Maria was feeling much better by that night though Georg still insisted that she take it easy the following day. By the third day, however, she was growing restless, and she was grateful when Friedrich asked his father about sailing at breakfast that day. Georg agreed easily, suggesting they take the entire family. Surprisingly, all of the children seemed excited by the prospect. Maria looked at them suspiciously. During her time with the von Trapps, she had learned they were all very different people who had their own interests that often did not overlap. But perhaps they were just as eager as her to go out after all the time they had spent sick.
Maria helped the youngest girls prepare for the day, and by the time they had finished, Georg and the oldest four children had already walked down to the lake and put the sailboat in the water. Georg and Liesl stood on deck, carefully stowing various items that Louisa, Friedrich, and Kurt passed up from shore. He looked up when he heard Maria approaching, smiling broadly at her. "Are you ready for an adventure?" he questioned as she neared.
"Adventure?"
"Father says every day on sea is an adventure," Friedrich explained, jumping onto the ship with one end of the sail. With his father's help, he began to attach it to the mast, his fingers sure and practiced. After a few seconds, Georg stepped back, watching his son with obvious pride.
"An adventure sounds like exactly what I'm looking for," Maria told them. She stepped to the shore, standing at attention as she looked straight at Georg. "Permission to board?"
He gave her another smile. "Always, my love." She helped Brigitta onto the boat before passing him Marta and Gretl. He settled the girls on the benches before checking on Friedrich's progress. The ten-year-old had already managed to attach the main sail and was working on the jib, now with Kurt's help. He reached down a hand, and Maria took it, stepping onto the boat. "Welcome aboard," he said, squeezing her hand gently before dropping it.
Georg helped the others settle onto benches, balancing the weight, before turning to Friedrich who stood at the main sail, ready to raise it. "Are you ready, Lieutenant?" he questioned.
"I am, sir," Friedrich said.
"You know where you are going?"
"Yes, sir."
"Your boat." Georg jumped back to shore, swiftly untying it before boarding again. Friedrich immediately showed he was his father's son, giving rapid-fire orders to his siblings in a tone Maria had secretly dubbed Georg's command voice.
"Liesl, grab that oar and help me get her out into open water. Louisa, Kurt, can one of you work the jib while the other takes the rudder? Okay, Kurt, steer her toward that rock outcropping over there. No, not quite so much; we do not want to be in the wind like that." After a minute or so, Friedrich dropped his oar, telling Liesl to do the same. "Okay, raise the jib Louisa. Main sail is coming up. Not so much, Kurt, keep it steady. That's good." Maria watched as Friedrich stared at the sails, nodding a bit. Indeed, they were moving at a steady pace towards the center of the lake, so in Maria's limited knowledge of sailing, she felt they were doing well. "Tighten the jib, Louisa, it's flapping too much!" Maria glanced back at Louisa, expecting her to chafe a bit at the command in Friedrich's tone, for the two often clashed. Surprisingly, however, Louisa simply did what her older brother asked.
"Okay, we're coming about. Watch the boom!" Friedrich announced a minute or so later. Noting that the other children all ducked, Maria did the same and was happy she did when the boom traveled only a couple inches above her head a second later. "Okay, we're moving well now," Friedrich declared happily. He glanced up to the prow where Georg stood, and his father nodded, giving him a small smile of approval. Friedrich turned his attention back to the boat, but Maria continued to watch Georg. He was obviously in his element, shifting his weight effortlessly as the boat rocked so that he could keep his footing. The wind ruffled his hair and the lapels of his jacket, making him appear a bit more disheveled than usual though his bearing and posture still identified him as the aristocratic military man he was. It was an alluring combination, and Maria wondered just what he had been like back in his Navy days.
They sailed for about half an hour before Marta and Gretl began to show signs of boredom. Maria distracted them with a book, but as she read, she noticed that the boat seemed to be slowing. As she turned the page, she glanced up at Friedrich who was frowning at the tell-tale. He looked over to his father who cocked his head in question. Friedrich nodded, and Georg moved closer to him. He studied the tell-tale and sails for a moment before saying something to his son. He moved back to take the rudder from Kurt who obligingly moved to one of the benches. Maria felt the boat turn slightly as Friedrich trimmed the sails, keeping his eyes on his father for advice.
