Chapter Three

Georg started running before the scream even stopped. When he got to the terrifying scene, Maria was already on her knees pulling a nearly hysterical Marta into her arms. It was evident what had happened. The young girl had begun climbing an old, gnarly tree chasing the butterfly she had followed from the stable and fallen down.

"Marta!" Maria had lifted the child already, holding her close as she cried.

"Is she all right?" Georg asked.

Maria nodded "I think she's more scared than hurt. I saw her fall, it wasn't awfully far up. I mentioned that branch to Ludwig a few days ago."

Georg was fuming. "If you knew the branch was dangerous why didn't you come to me?!" he snapped.

"I didn't…" Maria began but Max broke in quickly.

"Georg, the children!"

Marta was reaching out for her father, Maria moved to pass her off but the Captain backed up. He had no words. No words.

Marta cried harder, not understanding her father's reaction. "Is he mad at me?" she sniffled as Maria checked her for injuries.

"No," Maria assured her. "He's angry with himself and with me for not stopping you from climbing that tree. Do you hurt anywhere, Sweetie pie?"

Marta shook her head and wiped her face with her sleeve. "Why don't you run along with Uncle Max? I'll just have a word with your Father."

Georg was shaking, with fear, with anger, with so many emotions he didn't know what to do. His precious little Marta could have been..No, no that was not true. He knew the low branch Maria spoke of and likely the worst that would happen would be a broken wrist or bump to the head, if that. Marta was fine. She was fine. He wasn't.

The door to the study flew open and Maria all but rushed him. "How dare you!" she fired, all of the protectiveness she felt for the children and for Georg bubbling over. "How dare you be so selfish? That little girl was scared and she wanted her father to hold and protect her, but no, no, you had to run in here! For what?" Maria gestured to the bottle of Scotch. "For that? What does that give you those children can't?"

"How dare I?" Georg retorted. "I am not the one paid to be responsible for those children! You are! But lately it seems you are far more interested in Max's company than…than theirs. Perhaps if you weren't flaunting yourself at a man that's never going to see you as anything more than another convenience this would not have happened! Why are you here now? This is not your place! Leave!"

"Excuse me, and correct me.if I'm wrong which I know you will do anyway, you were the one giving the lesson, you were in the stables, and you lost track of her! Were you too drunk? I won't let you do this to them!"

The Captain tried to ignore the truth in Maria's words and fired back at her. They stood toe to toe, face to face, and eye to eye, but neither one would surrender. Finally, the Captain snapped a remark that cut Maria to the quick. "You can call me anything you wish, Fraulein, but we both know the real truth, don't we? You're a failure, Maria. You failed at being a nun, now a governess, and most of all a lady!"

It wasn't the words, it was the implication, the tone that pushed Maria back. "Perhaps then it would be best if I left…"

"Fraulein Maria," Frau Schmidt quickly appeared in the doorway as if sent by some form of divine intervention. "I'm sorry, but Gretl is looking for her old rag doll and won't be settled. Could you perhaps…"

Maria nodded and sighed. The Captain had been right about one thing, she had not been as focused on her duties as she should have been, but it wasn't Max that was the cause of her distraction, but him. She was failing in the one thing she thought she did right.

It took Maria a good amount of time to settle the youngest children, even the older ones were anxious. Over and over again Maria promised she would not leave them again, that she would be there as long as needed.

Still, the Captain's words resonated with her and played over and over in her mind. She had failed in everything in her life and she had been putting her own needs and feelings ahead of the children. She had to make that right. "I'll be back in a short while, children," Maria told them. "I'm going to go get Heidi and I'll be home before bedtime. I promise."

Gretl sniffled and hugged Maria, "Thank you, Fraulein Maria. Hurry and come back so we can show you what we learned with Father."

"I will, Liesl, help with the little ones," Maria requested before grabbing her shawl and heading out to retrieve the elusive Heidi.

Georg took another drink then threw the glass at the wall. How dare Maria accuse him of not watching his children? He employed her to do that and he was so much more involved now than before. The audacity!

Thunder rumbled outside and the sky began to darken. It was reflective of Georg's mood, stormy and angry. There was a marked chill in the fall air now the late summer heat seemed to have broken. He imagined the hills would be too cold for picnics soon.

Georg sighed. He had crossed the line with Maria. He knew it. He let his emotions over the impending courtship between her and Max get to him. His words had been hurtful and wrong. He owed her an apology.

Georg was about to seek Maria out when Max came into the room. "What in the Hell got into you?" Max asked in a tone harsh enough to rival Georg at his most angry. "What the Hell is in your head? I heard what you said to Fraulein Maria! That woman has done nothing to deserve that! Nothing to earn that!"

Georg nodded and looked down. "So, it's true? You and Maria?"

Max looked at Georg like he sprang a second head. "What? Georg, that's ridiculous! I have no feelings for Maria other than friendship and even if I did, I would never make a play for her, not without talking to you first."

"Me? Why? She is in my employ, not my protection, not anymore," Georg thundered.

