It took quite awhile for Maria to settle the children again. They all expressed concern for their father, even little Gretl who continued to insist, "Papa, kiss! Papa, kiss!" despite Maria's insistence that her father could not see her at the moment. Eventually, however, exhaustion took over, and the toddler fell asleep. Her siblings followed soon after except for Liesl who lay awake, watching as Maria smoothed Louisa's hair out of her sleeping face. "Fraulein Maria?" she questioned as Maria passed by her bed.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Father. . . I haven't seen him like that since the night Mother died."

Maria sank to her knees beside Liesl's bed, grasping her hand comfortingly. "Your father is understandably upset, but he is going to be fine."

"Why would Grandfather say what he did? Why did he want to hurt Father like that?"

"I wish I knew, my dear."

"You will go to him, right? Father, I mean?"

Maria sighed. "Oh, Liesl, I don't even know where his nor if he wants company right now."

"He will always accept your company, I am sure." Maria did not say anything, and Liesl squeezed her hand. "Please, Fraulein Maria, promise me you will find him. That night, when. . . when Mother died, I couldn't sleep, so I went downstairs. I found him in the ballroom. . . I've never seen him like that, Fraulein. He was crying! And there was broken glass all around him, and he was just staring at her picture. I didn't know what to do, so I got Frau Schmidt to help him. But she's not here now—you are. Please. He needs you."

"I will find him," Maria promised. "Do you think you could sleep now?"

"I will try. Just take care of Father."

"I will." Maria pressed a kiss to Liesl's forehead before standing and leaving the room, pulling the door shut behind her. She considered for a moment before starting towards his room, deciding she needed to look somewhere. She found it unsurprisingly empty—it did not even look as if he had stopped by briefly, for his day clothes still lay neatly on the bed where he had presumably placed them when changing for dinner. Maria walked down the remainder of the guest hall, peeking into the other rooms that were open, but she did not find him there. Next, she descended the stairs, turning away from the ballroom since he had promised not to return there. She had not yet had a chance to thoroughly explore the estate and was regretting that now, for she was not even sure where to look. As she turned down an unfamiliar hallway, however, something stopped her in her tracks. It took her a moment to realize it was piano music, a dark, almost haunting melody that Maria did not recognize. She followed it to a large room near the back of the house. In the daytime, it was likely filled with light from the large windows which filled two walls almost completely, but at the moment, the only light came from a single lamp which stood by a grand piano, casting the figure playing into dark shadows.

"Georg," Maria whispered, stepping into the room. He looked up, his fingers stilling on the keys. His expression darkened.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his words almost a growl.

Maria refused to be intimidated. She knew he would never hurt her. "I came to find you."

"What would possess you to do such a foolish thing? Haven't you heard? I'm a danger to everyone around me." He had begun playing again, more softly this time, but the music provided an ominous background to his words. Maria moved toward him, her eyes flicking to the side where she saw a bottle of some sort on the bench beside him. He followed her gaze, his fingers never stopping. "Ah, yes, my escape. Not my preferred drink, but it's served its purpose well."

Maria wondered how much he had had, but she knew better than to ask. He was certainly a good deal more inebriated than she had ever seen him before. "Who is it?" she questioned instead. At his questioning look, she clarified. "The composer."

He gave a hollow laugh. "I cannot imagine you truly want to discuss my musical selection, Fraulein."

Maria decided not to comment on the renewed formality, knowing he was using it to push her away. "Georg, what Lord Whitehead said-"

"I don't want to talk about what he said," he roared, reinforcing his words by increasing the volume of his playing. Maria let him pound out his frustration on the keys for awhile before he finally turned back to her, frowning. "You are remarkably persistent, Fraulein." He raked his eyes over her body suggestively, and she felt a shiver of desire travel down her spine, but she suppressed it. When his eyes returned to hers, she saw the challenge in them. He was daring her to come closer, to show that she was not afraid of him. He did not realize, however, that she could never be afraid of him, so it was a useless dare. Without dropping her gaze, she stepped closer so that they were nearly touching. He raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, Fraulein, I never took you for a fool."

"And I never took you for someone to wallow in self-pity." His eyes darkened, and he began playing a new piece. Maria could not help it; her eyes flicked down to the keys at the change, returning to his own in enough time to see a flash of triumph in his eyes. "Liszt," he told her simply.