Under Georg's expert tutelage, it did not take long for the boat to begin moving again, steadily weaving its way across the lake. They sailed for another fifteen minutes or so before Friedrich called to Georg again. "There?" He pointed to a spot on the shore a few hundred meters away. Georg peered at it for a moment.
"About ten degrees to the west," he called back. Friedrich nodded, adjusting his course on the next tack. Soon, Maria saw a small dock ahead of them. Friedrich dropped the main sail and took over the rudder and jib, carefully steering them to the dock. As soon as they touched, he reached out and grabbed one of the poles while Georg jumped off to secure the boat. Once it was safely tied to the dock, they all disembarked.
"Where are we going?" Maria questioned as Georg lifted Gretl to his hip and started walking off the dock on a well-worn path. Her fiance turned to her, a small smile on his lips.
"You will see soon enough."
"It's a surprise," Kurt added from beside her. Maria raised her eyebrows and looked at the other children, all of whom were grinning. It seemed they all knew what Georg had planned. At least that explained the lack of dissent at breakfast. Deciding that it would be more fun to let them surprise her, Maria followed Georg down the path a short distance until a low building came into sight. It took her only a moment to recognize what it was.
"A stable!" she exclaimed
"Indeed. I believe you told me that you had ridden before."
"I grew up on a farm."
"Excellent." He smiled at a man who was approaching them, and they began a conversation in English that was too fast for Maria to have any hope of catching even a single word. After a few seconds, Georg shook the other man's hand and he disappeared inside the stable, emerging a moment later leading two horses. Georg studied them for a moment before calling Liesl and Louisa over. Both girls mounted easily, and he helped Brigitta mount in front of Louisa as well. By the time he had finished adjusting the straps, the man had emerged with two more horses. This time, Georg had Friedrich and Kurt mount them, leaving the final pair for himself and Maria. He spoke a bit to the man before turning to Maria. "Her name is Ginger," he said, patting the neck of a cream-colored mare about fifteen hands tall. "She is apparently quite gentle and loves apples." The stable owner nodded, holding out an apple. Maria took it, giving it to the horse who gently pulled it from her hands. She smiled, patting the mare's nose gently. "If you are comfortable mounting on your own, I was hoping you could pass up Marta and Gretl," Georg told her.
Maria nodded. "I can do that." Georg swung himself over his horse, reaching down for his daughters. Maria passed them up one at a time, and he settled them comfortably in front of him, his arms encircling them protectively. "I can take one of them if you need," Maria told him.
"No need. It will not be the first time I have ridden with two small children, and I am sure it will not be the last." He smiled down at her. "Just enjoy your ride." Maria nodded, mounting her own horse. Her actions were not as smooth as Georg's had been, but she consoled herself by reminding herself just how long it had been since she had ridden. Besides, he was quite a bit taller than she was.
Louisa led the way with her father right behind her, giving an occasional direction. Maria brought up the rear of the group, watching the children carefully. They had all obviously ridden before; even Brigitta moved automatically with the horse from her perch in front of Louisa. Maria knew that Georg had taken the children out riding with him during her time at the villa—most often Louisa though the others had all come at least a few times as well—but as she watched the older children, she realized they must have had some formal training in the past.
As the path widened, Friedrich slowed his horse, dropping back to ride next to her. "How are you doing?" he asked.
"I am fine. It's been awhile since I was in the saddle, but it comes back easily enough."
"You're doing quite well. You know, you're welcome to come riding with us in the mornings if it's something you enjoy."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude on your time with your father."
"We would not mind from time to time. Or perhaps you and Father could ride together sometime, just the two of you."
Maria blushed a bit but had to admit the thought was intriguing. Unwilling to discuss such things with a ten-year-old, she changed the subject. "You all ride quite well."
"Liesl, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, and I have all taken lessons, and we've all been on horses since we were babies. Father's an accomplished rider, of course, and Mother. . ." He trailed off, and Maria gave him a gentle smile of encouragement.
