girls. It took a bit of time for her to get the three of them dressed and ready since they needed more help than their siblings, and the boys' ten minutes had already passed when Maria stopped by their room again. She frowned at seeing Friedrich back in bed, his clothes tossed haphazardly over his body. Shifting Gretl to one side, Maria stepped into the room and shook Friedrich's shoulder vigorously. "Go 'way," he muttered without opening his eyes.

"It's time for breakfast," she told him. "You can either get dressed on your own or I will dress you." He opened one eye, disbelief clearly visible on his face. Maria simply stared at him, knowing she needed to stand her ground or else she would never get anywhere with the stubborn boy.

"You wouldn't," he said, but she could hear the slight doubt in his tone. Instead of answering verbally, Maria leaned forward and began to unbutton the top button of his pajama shirt. She had trained as a nurse, so she had undressed her share of unruly patients over the years and was not scared of doing so for a surly boy. "Okay, okay," he said, sitting up quickly and pushing her hands away.

"If you're not down in five minutes, I will come up to finish for you," Maria told him. He muttered something under his breath that she could not hear. She decided it best not to pursue the matter.

Fortunately, Kurt, Louisa, and Liesl were already at the breakfast table as was the Captain who read his newspaper as he ate. Maria settled the youngest girls in their seats, dishing up food for them, before grabbing a plate of food for herself and the bottle that someone had already put out for Gretl. Friedrich joined them just as Maria sat down to eat, his expression mutinous though he slid into his chair and dished up his food without a word. Georg folded his paper, glancing at the solemn faces around the table. "I see you are all running behind this morning," he remarked.

Maria noticed how uncomfortable the children looked, and she decided not to let them take the full blame even if they deserved it. She was schooled enough in human emotions to realize they desperately wanted their father's affection, and she suspected that their escapades were likely an attempt to get some sort of attention from him, even if it was negative. But Maria did not want to encourage their negative behavior, so she needed to find a way to get them positive attention from Geog. "It was my fault, Captain," she told him. "I assured them yesterday that I would wake them, but I forgot to set my alarm for the proper time." He turned to her, his eyebrows raised.

"See that it does not happen again, Fraulein," he said sternly. She nodded, ignoring the stares of all the children who were obviously trying to decide how to react. The Captain glanced at the children as well, frowning at their expressions. Maria could tell he did not fully believe her, for despite his faults, he was an intelligent man, and her excuse had been flimsy at best. For reasons she did not understand, however, he did not question her. Instead, he said simply. "I will be going into town today after breakfast. I should be home for dinner tonight."

Maria seized the opportunity immediately. "Wonderful. Then you can drive the children to school." Immediately, all the children perked up, watching their father carefully. He frowned.

"Franz can drive them in the second car."

"That seems a waste since you are already going in that direction."

"I need to leave in twenty minutes."

"I'm sure that will be fine. The children can eat quickly. Right, everyone?" Five eager heads nodded, and Maria noted the rate of consumption increased dramatically. She smiled inwardly though she kept herself outwardly composed. Georg looked at his children as well and obviously realized he had no choice, for he sighed.

"I will take whoever is in the foyer in twenty minutes. Any stragglers will need to go with Franz."

Maria was not surprised that all five children suddenly gained new speed while eating, and they had soon finished their food. They quickly excused themselves from the table, and they were waiting in the foyer with their school bags when Georg joined them. He glanced at them before looking back at Maria. However, he said nothing, instead pressing his lips tightly together as he beckoned for them to follow.

The morning passed relatively quietly with the oldest five children at school. Maria spent the morning playing with the youngest two, even consenting to do the "enrichment activity" on the schedule Frau Schmidt had given her though she changed it a bit to make it more fun for the small girls. Gretl went down for her nap about an hour and a half after breakfast, and Marta pleaded for Maria to play dolls with her. Brigitta returned after lunch, and Maria spent a bit of time working with her on her reading–not that she needed it much–while the youngest two napped.

The house grew considerably louder at 3:00 when Franz returned with the other children. They all went first to the kitchen, grabbing a quick snack before making their way to the school room. Brigitta joined them, curling up on a couch with a book since she did not have any school work she needed to do. Maria rotated between the older children, helping them with their school work. As she finished reading Liesl's writing, she saw something fly through the air out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over, she saw Friedrich scowling at his paper. He no longer had a pencil in his hand, and a quick glance told Maria that was because he had thrown it across the room. "Problems, Friedrich?"

"My only problem is that the teachers insist that we have to keep learning this useless math."

"Useless?"

"I don't see when I'm ever going to use it again."

"I see. What do you want to do when you get older?"

"Nothing with math."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. All jobs use math in some form. You can ask your Father–I'm sure he uses math all the time for navigation and engineering submarines."