"You seem to know the piece quite well."

"I find it most appropriate for my current mood." He finally dropped his gaze, nodding to the bench beside him. "If you are going to insist on staying, you might as well sit down." Maria did as he asked, picking up the bottle, looking around for a place to set it before finally placing it in her lap. He turned to her. "Alcohol is not meant for holding, you know."

Maria accepted the challenge, lifting the bottle to her lips and taking a swallow. It burned as it rolled down her throat, but she refused to succumb to the coughing that threatened to bubble to the surface. He watched her carefully, a small smirk curling his lips. "Touche, Fraulein." In response, she held out the bottle. He did not even hesitate before taking it from her hand, his left hand continuing to play as he took a long swig with his right hand. He handed it back to her, seemlessly adding his right hand to the piece as he continued to play. As he stretched to reach the higher register, his arm pressed into her breasts, and Maria could not stop the gasp that fell from her lips at the touch. He stopped playing again, turning to look at her. "Maria," he said, but his voice no longer had the dark, menacing tone he had adopted since she arrived in the room. Instead, he sounded almost broken.

"Georg." They stared at one another for a moment before he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. He reached an arm around her body, twisting both their bodies around so that her back was pressed against the keys which made a raucous noise. The force of the kiss bent her head at an odd angle, adding to its intensity. It was like nothing she had ever experienced—even during some of their more passionate encounters, he had never kissed her like that. He was rough and demanding, almost devouring her lips with his as his hands grasped her hips so hard that she suspected she might have bruises in the morning. She realized suddenly that he had always held himself back before, had kept his actions gentle in deference to her inexperience. Now, however, he was far from gentle, but that realization did not scare her. In fact, it sent a thrill of anticipation down her spine.

He pulled his lips from hers, one of his hands clawing at the top of her gown to pull it down and expose the smooth skin of her neck and upper chest. He pressed open-mouthed kisses there, interspersing them with small nips that he would soothe with his tongue. She grabbed at anything she could find, one hand tangling in his hair as the other grasped the back of his suit jacket. When he could move his lips no further downwards, he pulled back with a growl, panting heavily. His eyes met hers, dancing with both passion and pain. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, but he seemed more sober than he had a few minutes before. "Maria, if we keep going, I do not think I am going to be able to control myself. I will not be able to be gentle. It is probably best if you just walk away."

She shook her head. "I could never walk away from you." The passion flared in his eyes, drowning out the pain. His hands moved to her back, tugging at the clasps. After undoing only a couple, impatience took over, and he simply pulled the two pieces of fabric apart. Dimly, Maria heard the sound of metal hitting the keys, and she suspected she was now missing a couple clasps, but she could not bring herself to care. He pushed the dress down her body until it pooled around her waist against the keys of the piano. He had been correct in his prediction-their coupling was far from gentle, and he certainly did not control himself. However, Maria found herself welcoming the roughness, relishing the fact that he was comfortable enough with her to let go of his formidable self-control. Watching so powerful a man come undone was fascinating.

When they finished, Maria was not aware of her surroundings for quite some time. When she finally did become aware of where she was, she did not see him immediately. A bit worried, she pushed herself onto her elbows only to see his familiar form at the end of the settee. He was bent over, his head hanging low and his elbows on his thighs. "Georg," she whispered.

He looked over at her, and she saw the regret immediately. "Maria, I-"

"Don't you dare apologize for what just happened."

He looked confused for a moment. "Maria, my behavior was completely unacceptable. I asked you to be my wife, and I just treated you like. . . like some tavern whore."

"Did you hear me complaining?" She pushed herself into a sitting position, placing a hand against his bicep. He flinched slightly but did not pull away completely. "Georg, I love you. All of you. And I very much enjoyed what just happened. It was thrilling to see you lose that famous self control of yours, to know I was the cause."

"I promised myself that I would never. . ." He trailed off, but Maria understood.

"This has happened before, hasn't it?" she asked gently.