"I don't mind if you want to talk about her. In fact, I enjoy hearing stories of your mother. It helps me learn what made all of you into the wonderful children you are."
"She used to compete," Friedrich told her. "She went all over Europe for competitions. She tried to get Father to join her as well, but he was always too busy with his Navy business. He said a man could only have one main pastime, and the sea was his." Friedrich chuckled a bit. "Mother said that might be true for other men, but she doubted that applied to Georg von Trapp." They fell into easy conversation after that with Friedrich telling other stories of his mother as well as some of his more memorable horse riding experiences.
They rode for nearly an hour before Maria spotted buildings over the horizon, and they soon reached the outskirts of a decent-sized city. "Leeds," Georg explained as he guided them onto towards one of the buildings on the outskirts of the city. "Not the most direct route, but I thought it would be a nice experience."
"I agree," Maria assured him. The building he led them towards turned out to be a stable, and Georg exchanged a few words with the man who met them there before handing over the horses. Maria watched, wondering just how much planning he had put into their excursion. He had obviously known exactly where the stable was, and given the brevity of his conversation with the owner, she suspected he had prearranged the drop off. From the stable, he led the way into the city, carrying Marta on his shoulders while Maria carried Gretl. They walked a few blocks before he stopped in front of a small cafe. He looked over at Kurt who nodded eagerly, leading the way inside. Maria smiled, wondering if there was ever a time the small boy was not hungry.
A waiter seated them almost immediately, passing menus around the table. Maria glanced down at hers, surprised to see a number of familiar dishes with names written in German and English. She looked over at Georg who gave her a small smile. "I thought we all might appreciate a taste of home." He was right. Though Maria had eaten what was served the past few days except when she was sick, she had not particularly enjoyed many of the English dishes. It would be a pleasant change to have something familiar.
Once everyone had eaten his or her fill, Georg paid before swinging Marta up onto his shoulders again. "Now, dessert, right Sweetheart?" he asked. Marta nodded, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Maria laughed, for the young girl had a definite sweet tooth. After catching Georg in the kitchen one night in the villa sneaking a large piece of chocolate cake after having a similar one at dinner, Maria had some idea where she received it from, too.
They stopped at a pastry shop, and Georg allowed each of the children to pick out one item. They crowded around the glass, talking excitedly about what they wanted to eat. Maria hung back, content to let them choose first. "I was including you when I said that everyone gets something," Georg remarked from beside her, startling her slightly for she had not realized he was there. "I know about your sweet tooth, so I won't accept any excuses of being too full from lunch."
"I know about your sweet tooth as well," Maria countered. "Are you picking something?"
"I have already selected my dessert." He nodded to the upper left. "Crisp apple strudel." The words pricked at Maria's memory, and she suspected he was referring to something specific, but she could not think of what it was at the moment. Deciding it would come to her in time, she surveyed the desserts for a moment before pointing to one in the center of the case, a circular butter cookie with some sort of jam in the middle and powdered sugar coating it.
"That one looks delicious."
"A fine choice though a bit too. . . English for me."
"When in Rome," Maria commented with a shrug. He laughed before stepping forward to corral his over-excited children. Maria moved to help him, knowing they could be a handful, even before they fed them sugar. She hoped he had more activities planned for the afternoon to help burn off their energy.
Georg took Gretl from Maria after they finished their desserts, letting Marta walk the two blocks to their next stop. "Is this wise after feeding them sugar?" Maria asked Georg as they walked into the toy shop. He raised an eyebrow as he gave her a familiar half smile.
"Worried you can't handle them?"
"I just worry about your ability to do so."
"Challenge accepted." He stepped forward then, gathering the children around him before whispering something to them. Kurt glanced briefly back at her before Liesl admonished him. They were definitely planning something.
With a nod from Georg, the children entered the shop, immediately scattering. Georg followed, still holding Gretl in one arm with his other hand clasping Marta's. Maria considered following, but his cockiness when he assured her he could handle the children made her decide to stay behind. It would be interesting to see how he did. With that thought in mind, she found a nearby bench where she could wait.
A few minutes later, Maria felt something drop into her lap. She looked up to see Georg standing above her, grinning wickedly. "What's this?" she questioned, turning her attention to the plush cat now sitting in her lap.
