Maria knelt in the sanctuary of the church, head bowed and hands clasped over the pew in front of her. To an outside observer, she looked as if she was praying, but in truth, the thoughts running through her head were not petitions to God. Instead, she was considering exactly what she was going to say in a few minutes–and whether or not she was going to say anything at all. Ever since she had overheard the rumors about her and the Captain, she had been worrying about them. After her first conversation with Georg about them, she had not mentioned anything else to him, for she sensed that he had no desire to discuss them. He had also started working long hours in the past month, and they had skipped their late-night talks more often than not. Maria missed them and, if she was being honest with herself, missed him, but she put on a brave face for the children who also felt his absence acutely, especially after the months where he had become much more involved in their lives. He had not left on another trip yet, but Maria suspected he would announce his departure sooner rather than later given his level of distraction.

Summer break was rapidly approaching, however, and Maria knew that with the older children around more often, her preoccupation would become fairly obvious soon enough and likely start affecting them. Marta and Gretl were still young enough that she could keep them from noticing the changes by continuing to play with them as she always had, but she knew the same would not be true for the older children. Therefore, she had decided she needed to do something about her worries, and the first thing that came to her mind was confession.

The previous confessor emerged, and Maria gathered her courage and entered the confessional. As she crossed herself and began the ritual for the beginning of confession, she began to relax into the familiar rhythm. Though it was her first time giving confession outside of the Abbey in many years, everything was essentially the same, and that comforted her greatly. Father Thomas, who she had grown rather fond of during her time attending St. Anthony's, listened attentively and asked questions in the right places. It was not long before Maria found herself pouring her heart out to him, confessing her confused feelings for Georg and her fears that she had let those feelings influence her decision to leave the Abbey.

When she had finally finished, Father Thomas remained quiet for a few seconds. Finally, he said calmly, "Before we talk about penance, I would like to explore why you feel the way you do a bit more if that is okay with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Pursuing the religious life is not the only way to glorify God, Maria. Remember, God gave Adam Eve to take for his wife. The joining of a man and a woman in holy matrimony is just as sacred a bond as the one you would have taken by becoming a nun."

Maria's eyes went wide. "Marriage? I don't. . . I couldn't. . . I'm the governess!"

"You also clearly care for Captain von Trapp and his children a great deal."

"But I don't know if he feels the same way about me!"

"Have you asked him?"

"Certainly not! And even if he did. . . care about me, nothing could happen. I'm just a governess, and he's a baron and a decorated war hero."

"God does not care about the relative social status of a man and his wife as long as both are willing to commit to the other for the rest of their lives." Maria simply stared at him in shocked silence. He gave her a gentle smile. "I simply wanted to suggest that instead of trying to fight what you are feeling, perhaps you should consider that it might be God's way of gently prodding you down a new path. From what you told me of your conversations with the Reverend Mother, it seems he may have been doing so even before you entered the von Trapp villa. It just was not until that point that he actually showed you another possibility for your future."

"I. . . I suppose I have a great deal to think about."

"Pray about it. I am sure God will help you find the path you are meant to take. And now, for penance."

Maria only half listened to the rest of what Father Thomas was saying, for her mind was still reeling with his suggestion. Only in her wildest dreams had she ever even considered the possibility that the Captain might return her feelings, and even in those, marriage was not a path that seemed open to them. Maria had never heard of such a match before, at least not one that ended well. But she could not help but wonder–could it work for them? Or was she a fool for even considering the possibility?

Maria spent most of the rest of the day in a partial daze, still mulling over her conversation that morning. The older children noticed her distraction when they arrived home but accepted her explanation of a bad night of sleep. The Captain, however, still seemed suspicious, and as she herded the children upstairs to prepare for bed, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. "You are joining me tonight in the study, right, Fraulein?"

Maria swallowed hard and dropped her gaze from his burning one. "If that is what you wish, Captain."

He seemed to realize he was making her uncomfortable, and he dropped his hand and stepped back. "We need to discuss the children's plans for the summer."

"Of course." He gave her one last, penetrating look before stepping away.