"After my father's death. Our relationship was. . . complicated. I will give you the details one day, but suffice to say I had mixed emotions about his passing. Agathe found me in a similar state to the one you found me in tonight—brooding with a piano and copious quantities of alcohol. She tried to empathize, to talk me out of my dark mood, but it didn't work. And then. . . truthfully, I do not remember exactly what happened next. I had a considerable quantity of alcohol, and my memories are fuzzy, but I do know that I frightened Agathe considerably. It was quite some time before she was willing to be intimate again, and even then. . . it was different, like we were walking on eggshells around one another. I promised myself after that night that it would never happen again, and I kept that promise until now. Even after Agathe's death, I drowned myself in alcohol, but I did not involve another person in my misery."

"I am not Agathe," Maria told him.

"I know!" He jerked his arm away from her suddenly. "You were innocent, naive, going to dedicate your life to God! And I took that all away from you!"

"You didn't take anything from me."

"I took your virginity."

"I gave it to you willingly."

He seemed not to hear her, for he was too lost in his own self-flagellation. "I did not even have the self-control to wait until we were married. You deserved so much more than I gave you!"

"That night was everything I could have hoped for and more," Maria assured him.

"Except that we were not yet married."

"I think in some ways, it is better this way. Now, I can go into the marriage without having to worry about what will happen on the wedding night."

"How can you be so understanding about all of this?"

"Because no matter what you say, I know that you have been nothing but the kind, honorable man I love."

He snorted. "I certainly was not honorable tonight. I was no better than the despicable men who force themselves upon women!"

"But you were. You told me what was going to happen. You warned me you would not be gentle. You practically ordered me to leave you. I chose to stay. And I am very glad I did." He shook his head in disbelief, but she cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "I have seen the despicable men of which you speak. You are so different from them that it is like trying to compare night to day." She started to lean forward to kiss him, but his eyes suddenly lit up with a new worry.

"I came inside you," he remembered. "I did not even have the decency to prevent you from falling pregnant."

"If I fall pregnant, then we have a baby. I for one would be delighted to have a child with you."

"You are not worried at all about what people will say?"

"The way I see it, there will always be gossip. And a pregnancy would have the added bonus of convincing you to marry me that much faster." That comment startled a laugh out of him, and he let her press a gentle kiss to his mouth. "Tonight was exactly what we both wanted and needed, Georg. It may not meet society's definition of propriety, but I did not think either of us particularly cared about that."

He kissed her again, lingering longer than before. "Promise me you will tell me before it gets to be too much. I do not want to do anything to cause you discomfort."

"I promise. But I think you will find that I do not break as easily as you seem to expect."

"I am learning that." He glanced around the room. "We should probably clean up in here and head to bed. This room is rarely used, but it would be our luck that tonight would be the night someone has a sudden urge to play piano." Maria nodded, standing and crossing to the piano bench. She managed to pull her dress onto her body, but the clasps again defeated her.

"Georg?" she asked. He looked up, and a gentle smile crossed his face when he saw her. Crossing to her side, he pressed a kiss to her lips as he reached behind her to fasten the dress. After a moment, he frowned, walking around her body to examine the clasps.

He gave a sudden chuckle. "I can fasten it well enough for you to go upstairs tonight, but I think you will need to do some sewing before you can wear this in public again." Maria's brow furrowed in confusion before she remembered his hasty removal of the dress. She felt his fingers on her back as he fastened the remaining clasps before he moved away, rebuttoning his own shirt. Once he had finished that task, he grabbed his coat and bowtie, slinging both items over his shoulder. "Ready?" She nodded, and he offered his arm as they both walked out of the room. Fortunately, there was no one else around, and they made their way upstairs without incident. When they reached the top of the steps, they stared at one another for a moment before both turned toward the guest wing. Once in his room, he once more undressed her, more slowly this time, before nodding to the bathroom. Maria quickly readied herself for bed, returning to the room to find Georg wearing only his underwear. He gave her a small smile as he crossed to the bathroom, and she slipped into bed, enjoying the soft satin feel of the sheets against her bare skin. Though not usually one to sleep in the nude, Maria was beginning to think perhaps she should do it more often. The bed dipped behind her, and Georg reached out an arm, pulling her back against his bare chest. He pressed a kiss to her temple, and they both quickly fell asleep.

Thrashing and moaning woke Maria in the night, and she looked over to see Georg sweating profusely, the bed covers thrown off as he flung his body about in the throes of a nightmare. Unable to watch him suffer, she reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Georg?" she asked softly. His eyes snapped open, but the name on his lips was not her own.