"Everyone gets a toy," Georg informed her simply. "Gretl and Marta helped pick yours since you refused to come inside." That made sense; Marta was a bit obsessed with cats and had been asking for one since Maria came to the villa.
"Where is your toy?" Maria challenged. Much to her surprise, Georg raised the hand not holding Gretl to show her a small box.
"HMS Farnborough. We'll see how accurate it is."
"Have you seen it before?"
"Thankfully, only in pictures and once from quite far away. I did my best to avoid her." At Maria's puzzled look, he clarified. "She was a heavily armed merchant ship Britain used to lure submarines to the surface so they could sink them. I studied her closely to make sure I did not make that mistake." He was wearing a self-satisfied smirk that told Maria there was more to the story. She looked at him expectantly, and his grin widened as he continued. "My commanding officer—who could be a bit dense and who I always suspected received his position because of his title, not his abilities—wanted me to sink her when we spotted her. I refused and dove instead. He decided to berate me over one of the open channels on the radio, obviously intending to humiliate me, only to have his superior come on and inform him exactly who the enemy ship was and what would have happened had I surfaced."
"Is that what got you the cross?"
Georg's smile dimmed. "Ah, no. Same commander though but a story for another time." Maria nodded, understanding that the memory was more painful for him. She would not press; she was sure he would tell her when he was ready. He glanced back at the store. "I should probably go check on the rest of the children."
"Go. I can keep these two with me." Georg gratefully passed her Gretl, whose eyes were already heavy with sleep, and Marta climbed up on the bench beside her, leaning her small head against Maria's shoulder. Marta no longer napped on most days though Maria did usually give her a rest period, and she suspected the excitement of the trip was taking its toll on the small girl.
By the time Georg emerged from the toy store—miraculously with all five children in tow—both Marta and Gretl were asleep. Georg gave Maria a soft smile as he lifted Marta from the bench, cuddling her against his shoulder. Maria did the same for Gretl, and they walked to their next destination, Brigitta now in the lead. Maria was beginning to sense the pattern for the day, and she was not surprised when they turned into a bookstore. Inside, Georg found a small settee near the front of the store and settled onto it with Marta's head pillowed in his lap. "You can leave Gretl with me so you can find something for yourself," he told her. She gratefully set the toddler down on the side opposite Marta. Despite her small size, Gretl became quite heavy when limp with sleep.
"Don't you want anything?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "If you see any of these titles, I would be interested." Maria took the list, noting that all the titles were in English. She turned back to agree and saw he was holding out his wallet as well.
"I couldn't," she said, holding up a hand to refuse. He laughed, quieting slightly when Marta stirred beside him.
"Maria, love, we're getting married soon, and then what's mine is yours, including all of the money you seem determined to avoid. I told the children they could all pick a book, so you are going to need the money. Please." A bit reluctantly, Maria took the wallet from his hands, noting that it was thick with bills. "And please get something for yourself as well—something that is not just the cheapest book you can find." Maria blushed slightly, for he knew her all too well.
"If I find something I like," she agreed.
"Please, Maria. I truly do enjoy treating you." Maria found it hard to resist his pleading, and she finally nodded before making her way to the shelves of books. She started by looking for some of the ones he had requested, but she quickly realized they were arranged by subject, and she was not sure what any of the titles meant, much less what subjects they might cover. A bit frustrated, she looked around, spotting Friedrich in the corner with half a dozen books open in front of him.
"Can I get your help with something?" she asked, approaching. He glanced up, nodding immediately. Maria showed him his father's list, and he pointed out where to look for the first two before frowning at the third title.
"I'm not sure of the exact translation," he admitted. "You should ask Louisa. Her English is better than the rest of ours, except, of course, Father's." Maria looked at him, surprised. He shrugged. "She may not be interested in schoolwork, but she definitely has an ear for languages. She speaks half a dozen nearly fluently."