"I'm not going to be in the Navy."

"Oh?"

"He wants to be a doctor," Kurt piped up from beside him. Friedrich turned to glare at his brother.

"Oh. That's a fine career choice, Friedrich. But doctors also use math all the time. How would you dose a medicine without math?"

Friedrich sighed heavily. "But it doesn't make any sense!"

Maria glanced at the book open in front of him. "Well, let's see if we can figure it out together." With Maria's help, Friedrich managed to finish the math relatively quickly. As he closed the book triumphantly, Maria glanced at the clock. "That was well done, Friedrich. We still have a couple hours left before dinner, too, so we can play outside if you like. If you have a ball, I can show you a few games."

Friedrich gave her a genuine smile, the first she had seen on his face. "I'll get it now!"

Two hours later, six sweaty, red-faced children climbed the stairs, all eagerly discussing their recent ball game, debating who had won. Maria quickly shooed the oldest four to their rooms, telling them to clean up for dinner while she took care of the youngest. As they had done the previous night, they were early for dinner though this time the Captain seemed to have anticipated them and was already waiting when they arrived. He glanced at Maria as they all walked into the room, and she thought she saw a brief flicker of approval in his eyes, but if she had, it was gone as quickly as it came. They all sat down, and Maria was happy to note that their dinner conversation was more animated than the previous night, even though much of it still centered around the outcome of their afternoon games. Maria bit the inside of her lip to keep herself from expounding on the virtues of being a gracious winner. There would be time for lectures on morality later–first, she needed to win the children's trust.

Fortunately, it seemed easier to win their trust than she had first feared. In fact, Maria was beginning to expect that they had just been waiting for someone to care about them so they could show that person all the love they had to give. Though the boys were still a bit difficult to rouse the following day, Friedrich actually joked about Maria dressing him before she could say anything, flashing her another unguarded grin as he did so. Maria also did not have a repeat alarm failure–though she had opened her curtains the previous night just in case, thinking the sun would wake her if the alarm did not. The smoother morning meant that everyone was at breakfast on time. Louisa started the conversation by bravely asking her father about his plans for the day. He seemed a bit taken aback at first, but understanding quickly flashed in his intelligent blue eyes. Much to Maria's surprise, he offered to drive the children to school again, an offer they eagerly accepted.

No one hesitated to ask for help with homework that afternoon, and they finished their work quickly, leaving them plenty of time for a game of hide-and-seek outside before dinner. Dinner was even louder than it had been the night before, so much so that Georg had finally asked the children to be quieter. Maria noted with some interest, however, that he did so politely instead of commanding them to silence. Vaguely, she wondered if it was not only the attitudes of the children changing.

Maria's relationships with the children continued to deepen for the rest of the week. On Friday, they actually asked her what they should do on Saturday. She did not have to think too long before suggesting a picnic on her favorite mountain nearby, a suggestion to which all of the children readily agreed. Maria found Frau Schmidt just before dinner to ask about picnic foods, and the kindly older woman immediately agreed to pack something for them in the morning.

The children were so excited at breakfast the following morning that they ate more quickly than Maria had ever seen them. As they ran out of the room to prepare for the day, the Captain turned to Maria with eyebrows raised. "Dare I ask about your plans for the day?"

She chuckled a bit nervously, telling herself that she should not be worried for he would surely have no reason to object to the outing. "I suggested a picnic on a nearby mountain today. I thought we could take the train to the top. They seem quite excited at the prospect."

"Have they finished their schoolwork?"

"All of them finished yesterday afternoon."

He smiled at her, a slow half-smile that was the first genuine one Maria had seen on his face. It softened his features considerably, and Maria felt her heart thump a bit faster for reasons that she could not fathom. "I should have written to the Abbey for a governess earlier. I suppose it makes sense that anyone from there would have some experience with miraculous occurrences."

Maria flushed. "They really are intelligent children, Captain."

"I know that, Fraulein. It's not a problem of intelligence; it's a problem of effort."

"They just needed the right motivation."

"Mmm." They were silent for few moments, and Maria wondered if she could excuse herself or if she should wait for him to dismiss her. Finally, he spoke again. "How are you getting to the train station?"

"I thought we would walk. It's a beautiful day."

"Even with the little ones?" Maria frowned. She had not considered that; the train station was a bit over a mile away which was an easy walk for her, but she imagined Marta and even Brigitta and Kurt would find it more difficult. Georg raised his eyebrows at her, giving another small smile. "I suppose I could drive you if you asked."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to trouble you."

To her surprise, his smile widened. "It would be no trouble, Fraulein. I will meet you all in the foyer in thirty minutes." With that, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood, quickly leaving the dining room. Maria sat for a few more seconds, wondering what exactly had just occurred.