"Because you have feelings for her and you are my dearest friend," Max shot back. "That's why you've been hiding in here. That's why you've been drinking the neck and shoulders off a bottle every night. You shouldn't be doing that by the way because you're a mean drunk. You know that!"

"I need to find Maria, I need to apologize," Georg sighed. "I can't believe I said those things, I called her…My God, Max what have I done?"

Max shook his head. "Lied. To Maria, to me, to yourself. You have to tell her the truth. You have feelings for her, you have got to tell her, because Georg, she has feelings for you too."

Georg turned and looked out the window. The rain was pouring down on the villa, nearly blurring out any features of the landscape.

"How do you know?" Georg asked the air more than Max. "How do I know if she really loves me or just loves the children?"

"That you have to think over and you have to act, and soon, before you destroy everything you've built with your children and Maria. You are this close," Max said, demonstrating with his fingers. "To having everything you have wanted and this close to losing it."

With that Max left the room to allow his words to penetrate Georg's stubborn brain and guarded heart.

When bedtime approached, the children were becoming anxious. Maria had yet to return from her trip to retrieve Gretl's little rag doll. She loved the doll so much, but as they watched the rain pour down and a cold wind blow, Gretl began to cry.

Liesl held her tight, "I'll go and tell Uncle Max. He will go out and pick Fraulein Maria up in the car. She will be okay, everything is fine."

Liesl found Max and explained the situation. "She was upset when she left, but she promised that she would be here for bedtime. The little ones are getting upset. Can you try to find her? I know she and Father argued and he is probably not able to seek her out right now."

Liesl wasn't stupid, she knew what Georg had been doing in his study and she knew that by this time of night, unless pushed not to be, he would have had too much to drink to safely do anything other than have more to drink or fall asleep.

"I'll go look for her, Liesl," Max replied. "Try to settle the little ones for now. I'll be back soon."

Max went to find Georg. He didn't see him at supper and the light was not on in the study. "Helen, have you seen the Captain? I need to take one of the cars. It seems Fraulein Maria went out to look for something Gretl lost on the mountain and she's not back yet."

"He is in the kitchen," Frau Schmidt replied. "He missed supper. He said he would fix himself a plate."

Max nodded and went off to find Georg eating some left over chicken right out of the covered dish. Surprisingly, he was sober as a judge. "Georg, I need to borrow the keys to the Mercedes."

"Max, you hardly even drive, have Franz take you," Georg replied. "However, you best wait, this is unforgiving weather for travel of any sort."

"I have to find Maria," Max informed Georg. "She went out after you argued and promised to be back by now. She hasn't returned and the children…"

Georg's face went pale. The weather was disgusting and Maria was out there, alone, without the proper clothing, the proper shoes…without him. "Maria's out in this?"

"Apparently," Max replied. "Now, give me the keys and I'll go with Franz and fetch her home."

"No," Georg replied sternly. "I have to do this. I'm the reason she's out there, I have to go!"

"Georg, she went to get Gretl's doll and the weather was fine then. She didn't run off because of you this time! You have children that need you!"

"And they need her too," Georg replied. "I need her and I have to find her and fix this. I have to be the one."

Georg hurried and got the keys, some blankets, a few hot water bottles, and Maria's rain coat even though it was pitifully inadequate for the storm blowing up outside.

Max sighed. He knew it would be futile to argue with Georg when he got in this mood. When he finally set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.

"Uncle Max? Where is Father going?" Kurt asked as the seven children met him in the grand hall.

"He's gone to find Fraulein Maria," Max replied. "Now, let's make them both very proud, get things cleaned up and get ready for bed."

"But Fraulein Maria promised," Marta began.

"She's been waylaid by the storm," Max replied. "Your Father will bring her home safely. Come now, faces washed, teeth brushed, off we go…"

Maria was in pain. The wind on the mountainside was so powerful it sent chills up and down her spine. She was soaking wet, dirty, and try as she might, unable to get up off the ground. In her anger and desire to prove everything the Captain had accused her of as wrong, she had not thought this out and proved him right. Once Heidi had been rescued from the place she had been dropped along the side of the mountain road, Maria lost her footing in the thickening mud and turned her ankle.

The instant the joint twisted, Maria knew it was broken. She felt the pain shoot up her leg as she fell straight onto her stomach, the side of her head coming into harsh contact with the stones along the brook as she hit the ground full force. Maria tried and tried to get up, but her ankle would not hold her. She could feel her foot swelling inside her shoe and rapidly going numb.

The rain that had been dousing Salzburg was sleet up in the mountain. It had been sticky and hot only a few days ago, now it was so cold. Maria's shawl was completely inadequate for the weather.

There was nothing Maria could do but pray. She had promised the children she would be home for bedtime, they would have alerted the Captain by now and he'd have sent Franz after her. It would only be a little while, then Franz would come with the car, however, as the temperature continued to drop every minute felt like a year.

A/N: There is Chapter three. Maria is in a bit of a tight spot, but her Captain is on the way. However, he is probably on "the list" with her at the moment, she might prefer to try and swim home, lol.

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