"Well, then, I know who I will be enlisting as translator for the rest of this trip." Maria thanked him before setting off to find the first two books. Fortunately, within the subject shelves, the books were arranged alphabetically by author, so she found the first easily enough and the second did not appear to be in the store. Next, she wandered a bit to find Louisa. She found her in—perhaps unsurprisingly given Friedrich's revelation—the foreign language section. She asked fo help, and Louisa glanced at the paper, frowning for a moment. "I don't actually know the first word for these titles," she admitted. "But the first one ends with 'Tied Afloat' and the second with 'Tied Ashore.' Perhaps they're some sort of nautical texts?"
"That would make sense since it is your father who asked me to find them."
Louisa nodded. "Do you mind if I finish up here and then I can help you?"
"Of course not. Take all the time you need. I may take a look around myself."
"There are some books in German over there." Louisa pointed to a small corner, and Maria wandered that way, scanning the titles without any real idea of what she was looking for. After a couple minutes, one popped out at her, and she pulled it from the shelf. She had read the book as a girl and enjoyed it, but she had never owned a copy so she had not had a chance to re-read it. Perhaps now was her chance.
Louisa joined her while she was flipping through the book, peering at the cover. "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. How appropriate."
"It has been awhile since I read it."
"Just don't compare Father to Captain Nemo."
"From what little I remember of the book, they are nothing alike."
"He agrees with you." They smiled at each other before Louisa turned, scanning the store. "Come on, I think the section you want for Father's books is this way." They walked together to a small section near the back of the store, and both began scanning the shelves for the author Bacchus. "Can I see the list again?" Louisa asked after both had thoroughly scanned the B's. Maria passed it to her, and she squinted at a note on the right. "This says the author might be listed as anonymous, but most believe it's Bacchus."
"That's odd."
Louisa shrugged. "Let's see if we can find any books with anonymous authors." Before they could start their new search, an unfamiliar voice cut in. Maria turned to see a middle-aged man standing behind her, smiling. She guessed he was the store proprietor.
"He wants to know if he can help you find something," Louisa translated. "Maybe he will have better luck than us."
Maria handed the list to Louisa. "See if he can find the third and fourth books." Louisa nodded, holding the paper out to the proprietor and pointing to the books in question as she said something in English. He nodded, glancing down at the paper, but his smile quickly turned into a frown. He glared at Maria, speaking so quickly that Louisa had trouble keeping up.
"He wants to know what you are thinking having a child ask for books like that."
"Books like what?"
Louisa shrugged. "Maybe they're some kind of detailed war history that includes details too gory for our sensitive feminine ears." Maria was surprised how much sarcasm such a young girl could pack into her tone.
"Tell him your father asked for them, that he's a naval Captain." Louisa translated, and the man's face cleared a bit. He smirked a bit as he responded, staring directly at Maria though he obviously realized at that point that she did not speak a bit of his language.
"He says that in that case, he would be glad to help you find them but perhaps I should stay behind." Louisa's brow crinkled in puzzlement.
"I suppose all he needs to do at this point is lead me to the right section and point, so I won't need your services as a translator. Thank you for your help."
"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else." Louisa walked back to the foreign language section as the proprietor beckoned for Maria to follow him. She did so, curious now as to what type of books could elicit such a colorful response. He took her to the far corner of the store, grabbing a step stool from an alcove before setting it up in front of one of the shelves. He stood on it, reaching up to the top shelf and moving a few books out of the way. Thoroughly intrigued now, Maria watched as he reached behind the books and pulled out a small stack of paperback volumes. He turned them over to look at the spines before replacing them in their hiding spot. His second stack, however, proved to be a success, and he handed over two slim volumes with a wink. Maria thanked him in English before checking the list again to see if there was anything else she could find for Georg.
Twenty minutes later, Maria had found two more books on the list with a bit of help from Louisa and managed to round up all the children, even Brigitta, with their purchases. They set all the books on the counter, and the proprietor rang them up before telling Maria a total. Louisa, who seemed to have appointed herself translator, told Maria in German, and Maria fumbled a bit with the wallet to pull out the correct bills. She almost gasped in surprise when she saw the sheer number of bills in the wallet, but she managed to contain it and hand the man the money plus a bit extra. "Tell him to keep the change," she told Louisa. Louisa did so, and the man replied.