Once the children were all in bed, Maria made her way to his study door. She hesitated only a moment before gathering her courage and knocking firmly on the door. "Come in," Georg called from inside. With a final deep breath, Maria opened the door. He was waiting for her with her drink already on the table in front of her usual seat. "Take a seat, please, Fraulein. We have quite a lot to discuss, starting with my travel schedule for the summer."

Maria breathed an internal sigh of relief but worked hard to keep her face neutral as she sat. "You will be travelling this summer then?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I will likely be traveling quite often," Georg said with a sigh. "I know the children will be upset by that, and I will try to keep my trips as short as possible, but I cannot guarantee anything."

"Why don't you take them with you on one?" Maria suggested. It was an idea that Liesl had actually brought up to her a couple weeks before, and Maria had promised to talk about it with the Captain. With all the work he had been doing, she had not had a chance to keep that promise yet, but his discussion of travel had reminded her of it.

Georg started to shake his head before his face grew thoughtful. "An interesting suggestion," he finally remarked. "Most of my trips would be unsuitable for them, but perhaps there is one that would work. I will have to think about it and let you know." Maria nodded. "For the immediate future, however, the children will need to stay at home. They still have another couple weeks of school, and then I want them to have time to settle into the summer routine."

"Will you be traveling soon then?"

"Likely within the week though I do not have exact dates yet. I will let you and the children know as soon as I do. It will likely be a longer trip or I will need to take two trips back to back. I should know more about that soon as well. Regardless, it will likely extend into the summer, so I wanted to talk with you about plans for the children's break from school. I do not want them to forget everything they have learned this year during the long break."

"Is summer not meant for relaxing when you are a child?"

"I see no reason why they could not do that and still continue with some academics. An hour a day should be sufficient to keep them from losing all the knowledge they gained this year. The rest of the time, they can relax. Unless you feel that is unreasonable?" There was challenge in his gaze, and Maria knew better than to argue with him. He was right that an hour was not too much compared to a full school day.

"No, of course not."

"Good. I have some thoughts about lessons." With that, he launched into a detailed description of what he wanted the oldest three children to accomplish. By the time the clock on his mantelpiece struck eleven, Maria was feeling a bit overwhelmed with details but also relieved because they had not talked at all about what was bothering her, and since they also had not discussed the four youngest children, they should be able to avoid the topic of her preoccupation for at least another night or two. She hoped that by that time, he would simply forget about the topic. Despite Father Thomas's recommendation, she simply could not bring herself to speak with him about such things. After all, she was a commoner. There was no chance she had attracted the attention of a handsome, decorated war hero no matter how much she wished such a thing were true.

As Georg had mentioned, he announced he was leaving five days later. After that, he had a series of trips which kept him away from the villa more often than not. To his credit, when he was home, he generally paid full attention to the children, throwing himself into whatever games or activities they were playing, no matter how childish. Maria had even seen him playing dolls with Marta and Brigitta, shooting her a sheepish smile when she peered around the corner of the nursery, searching for her young charges. "Not a word, Fraulein," he had admonished, but his tone was more playful than harsh.

He had also promised Kurt and Brigitta that he would teach them to swim while he was home. The oldest three were already decent swimmers, and Marta and Gretl were too young to do much more than splash in the shallow water where it lapped against the beach on the villa's grounds, but Georg declared his middle children were the perfect age to learn. Maria encouraged the lessons, knowing it would be one more way for him to bond with his children. However, what she had not fully anticipated was her own participation. "Would 10:00 tomorrow work for the first lesson, Fraulein?" he questioned one evening as he passed her her customary glass of soda. He had just returned from nearly a week away, and summer had fully descended on Salzburg while he was gone. The days were quite warm, so warm that the children would actually come inside willingly in the afternoon to avoid the blazing sun. Maria had actually moved the brief lessons to early afternoon while the youngest were napping, hoping to take advantage of their time indoors.

"Lesson?" Maria asked, momentarily confused. She did not remember him mentioning that he was going to help out with any of the children's schoolwork.

"In swimming," he clarified, looking at her with a bit of confusion in his gaze.

"Of course," she said. "I can have Kurt and Brigitta ready whenever you are."

He shook his head. "Not just Kurt and Brigitta. I'm sure all the children will welcome the relief from this heat."

"Will you be able to focus on lessons if the rest of them are there as well?"