"Agathe?"

"Maria. I'm right here, Darling." His expression cleared, and he reached for her, his kiss hungry and desperate. Maria supposed she should have felt jealous about his slip of the tongue, but his caresses quickly chased any thoughts of jealousy from her mind. Their coupling was gentler than it had been earlier in the night but just as passionate, a melding of their bodies and souls. And when he finally came, spilling himself once more inside her, it was Maria's name he spoke.

Neither slept afterwards. Georg seemed reluctant to return to the dreamworld with the ghosts that haunted him there, and Maria wanted nothing more than to keep him company. Instead, they talked, mostly about mundane things, letting themselves process the heavier conversation from earlier. As the first rays of sunlight slanted in between the curtains, he rose from bed. "You should probably return to your own room before anyone else is up. I need to prepare for a ride with Louisa anyway." Maria smiled at how despite the events of the previous night, he still planned to keep his promise to his daughter. He truly was a wonderful father. "When I return, I will see about train tickets for today. I simply cannot-"

"I understand."

He gave her a full smile. "Of course you do." Maria pushed herself out of bed, retrieving her dress from the chair where she had placed it the previous night. She frowned at it a moment, not relishing the thought of putting it on again. Though certainly beautiful, it was not the most comfortable attire. "Here," Georg said suddenly, and she looked over to see him holding out the shirt he had worn the previous night. "If you go quickly, no one will see."

"Thank you." Maria slipped her arms into the sleeves, rolling up the cuffs so they were above her hands.

Georg watched her carefully as she buttoned up the shirt before striding over, pressing his lips firmly to hers. "You look good wearing my clothes," he informed her. She smiled at him, and he gave her another quick kiss before stepping back to the bureau. Maria smoothed the shirt down, enjoying the feel on her upper thighs. A thought suddenly hit her, and she gasped. "What?" Georg asked, looking over at her with his jodhpurs in his hands.

"I don't know where my underwear is. Or rather, I do know where it is and it is not here."

"I see." He considered for a moment, glancing at his watch on the bedside table. "At this point, at least some of the servants are likely awake, so there is a good chance we will run into one of them if we go downstairs. We will just have to try and slip in later when we will be less suspicious to retrieve them. And if someone else finds them, no one will know who they belong to." Maria nodded, trusting his judgment. He gave her another quick kiss before nodding to the door. "As much as I hate to see you go, you do need to get back soon or we risk discovery."

"I will see you later," she promised, slipping out of the room. She made her way hastily down the hall, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally closed the door of her own room behind her. Quickly, she changed into her nightgown and dressing gown before grabbing clothes for the day and heading to the bathroom to change. Louisa was just emerging when Maria reached the door. "Is Father. . ."

"Already getting ready for the ride today," Maria assured her. Louisa thanked her with a smile, fortunately not asking how Maria knew Georg's location so early in the morning.

Maria took her time bathing, allowing the warm water to soothe some of her muscles which ached after her activities the previous night. Once she had finished, she dried herself slowly, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She had a number of marks on her body, including some impressive bruises on her hips as well as countless reddish-purple spots where Georg had not bothered to be careful of her fair skin. She frowned, thinking perhaps it was good that they likely would not be able to be intimate for awhile. Though Maria did not mind the bruises, she knew Georg well enough to realize he would feel terribly guilty if he saw them.

When she had finally dressed, Maria stopped by the children's room, listening carefully, but she did not hear any noises. She guessed their interrupted sleep had left them more tired than usual and decided to let them sleep in. Since there was still almost an hour until breakfast, Maria decided to take a walk around the grounds and let the fresh air clear her head.

Maria was returning from the walk forty-five minutes later when she heard Georg and Louisa talking on the front drive. She started to turn away so she could enter through a side door, knowing how jealously Louisa guarded time with her father, but the sound of a third voice stopped Maria in her tracks. Curious now, Maria moved closer, concealing herself behind some shrubbery. She identified the third person almost immediately as Lady Rebekah. The other woman was standing closer to Georg than truly necessary, saying something which had both Georg and Louisa frowning. Rebekah, however, simply laughed before turning to Louisa and giving some English instruction. Louisa looked to her father who nodded, saying something else. With a final glance at Lady Rebekah, Louisa disappeared.