"He says to thank you and say he hopes you have great pleasure reading your purchases." The statement seemed a bit odd, but Maria assumed it had been lost in translation. With a cheery wave, she gathered the books and returned to the settee where Georg was still sitting with his youngest daughters, appearing lost in thought. When he heard them coming, he turned, smiling at his family.
"Find everything?" he asked.
"I only found five of the books on your list, but I believe everyone else found something they liked," Maria said, glancing around at the five children who all nodded. "Here. I crossed out the ones I found." She handed him the list, and he pocketed it.
"Excellent. We have two more stops to make before we will start heading home. Fortunately, the next one is close. Maria, if you could take Gretl, I will carry Marta."
"I can take the books," Friedrich offered, holding out a hand. Maria passed over the books before lifting the sleeping toddler to her shoulder, grateful that Gretl tended to sleep quite heavily. Georg lifted Marta more carefully, for she was a lighter sleeper than her little sister, but she fortunately also remained asleep.
"Liesl, if you would like to lead the way, it should be only a block and a half down the road."
"I can do that, Father." They walked together down the street to a clothing shop. Once more, Georg stopped just inside the door, settling himself on a sofa with his youngest daughters.
"They should have everything waiting for you," he told Liesl. "They just need to do final fittings. Kurt, Friedrich, you're welcome to go with your sisters and Maria or stay with me."
"I'm staying here," Friedrich declared firmly. Kurt nodded in agreement.
"Well then, I suppose it is lucky we stopped first at the bookstore. We will see you girls shortly." Maria, Liesl, Louisa, and Brigitta walked toward the back room of the shop. Immediately, two of the seamstresses approached the girls with three lovely white dresses and began to work on helping them change into them. Maria startled a bit when a third seamstress approached her with a beautiful peach dress.
"Oh, I am fine," Maria told her, forgetting for a moment that the woman likely did not speak German. "I don't need anything."
"Just let her do the fitting, Fraulein," Liesl called from across the room. "Father's orders."
"He does love giving those." Maria sighed and looked back at the seamstress who shook the dress enticingly. "Oh, alright," she agreed, starting to undress. The seamstress smiled.
Ten minutes later, the efficient woman had finished pinning up the dress where she needed to make final adjustments. Maria started to take it off and had just pushed it down to mid chest when one of the other seamstresses gave a small shriek. Maria followed her stare to see Georg standing in the doorway of the fitting room, mouth agape as he stared at Maria. Immediately, Maria threw her arms over her chest, preserving as much modesty as she could. He quickly averted his eyes, staring at the floor as he remarked, "Maria, please come see me as soon as you are dressed. I need to discuss something with you." Try as she might, Maria could not quite tell how he was feeling from his tone. She sensed an undercurrent of anger in it, but there was something else that she could not place.
He turned on his heel and left, and she quickly put on her original clothing as the seamstress took her dress back to make the final small alterations. She found Georg standing outside the door, staring at the wall. He turned when she emerged, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a second, fortunately empty, fitting room. Maria thought he would apologize for barging in earlier, but the first words out of his mouth were not the ones she had expected. "For the love of God, Maria, what the hell was your intention with this?" She frowned, puzzled, looking down at the object he had thrust in front of her. She recognized it almost immediately as one of the mysterious books from the top shelf.
"It's a book for you," she told him, confused.
"I applaud your ingenuity, really, I do though I must say it shocked me. But next time, I beg of you, please try and find a more appropriate place." He sounded almost pained.
"More appropriate?"
"You could have held onto the book and given it to me later in private. Or even let me know that it was in the stack so I could hide it discreetly. Really, anything other than putting it on the top of a stack of books my ten-year-old son handed me in front of his younger brother and two other people. My ten-year-old son who, let me remind you, speaks and reads English quite well."
"Oh, Friedrich did not know what it said."
"What?"
"Louisa got a bit further—she translated the last two words of the title and thought it might be a naval text, but we did not find it in that section. The proprietor finally found it for us."
"Proprietor? Louisa?" He gaped at her for a moment. "What on earth possessed you to ask my impressionable children to translate that?" Anger seemed to be winning, and Maria quickly backpedaled, wondering what she had done wrong.
"I can't read English, you know that. So I asked them for help."