"I will with you there to watch the others."

"Me? I thought. . ." She trailed off, for she was not entirely sure what she had thought. She had not fully considered what the other five children would be doing while he was teaching Kurt and Brigitta, but she supposed it made sense that they would want to be in the water as well. And he was also correct that if they were in the water, it would be much safer to have a second adult watching. Not to mention that it was her job. "I don't have anything to wear," she finally concluded. He stared at her for a moment before crossing to his desk.

"Of course, I should have thought of that. I will have Franz take you into town in the morning to find something suitable. We can postpone our swimming session for a bit until you are ready." He pulled something from the drawer, and Maria realized with a start that it was an envelope of cash. Her eyes went wide.

"Oh, I don't need your money, Sir," she exclaimed quickly. "I've saved some of my own, and I am sure it will cover suitable swimming attire."

"Please, Fraulein, I insist. It is because of your duties that you need a bathing costume in the first place, so it is only fair that I should pay for it." Maria hesitated, still unaccustomed to receiving money from others. Eventually, however, she reached forward and took the money, knowing the stubborn Captain would not take no for an answer. She would simply have to find a way to return the money later. As she took the money from his hands, their fingers touched briefly, and she felt the now-familiar jolt through her body. Quickly, she pulled the money from his hand.

"Thank you," she said, letting her eyes drop to the floor.

He cleared his throat. "You are more than welcome," he told her, and she thought his voice sounded lower than normal, but she quickly pushed that thought from her head as he began to discuss plans for upcoming lessons.

As promised, Maria left the following morning immediately following breakfast to pick out a bathing costume. Franz dropped her in front of a shop in which she had never been before, remarking, "I will be back in an hour. Hopefully, you will be able to find something. . . suitable." Maria was not sure, but she thought she heard a sneer in his voice as he spoke. However, she refused to allow herself to think too much of it, instead thanking him and exiting the car. As soon as she entered the shop, her breath caught in her throat. She had never seen quite so many clothes in one place before. Even the store she had taken the children to a couple months before had not had such a dizzying array of choices. Maria was not even sure where to begin. She spun around for a moment, hoping for a sign that might lead her in the right direction, but she had no such luck.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked from nearby. Maria turned to see an older woman standing nearby, a frown on her face as she took in Maria's appearance. Unconsciously, Maria smoothed down the fabric of her skirt.

"Uh, yes. I'm here to find a bathing costume," Maria said, trying to keep her voice confident.

The woman's eyes grazed Maria's figure, and she pursed her lips. "I am not sure that we have anything. . . suitable for you here. The clothing in this store is quite expensive." Maria suddenly understood Franz's comment, and anger flared inside her, both at the butler's and the store owner's disdain. Franz had obviously intended to embarrass her by taking her to an expensive boutique, likely assuming that she would not have the means to pay for any of the clothing inside and would have to leave in embarrassment. However, the money the Captain had given her, far more than she had ever possessed at one time before, was burning a hole in her pocket. And despite the fact that Maria had told herself she would not use it, she simply could not bring herself to admit defeat. Instead, she held her head higher, forcing her hands to still as she straightened her back.

"I would like to see and determine that for myself."

Thirty minutes later, Maria handed over the bills to pay for the bathing costume with only a small amount of guilt. The woman had been correct–the clothing in the store was quite expensive and though the Captain had always been generous with her salary, Maria had used a good deal of it for presents for the children and some extra fabric for her clothing along with some donations to charity that she had always wanted to make but never had the means to make. With a resolve to pay the Captain back as soon as possible, Maria took her bag and made her way to the sidewalk. She glanced at a nearby clock and sighed inwardly. She really did not want to wait half an hour for Franz to return, but she had no way of contacting him. She considered taking a bus back to the villa instead, but she did not want to antagonize the butler further by failing to meet him when she said she would.

The morning was warm but not stifling hot yet, so Maria decided to take a short walk while she waited. After only a few blocks, she heard someone calling her name. "Maria? Maria Ranier?" Maria turned toward the voice, trying to place it in her memory. One look at the face of the woman next to her, however, revealed her identity immediately.

"Gretchen?"

"It's good to see you again! It's been what, three years?"