The children were even more excited when they discovered their father would be driving them to the train station, and they begged him to join them on their trip. However, he refused, gently but firmly. The children were disappointed, but they tried not to show it. Maria looked over at the Captain who was staring at the road ahead, looking resolutely away from his children. She simply did not understand him. At first, she had thought he was cold and aloof, running his household like he had probably run one of his submarines. But in the week she had been in the home, she was beginning to realize the aloofness was a mask concealing deeper emotions, He obviously cared for his children, and he certainly provided every opportunity for them that they could possibly want, but he seemed to go out of his way to make sure he would not grow close to them. Perhaps they reminded him too much of his late wife.

The car stopped, pulling Maria from her thoughts. She helped the younger children out and then passed the two baskets of food to Liesl and Friedrich as she hoisted Gretl onto her hip, slinging her guitar on the other shoulder. "What time should I return for you?" the Captain asked.

Maria glanced over at the eager children who were staring at the train tracks. She had a feeling they would not want to leave the mountain once they arrived. "Would 4:00 work for you?"

"I can do that. Goodbye, Fraulein, and good luck." With that, he pulled away, leaving Maria wondering if perhaps she had made a mistake with her suggestion–after all, the children were hard enough to keep up with on the villa's grounds. She was not sure how well she would be able to do so once they could run around an entire mountain. With that thought in mind, she called them all to her side.

"We'll take the next train up," she told them. "Once we get there, we'll find a good spot to set up the blankets and food and then you can go play, but please make sure that you can always see me, okay?"

All six older children nodded, even little Marta. "I'll help keep an eye on the little ones," Liesl assured her.

As soon as they finished spreading out their blankets in the spot the children chose for their picnic, the older children immediately began a ball game. Maria watched them play with a small smile on her face as she helped Brigitta and Marta collect flowers and oddly-shaped stones. True to their word, the oldest four stayed within sight the whole time; in fact, when the ball rolled off into a nearby copse of trees, they all looked at Maria before chasing it, and she nodded. "Go ahead and get it. Just come straight back."

Eventually, they tired of their game, and four slightly sweaty children joined their governess and youngest siblings on the blanket. Gretl had awaken from her morning nap and was eagerly devouring the bottle Maria gave her. "I'm hungry!" Kurt complained. "Can we eat now?"

Maria laughed, opening the basket. "Yes, we can," she agreed easily. The children helped set out the food, and Maria marveled at the change in them in just one short week. No one had complained about helping the entire morning, and they had obeyed Maria without question. They truly were well-mannered children; it seemed that it just took someone paying attention to them to stop the misbehavior.

Once they had finished eating, they all lazed on the blanket for a bit, tired from their earlier exertions. Reaching behind her, Maria grabbed her guitar. "Do any of you know how to sing?" she questioned as she removed the instrument from its case and began to tune it. They shook their heads.

"Mother was teaching Friedrich, Louisa, and I to play the piano when she. . . died," Liesl said, her voice soft. Maria gave her a small smile of sympathy. "But we never learned to sing."

"Well, if you have played piano, singing will probably be easy for you." Maria began to strum, her smile widening when she saw the eager expressions on the faces of all the children. She started out with a simple song to learn the notes of the scale, one of the first things she had learned years before. They followed her lead immediately, and the oldest five had soon had the basic idea down. Maria led them through a few more fun solfege exercises she had learned as a child. As she had expected, they learned them quickly, and she caught a couple of them humming the tunes as they took the train down the mountain. As promised, Georg was waiting for them at the station. "How was the outing?" he asked as they climbed in the car, and all of the children immediately bombarded him with information. He glanced over at Maria, his eyebrows raised, and she simply shrugged in response.

It was not until dinner that night that Maria realized that the following day was the Sabbath. Of course, she knew that Sunday followed Saturday, but she had never really considered her plans for the day. In the Abbey, Sundays were a day of rest and prayer, but she was sure that was not going to be possible with seven rambunctious children under her care. Still, she felt that she needed to at least go to mass to honor the day. "Captain?" she asked, pulling his attention from his dinner.

He swallowed his food as he looked over at her. "Yes, Fraulein?"

"I just wanted to ask for permission to attend mass tomorrow."

He considered for a moment before nodding. "Of course, Fraulein. I should have anticipated that. I can ask Frau Schmidt to watch the children for the morning."

"Could we go to mass, too, Father?" Liesl asked. He looked over at her, surprised. "I would love to see Father Thomas again," she explained. "It's been quite awhile."

Georg cleared his throat. "I am sure Fraulein Maria would appreciate a break tomorrow morning, and I doubt she was planning to attend mass at St. Anthony's anyway."