"But what made you think to ask them for help with this book? Who gave you the idea to even look for it?"
"You did."
"I most certainly did not!"
"You did. It was on your list." Eyes wide, he fumbled in his pocket for a moment before producing the list. He scanned it quickly, letting out a low growl.
"Thomas," he grumbled.
"Who?" He looked at her, and Maria was happy to see that his eyes had lost much of their anger, at least the anger directed at her. He seemed rather unhappy with whoever Thomas was.
"Thomas Baker. He was an old friend of Agathe's. We were talking one night and probably had a bit too much to drink, I will admit. He liked to tease Agathe something dreadful, and he mentioned this book, asking if we had read it and how we liked it. I just wanted to stop him since he was clearly making Agathe uncomfortable, so I handed him my list of English books and told him to add the book and we would read it when we could." Maria glanced at the list in his hand. Now that he mentioned it, the handwriting did look different for the two books that had given them such trouble. Maria had assumed that he was in a hurry when he added the titles, but a second hand recording them made sense as well.
"What is the book?" Maria questioned. Much to her surprise, Georg colored slightly. Maria was not sure that she had ever seen him embarrassed—she did not even know he could be embarrassed. "Please, Georg, I'm dying of curiosity now," she said when he did not tell her immediately. He peered at her closely.
"Are you sure you wish to know?"
"I do."
"Pleasure Bound Afloat," he told her, the words slightly mumbled. Maria frowned. It certainly did not sound like a naval text. She could not think of what a book with that title might possibly contain that could cause so much drama unless. . .a memory suddenly bubbled to the surface, a memory of a book smuggled into her finishing school by one of the rich girls and then passed around among her peers. Maria had managed to catch a glimpse of it when its owner left her bag lying open on her desk one day, and she had found herself turning beet red within a couple paragraphs.
"You mean, this has. . . it is. . ."
"I believe the proper term is erotica." Georg seemed to have overcome his embarrassment and was smirking now.
"I showed the children. . .and the proprietor. . . what must he think?"
Georg gave a dark chuckle. "He probably thinks that I'm a lucky man, and he would be right."
"You seem to have changed your tune from a few minutes ago."
"It was an honest mistake. And as you pointed out, neither Friedrich nor Louisa are the wiser as to what the book contains." He leaned closer then, his lips nearly touching hers as he whispered, "And perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. It would make excellent reading material for us, possibly as a prelude to. . . other activities." Maria's heart beat faster as she considered just how such a reading session might take place. Suddenly, a new worry forced its way through the desire.
"There was a second book!"
"A second book?"
"It was with the first, so I assume it is of a similar genre." Maria colored even though she was speaking euphemistically.
"Well, I suppose I should return to my books then and ensure both are safely out of reach." He started to turn but stopped at the last second. "Just so you know," he said, his voice almost a purr, "it was only the public nature to which I objected. I would have no concerns about such reading material in private." With that, he pressed a dizzying kiss to her mouth and strode from the room. Maria actually reached out a hand to steady herself on the wall for a moment before making her way back to the three oldest girls.
The girls insisted on wearing their new dresses out of the shop, and their father indulged them, so they left with Maria's dress boxed up and the three oldest girls' original clothing in a bag over Liesl's shoulder. Marta and Gretl had both awaken while the girls were getting their dresses, and Marta skipped ahead happily with Kurt and Louisa while Gretl climbed into Maria's arms. Friedrich, Liesl, and Brigitta brought up the rear of the group. As they walked, Georg moved closer to Maria, surprising her when he grasped her free hand in his own. He brought their clasped hands to his lips, pressing a long kiss to the back of her hand before winking at her. She blushed and looked down, noting that he only carried four books—her own copy of Verne as well as three of the ones she had found for him. She wondered what he had done with the erotica. Briefly, she entertained thoughts of searching him to find it, but she quickly pushed those aside. It was neither the time nor place. She was just happy he had found a way to conceal the books.
Maria gasped as she saw their next destination, a large garden surrounding a rectangular pool of water. "The Canal Garden," Georg explained, leading the way to the pool.
"It's beautiful," Maria breathed.