Maria considered interfering at that point, but something held her back. Instead, she watched as Lady Rebekah grew bolder, placing a hand on Georg's arm or leaning into him so their faces nearly touched. Maria felt a small amount of pleasure as Georg rebuffed every attempt, putting more space between him and Lady Rebekah each time she tried to flirt. As she watched, Maria realized she was not interfering because of the pleasure she gained from watching Georg push away the other woman. She knew he loved her and trusted him to stay faithful, but knowing such a thing and seeing it in action were very different. Georg began pacing, saying something Maria could not understand. Without warning, Rebekah launched herself forward, pressing her lips to his. Immediately, Georg grabbed both her arms, pushing her away. He spoke sharply to her, storming into the house without a second glance. Maria quickly slipped away, taking a side entrance.

Breakfast was very quiet though more crowded than usual. Though Lord Whitehead fortunately was gone, Nicholas was eating, Helen at his side, and Henry and Lady Whitehead were filling plates. Maria counted five other guests as well, all looking a bit worn after the previous night. A couple of them stole furtive glances at Maria as she filled her plate, but she refused to look them in the eye. Instead, she sat with the children, soon engaging them in conversation.

Georg arrived around ten minutes after Maria started eating, glancing quickly around the room before his eyes landed on Maria. He mouthed, "We need to talk," before filling his own plate and taking a seat beside Friedrich who happily scooted over to make room. Like Maria, Georg focused his attention on his children, essentially ignoring everyone else at the table. It was Lady Whitehead who finally forced him to acknowledge others' presence, remarking in German, "I heard someone playing piano in the music room last night, Georg. It could not have been you, could it?" Georg's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his mother-in-law who was saying something in English to the guests seated around her, presumably a translation of her German comment. Maria watched Georg carefully, ready to take his lead on how to approach the conversation.

"What makes you think I was there?" Georg questioned sharply.

"Oh, it was quite a complicated piece of music that I heard, certainly something no one in this family could play. But as we learned last night, you have quite a bit of talent in that area." Georg continued to watch Lady Whitehead carefully, choosing not to respond to her barb. She was wearing a smirk that Maria did not like, one which said that she had plans to do something other than simply insult Georg for never displaying his talent on the piano in her household before. "And the maid found these in there this morning." Lady Whitehead placed her hand on the table, letting it sit for a moment before uncovering the objects in question with a dramatic flourish. All eyes watched her now, leaning closer to see what the maid had found, and Lady Whitehead obviously relished the attention. Maria squinted, trying to make out the shape of the objects on the table. They glinted slightly in the light of the room as if made of glass or metal. Lady Whitehead picked one up, turning it over in her hands so that everyone could see it clearly. "Cufflinks," she remarked, her eyes never leaving Georg's. "Yours, I believe?"

Maria's heart beat faster, but she could not tear her eyes from the scene. Georg reached out, taking the object from his mother-in-law. "They are mine," he confirmed, his voice betraying none of the panic Maria felt. "I was playing last night and took them off so they did not interfere. Thank you for returning them." He pocketed the cufflink, reaching out his hand for the other one.

"Perhaps you can help me identify these, too," Lady Whitehead said, holding up a different object. It took Maria a moment to realize that it was one of the clasps from her dress. "A most curious object. The maid who found it says she thinks it might be a fastener of some kind, like those on the uniform she wears. I am inclined to agree with her."

"It sounds like the maid who found it has a better idea than I as to the object's identity."

"But how would uniform fasteners make their way into the music room?"

"I could not say."

"You did not see them there last night?"

"I was in the room to play the piano. I did not make an extensive search of it. In fact, I turned on only the single lamp above the piano so I could see to play." Maria wondered how Georg could remain so outwardly calm when her heart felt as if it was about to pound out of her chest, and she was sure her cheeks were beet red. She supposed he had far more practice at concealing the truth than she did.

"Interesting. Apparently, one of the fasteners was on the piano itself. And yet you did not see it?"

"I had other things on my mind last night."