"Well, you could take us then," Louisa pointed out logically.

Georg looked even more uncomfortable at the suggestion, and Maria took pity on him. "I am happy to take anyone who would like to attend mass with me. As for the location, I do not mind going to St. Anthony's if that is what everyone else wants. I've always enjoyed seeing new churches."

Georg looked back to her, clearly surprised by her agreement. "You do not have to, Fraulein," he assured her.

"I don't mind, really. I have always believed mass is better when shared with others anyway."

"As long as you truly do not mind, I suppose they can go then"

Surprisingly, Maria did not see Georg at breakfast the next morning. Franz found them as they finished eating, telling Maria that Georg had asked him to drive her and the children to mass. She was a bit surprised, for she had assumed that Georg would drive them, but then she remembered how uncomfortable he had seemed at the mere suggestion of mass the previous night. Perhaps he was afraid that if he drove them, they would try to convince him to join them at mass.

Frau Schmidt had agreed to watch Gretl and Marta, so Maria left the two youngest with her while the rest of them piled in the car. The drive seemed much more subdued than the drive to the mountain the previous day, but Maria supposed that for children, a picnic in the mountains was far more exciting than going to mass. Still, all five children had assured her the previous night that they wanted to go, so at least she did not feel as if she were forcing them into something.

The church and service were both beautiful. Maria could tell immediately why the children liked St. Anthony's so much. Despite its size, it had a comforting, almost homey feel. And the organ that took up the entire back wall was truly impressive. When they exited the church, Father Thomas was greeting everyone, and he smiled broadly at the children. "I must say, it is nice to have the von Trapp's back again," he remarked when he saw them. "You all look so much older than the last time I saw you." He shook their hands heartily. "And who is this lovely young lady?" he questioned when Maria held out her hand. Maria opened her mouth to introduce herself, but Friedrich beat her to it.

"That's Fraulein Maria. She's our new governess."

"She's a nun!" Louisa added.

"Postulant," Maria corrected with a small smile when the priest looked to her in confusion. "At Nonnberg Abbey. Captain von Trapp asked the Reverend Mother for help, and she sent me."

"Well, Fraulein, you are always welcome here."

"Thank you, Father."

Though it was not raining when they arrived home, the sky was dark and cloudy, so Maria convinced the children to stay indoors. Surprisingly, the only two who objected were Kurt and Louisa; the rest of them seemed to still be tired from their excursion the previous day. After much debate, Maria finally convinced Kurt and Louisa to play a card game with her which made for a quiet afternoon in the von Trapp household. Maria was very grateful for that–she had discovered that her supply of energy was not quite as extensive as most of the nuns at Nonnberg Abbey believed, and she found herself quite worn down after a full week of caring for seven lively children.

Georg was scowling when he came to dinner, and Maria wondered what had happened. She had not seen him for the entire day, so she doubted that it was anything she or the children had done, but she could not be sure. Fortunately, she did not have to wonder long. Before he even began to eat, he announced, "I have some business that I need to attend to in Vienna for awhile, so I will be leaving tomorrow morning. I will not be back for at least two weeks, possibly longer." The children began to protest immediately, but Georg silenced them with a stony look.

"What sort of business?" Maria questioned, unable to suppress her curiosity. She knew Georg was a retired naval captain, but with Austria no longer possessing a Navy, she could not understand what type of business would take him to Vienna.

He turned his piercing stare on her. "The kind that is none of yours, Fraulein," he remarked, his tone icy. Maria flinched, both at the tone and the look in his eyes, and her cheeks reddened. He was right that she had no right to pry into his personal affairs though his tone and words could have been nicer.

"Of course, Captain," she said. "Is there anything we should do while you are gone?"

"Just what you have been. I expect that you will maintain the same discipline while I am not here as you would have when I am present."

"Of course, sir," Maria agreed.

"Good. I expect all of you to mind Fraulein Maria," he continued, finally turning his penetrating gaze away from Maria to look at all of his children. They quickly nodded. "You all know how to conduct yourselves properly, and I expect that you do so, both at home and at school. I do not want to hear of any more incidents from your teachers." He turned his gaze to Friedrich who dropped his eyes to the table under his father's intense stare. Maria wondered what the boy had done, but she knew better than to ask. She assumed it was a harmless prank of some sort, similar to the ones the children had pulled on her when she had first come to the house. "What was that, Friedrich?" Georg asked.

"I said, 'You won't, Father'," he assured the Captain.

"Good. I am glad that is settled then." With that, the Captain picked up his fork and began to eat. Friedrich exchanged a glance with Louisa who sat across the table from him, and she nodded quickly. Maria made a mental note to talk to the two of them before school the following day. They were definitely planning something, and Maria doubted it was something of which the Captain would approve.