"Mm-hmm." He began humming something under his breath as they stood, gazing at the beauty around them. Maria recognized the tune, but she was so surprised to hear it from him that she did not believe her identification immediately. However, as soon as he began to sing, she knew she had identified it correctly.
"Raindrops on roses," he sang, tweaking a nearby rose and causing the dew drops on its petals to fall. "And whiskers on kittens." He reached out, placing his fingers under the whiskers of the toy kitten which she had placed in one of her pockets and honestly forgot about until that moment. "Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings." He produced a small package that met that description from an interior pocket of his jacket, dropping her hand so that he could give it to her. "These are a few of my favorite things."
"How did you. . ." Maria asked in amazement. The song was one she had made up as a girl. She had sung it with the children a few times, but she did not realize that he had been listening.
He smiled broadly. "The children mentioned it. We thought perhaps we could bring you some of your favorite things today."
Maria's eyes widened as she considered the activities of the day and how they had fit into the song. "I thought it was a day for the children's favorite things."
"Oh, it was that as well," he told her. "We thought that we should do both to show how well you fit into this family."
"It was Louisa's idea," Liesl told her. Maria looked back at the young girl, surprised, and she nodded. Impulsively, Maria hugged her, and she accepted it more easily than Maria had expected. Georg set down the books and took Gretl from Maria as he began the next line, making the young girl laugh as he waltzed around the garden with her. Maria marveled at the man in front of her, feeling herself fall even deeper in love with him, something she had not believed possible until that moment, as she watched him interact with his children.
"Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels. Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles." Friedrich produced sleigh bells from one of the bags he carried, shaking them in time to the music. "Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. These are a few of my favorite things." Georg passed Gretl to Friedrich who let her play with the bells, spinning Liesl into his arms instead. She and Louisa joined him in singing the next verse.
"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes." Liesl twirled the skirts of her new dress as she spun away from her father and Louisa took her place. With a start, Maria realized the dresses were indeed white with blue satin sashes. "Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver-white winters that melt into springs. These are a few of my favorite things."
"Staying up late and talking for hours," Liesl sang, spinning to a stop in front of Maria.
"Reading fairy tales," Brigitta added, moving next to Liesl. She was not quite as showy as her siblings, but she still wore a broad smile.
"And building block towers." Kurt took the next place in line.
"Playing football outside and cold teething rings," Friedrich waltzed over, holding Gretl's hand up with the last part of the line.
"These are a few of my favorite things."
"Hiking up mountains to listen to bird calls." Louisa stood next to Friedrich, reaching out a hand to bring Marta in close. The girl hesitated for a moment, and Louisa bent over to whisper to her.
"Sweet bedtime kisses and playing with my dolls," Marta stated, stumbling only slightly over the words. She immediately looked to Louisa who nodded.
"A beautiful woman, like an angel she sings." Georg stepped forward, grabbing both her hands in his. "These are a few of my favorite things." Maria had tears in her eyes as they finished the song, but they only increased when Georg dropped to one knee, still holding onto her hands. "Open the package," he said, releasing her hands so she could take the paper off to reveal a small black velvet box. She opened and gasped at the elegant diamond ring inside. Though she knew it was expensive, it was not overly flashy which she appreciated. She would not have been comfortable with some of the rings she had seen women in the upper classes wearing. "Maria, you have brought so much joy and laughter to our lives. You brought music back to our household. The more I think about it, the more I realize that all of my favorite things involve you. So I ask, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife and making this family complete?" Maria bit her lip to keep it from trembling, looking around at the expectant faces of the children before meeting Georg's eyes again. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, so she instead nodded jerkily. He seemed to understand, for he took the ring box from her hands, pulling out the ring and slipping it on her finger as he stood. "Children, if you do not want to see me kiss your future mother thoroughly, you may want to turn around," he warned before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his.
A/N: This one kind of took a life of it's own and ended up much longer than I originally intended (and perhaps a bit sappier at the end but it is a proposal-and I tried to offset it with the bookstore scene). I am sorry if any of the sailing details are incorrect-I've only been sailing three times and all on my in-laws relatively small boat, so my experience is limited and mostly includes trying to teach my four-year-olds how to work the jib.