"Of course, of course. But no matter how much was on your mind, I am guessing you did not miss this." Slowly, almost triumphantly, Lady Whitehead lifted a small paper bag from beside her chair. Maria guessed what was in it before she opened it, and she could not stop herself from looking at Georg in desperation. He, however, did not even glance in her direction. "The maid who brought this to me was quite scandalized to inform me that it appears to be a pair of lady's undergarments torn nearly in half. I assume you will forgive me if I do not display them now as it would be unseemly over a meal, but I cannot imagine that you would miss such an. . . unusual object, especially as it was apparently lying right beside the piano bench and underneath the lamp." Lady Whitehead looked over at Maria at that moment, a gleam in her eye that Maria did not like. She knew. Maria swallowed hard. Lady Whitehead had deduced exactly what had happened the previous night, and Maria dreaded to think of what she might do with that knowledge.

"I have to once more plead ignorance," Georg said, his tone still even. "I saw no such object while I was in the room. Perhaps they were left there later."

"The maid assures me she cleaned up quite early this morning. Perhaps I can offer a different theory."

"No, you may not." Georg's tone now had a definite note of anger. He glanced meaningfully at his children. Liesl was blushing, staring at her plate, obviously well aware of the subtext of the conversation. Friedrich and Louisa were staring at one another, slightly puzzled looks on their faces, but Maria was sure they would ask their older sister as soon as they could who would likely fill in the blanks for them. The rest of the children were fortunately oblivious to the nature of the accusation, but they did realize that their grandmother was accusing their father of something bad and did not look happy about it. "If you would like to continue this discussion later in private, I would be willing to do so, but I refuse to talk about it further at the moment. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to make some phone calls about train tickets." With that, he stood up and swept from the room. The table was silent after his exit, and one by one, the children made excuses as well, leaving in a show of support that would have touched Maria had she not been so worried about Lady Whitehead's scheming. With all of the von Trapps gone, the attention turned to Maria who colored immediately, mumbling an excuse as well before fleeing.

Maria considered going to the children, but she could not honestly think of anything to say to them at the moment, so she instead stepped outside, taking a short walk to a grassy hill that overlooked the lake on the property. Once there, she sat on the top of the hill, staring out at the water as she tried to unravel her thoughts. After a few seconds, she felt someone else stop beside her and turned, expecting Georg. However, it was not his voice which asked, "May I?"

"Of course," Maria answered, and Henry dropped beside her, following her gaze to the lake.

"Ah, another lover of water. No wonder you and Georg get along so well."

"How did you know where I was?"

He looked a bit sheepish. "I followed you."

"Why?"

"I just thought you might need someone to talk to after that rather tense breakfast."

"It's been a rather tense two days actually."

"Fair. How are you feeling?"

"Mortified."

"Understandable, I suppose, though you have nothing to be embarrassed about. It's Georg who should be feeling mortified along with a whole host of other emotions, starting with guilt."

"Oh, he has plenty of that," Maria responded without thinking.

Henry raised an eyebrow. "Still, it does not excuse his actions." Maria shrugged, not willing to get into the same debate with him that she had with Georg the previous night. "Look, I know you are probably hurting right now and might need a friend, so I just wanted to let you know that I am here if you want to talk." Maria felt something warm cover her hand where it rested on the ground, and she frowned when she saw that it was Henry's own hand.

"Henry, what-" she started, but he cut her off.

"Has anyone ever told you what a beautiful woman you are, Maria?" Without warning, his lips were on hers. Her eyes went wide, and she struggled a moment before managing to pull away.

"What was that?" she questioned.

"I would hope that my skills in that area are not so bad you have to ask that question."

"You kissed me."

"Yes. I truthfully thought you'd be a bit more receptive."

"You know I'm engaged to Georg!"

He frowned, looking puzzled. "I would have thought after last night, that would not be true any more."

"Georg did nothing wrong last night! It was your father that provoked him, who decided to bring his most painful wounds to the surface."

"My father was wrong, yes, but two wrongs do not make a right." Henry studied her for a moment before understanding flashed in his eyes. "Of course," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Of course you didn't understand. Maria, the objects the maid found in the music room this morning—there is really only one explanation for their presence. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they are proof that Georg was engaged intimately with someone there last night, presumably a maid given the clasps."

Maria's eyes widened. "That was what your mother was trying to imply?"