"Almost four," Maria corrected.

"How have you been?" Her eyes strayed to the bag Maria carried, and too late, Maria realized that it showed the name of the expensive boutique in which she had bought her bathing costume. She tried to hide it, but before she could, recognition flashed in the other woman's eyes. "Doing well for yourself, it seems. Did you run off with a doctor after all?" Her tone was light, but Maria could hear the curiosity in her voice.

"What?"

"That was the prevailing theory for why you left."

"Really?" The entire idea was ridiculous. Maria would not have even considered such an action. She had been so focused on her work that the doctors had completely escaped her notice, perhaps an oversight on her part in retrospect. But she would certainly never have run away with one.

"I told everyone that it just did not seem fitting with your personality. After all, you rarely even looked at the doctors, and when the others talked about their desires, you would just turn away, looking embarrassed. You were the only one of us who did not seem to have romance on your mind."

"I was there to work," Maria told her honestly, her mind desperately trying to keep up with the unexpected words pouring from Gretchen's mouth.

"So no doctor then? What have you been up to in that case?"

Maria was still reeling a bit from the conversation, so she gave the first answer that entered her mind. It was an honest one, but if she had been thinking, she likely would have edited a bit. "I was at Nonnberg Abbey until around nine months ago and then I became a governess."

"Nonnberg Abbey? A governess? That sounds like quite the story. You must tell me about it!" A nearby clock struck the quarter hour, and Maria realized she needed to start heading back toward the boutique or she would be late.

"I'm afraid I have to be going, but perhaps some other time?" Maria suggested politely. In truth, she did not particularly want to spend time with Gretchen who had always been much too interested in gossip in Maria' opinion, but Maria was too polite to dismiss her outright.

"That would be wonderful! Where are you living these days?"

"At the von Trapp Villa in Aigen." Gretchen's eyebrows rose at that statement, and Maria hastened to add, "I'm the governess there." She blushed, remembering that she had already told Gretchen that, but Gretchen simply nodded.

"Well, I will certainly call on you at some point. It was good to met you."

"And you as well." With that, Maria turned back the way she had come, arriving at the boutique just before Franz pulled up to the sidewalk. She slipped into the car with muttered thanks, trying not to worry too much about her encounter with Gretchen. After all, she likely would never see the other woman again. Even if she did, it was not as if an encounter with one person from her past would bring back everything.

She was still in a pensive mood when she returned home, but she forced herself to smile at the children, half of whom were already dressed for swimming. "Were you successful, Fraulein?" a deep voice asked, and Maria looked up to see Georg standing at the bottom of the steps, eyeing the bag she held.

"Yes, thank you very much, Captain. I, uh, guess I should go change and get the little ones ready as well," she said, noting that Gretl, Marta, and Brigitta were still dressed in their day clothes.

"That would be very much appreciated since I still need to change myself." Georg held out Gretl who went happily into Maria's arms, and she took her and her sisters upstairs to change them.

After changing the girls, Maria left them in the nursery to play while she went to her own room to change. Her heart pounded in her chest as she pulled the bathing costume out of the bag and stared at it for a moment. It was far less revealing than any of the other swimsuits on display at the store, but it would still show more skin than Maria had ever shown before. However, she had put on a brave face and bought it anyway, unwilling to disappoint the children who were looking forward to the outing. And, if she were being honest with herself, she would have to admit that she was unwilling to disappoint a certain retired Navy officer as well.

With a deep breath, she steeled herself and slipped out of her dress before pulling on the bathing costume. It was tight, much tighter than her usual clothes, but she knew that was the point of a bathing costume. She self-consciously tugged at it for a few seconds, trying desperately to cover more of her body, but it was of no use. Swallowing hard, she stood straighter, reaching down in herself to find courage. She had faced much more challenging things in her life than wearing a bathing costume. She was silly to be afraid of something so simple.