"Yes. She was being coy about it, playing her games, but I think Georg's reaction should be proof enough that she guessed correctly. If it helps at all, most others at the table felt nothing but sympathy for you—not my mother, of course, but I would not worry much about her. I heard some snatches of conversation before I left to find you, and everyone seems to think Georg is absolutely horrid for leading you on as he has only to take the first opportunity that presents itself for a. . . side liaison."

Maria closed her eyes. Poor Georg. To think that everyone believed he could toss her aside so callously, that no one else saw what an honorable man he was. With a start, she realized that he knew all along exactly what his mother-in-law was implying and could have easily told the truth, saving himself from the worst of the scorn, but he had not. Doing so would have meant embarrassing Maria. Maria could not allow the misconceptions to continue however. Keeping her eyes closed, she whispered, "The underwear, the clasps. . . they were mine."

She opened her eyes to watch as that piece of information sunk in for Henry. It took only a moment for his eyes to widen. "Oh! I did not realize your relationship had progressed so far. I mean, you were a former nun so I assumed. . . hmm." He mercifully stopped talking, staring off in the distance.

"Does everyone really believe Georg could be so dishonorable?"

Henry gave her a look of sympathy. "My mother has spun a good story, and you have to admit, the evidence is pretty damning."

"But this is Georg von Trapp! He's. . . there's no possible way he could ever be unfaithful."

A small smile formed on Henry's face. "My sister used to defend him in the same way. I never quite believed her, but I am starting to think that perhaps there is a lot I never learned about my brother-in-law." Footsteps behind them caused them both to turn, and Maria smiled as she saw the object of their conversation walking down the path towards them. Henry pushed himself to his feet. "Now, I think I have put my foot in my mouth quite enough for one day, so I will make myself scarce." With that, he headed back towards the house. He said something to Georg as he passed, and the two men shook hands before Georg turned to Maria, looking slightly puzzled. He took the seat Henry had vacated, and they sat in silence for a moment.

"I am sorry about breakfast," he finally remarked.

"It was not your fault."

"Perhaps not directly, but I should have. . . well, done a lot of things, actually. Starting with not taking advantage of you last night."

"I thought we talked about that already."

"At least no one knows your part in this all. Elizabeth has done an excellent job painting a damning picture of me, but everyone still seems to believe your virtue is intact."

"Henry knows." Georg turned to her, surprised. "He explained his mother's assumptions, and I couldn't let him think that of you. So I told him."

"You did not have to, you know. I long ago stopped caring what the Whiteheads thought of me."

"I care what they think of you."

"What was Henry doing out here anyway?"

"He came out to comfort me, thinking I would be devastated by his mother's news." Maria colored, knowing she needed to tell him the whole truth. She looked away from him, speaking to the lake as she made her confession. "He kissed me." She heard his slight intake of breath and turned to him, searching his face for how he felt about the situation. "I pushed him away immediately, told him that I did not welcome his attentions. It meant nothing to me, I promise."

"I know." He rubbed his neck, looking suddenly self-conscious. "Speaking of which, I have a confession of my own to make. Rebekah-"

"I know." He looked at her, confused, and she gave a small shrug. "I saw you this morning. You did an admirable job resisting her."

He snorted. "So in two days, we have one unwanted pass at you, two at me, one fabricated liaison, and my father-in-law suggesting I beat my children and strongly implying that they are responsible for their mother's death. What a lovely visit to the Whiteheads." His tone dripped sarcasm.

"At least we are leaving soon."

"4:15 this afternoon," he confirmed. He grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. "If we start packing now, we can take lunch in town before catching the train."

"That sounds wonderful." They stood together, walking hand-in-hand back to the house. When they stepped into the foyer, however, the smiles slipped from their faces upon finding the house in complete pandemonium. A sea of people milled about, a number of them yelling in English, but Maria doubted she would be able to understand them even if she spoke English. Georg was frowning at the scene, his eyes quickly roaming over the chaos. Taking a deep breath, he dropped Maria's hand and stepped forward into the middle of group.

"What in God's name is going on here?" he asked in a voice that Maria was sure had cowed many a naval cadet.

A number of people spoke at once, but it was Louisa's voice that cut above the rest, and her words nearly stopped Maria's heart. "Kurt's missing."

A/N: I did say that Georg would be darker in this story. I did my best to keep both him and Maria in character, but they have gone through quite a lot in just a few days, so I don't think their actions are unreasonable.