Feeling a bit better, she slipped a loose cotton dress over her bathing suit, something she had made the previous week to keep her a bit cooler in the summer heat. She felt even better now that her clothes were no longer quite so revealing, and she stepped out of her room to retrieve Gretl, Marta, and Brigitta from the nursery before heading down the stairs. The older four children and Georg were waiting for her when she arrived in the foyer, and she stared for a moment at seeing Georg wearing a loose-fitted cotton shirt over his rather tight bathing suit and nothing else. Gone were the perfectly pressed slacks, the tailored coat, and the tie. A smile ghosted at his lips when he noticed her reaction. "I do occasionally forgo the coat and tie," he told her, a hint of laughter in his voice. She simply nodded mutely. She had been so worried about wearing a bathing costume herself that she had forgotten to consider that everyone else on the outing would be wearing one as well. More importantly, he would be wearing one. She had seen men's bathing costumes before, and she knew they covered even less than women's. Already, she could see more of him than she ever had before, from his tanned forearms criss-crossed with lean muscle to his bulging calves. The sight of him was making her heart flutter in ways it never had before.

Forcing herself to relax, Maria followed the children and their father as the group made their way to the lake, everyone chatting excitedly. Even Gretl seemed to sense the air of excitement that permeated the group, and her babbling was more boisterous than usual. When they reached the lake, the oldest three children jumped in the water immediately. Kurt quickly stripped off his shirt as well, but he stopped before going in at his father's command. Georg then turned toward Maria and held out a hand. "Are you ready, Sweetheart?" he questioned. For one wild moment, Maria thought he was talking to her, but she quickly realized he was looking at Brigitta who stood beside her. The young girl smiled shyly before running to her father, eagerly taking his outstretched hand. Maria's eyes were immediately drawn to his bare torso, and her heart stuttered once more. She forced herself to look away, focusing on her youngest charges who had already dropped to the sand to play.

Georg spent around half an hour working with Kurt and Brigitta before their attention started to drift. He sent them to play in the shallow water, and Maria noted that he watched them quite closely until the water was well above their waists. Even then, he turned his gaze to Maria who gave a slight nod, assuring him that she would watch the two of them. Satisfied, he turned to his oldest children, saying something which Maria could not quite hear. She did hear their enthusiastic shouts in response, and they all quickly lined up facing the deeper water. At a shout of "Go!" from Louisa, all four began to swim toward a distant rock, obviously racing. Maria noted with interest that Georg did not seem to have lost any of his swimming skills despite the number of years he had been out of the Navy. His strokes were smooth and powerful, and he quickly outstripped the children. Once he was a few dozen meters ahead of them, he stopped and treaded water as he looked back, carefully watching his three eldest. He let them all pass him before starting again, reaching the rock just a second or two after Liesl who won the race. He had a short conversation with all three before they started back again. This time, Maria forced her eyes from the Captain to see how the children were faring. She noted immediately that all three were quite competent swimmers for their ages, likely a result of their father's tutelage. She was grateful for that, for though she could swim well enough not to drown, she had learned on her own out of necessity and would likely not even be able to beat Louisa in a race. She would much rather let Georg take the lead on these particular lessons.

After a few more races with the older children, they all played in the water, including, much to Maria's surprise, Georg. In fact, the retired sea captain seemed to delight in splashing water at his companions just as much as his children did. They played until Kurt began complaining of hunger at which point they all exited the water to enjoy the picnic lunch Frau Schmidt had packed for them. As he walked up onto the beach, Maria had a hard time keeping her eyes off of Georg. Water streamed from his well-muscled torso, giving his skin a glistening appearance that seemed to accent the grooves of his chest. He grabbed a towel from the stack they had brought, vigorously drying his hair which caused it to stick up in a most uncharacteristic–but nevertheless alluring–fashion. Once dry, much to Maria's surprise, he did not put his shirt back on but instead tossed the towel over his shoulder and sat down beside Friedrich to eat his lunch. He seemed so different from the staunch aristocrat she was accustomed to that it was almost like he was an entirely different person. It was utterly fascinating to watch.

Suddenly, his gaze snapped up from the sandwich in his hands, and his eyes locked on Maria's. Maria could practically feel the air crackle between them as their gazes held, and she could not bring herself to tear her eyes away from him. Without warning, he grinned wickedly, giving her a small wink. The simple gesture made her heart pound wildly, and she suspected she might have combusted on the spot had not Liesl asked her to pass the plate of cheese. Maria quickly fulfilled the request, forcing her thoughts away from the Captain. No good could come of them.