Maria was not sleeping well that night. She always slept fitfully without her husband beside her, but on this particular night, something else was bothering her. She finally gave up on sleep when she heard the clock strike one, deciding that perhaps a cup of tea would help her. As she padded downstairs, she heard a low voice and quickly turned toward the sound, noting the light spilling from under her husband's study door. She had not expected him back so soon, but in the past few months, she truly did not know exactly what to expect in terms of his time at home. He had confided that the Nazi party was getting stronger and closer to annexing Austria, and she knew he was doing everything in his power to stop that occurrence. However, each time they talked, she could hear the uncertainty grow.
Maria found him in his study, his head in hands, his shoulders shaking. "Darling," she whispered, trying to convey all her love and support with a single word. He looked up, and she saw that his eyes were red-rimmed and glossy from tears. Maria bit the inside of her lip to hold back her exclamation of surprise. In all the time she had known him, she had never seen him cry. For a moment, she was scared, terrified at seeing such a strong man, a man who had always made her feel safe and protected, broken. But as quickly as the feelings came, she set them aside. She would be his strength now.
"I cannot stop it," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. Stepping forward, Maria placed her hands on his shoulders and crouched in front of him. He leaned forward into her embrace, his tears dampening her nightgown. "They have planned well and considered all possibilities. I just learned tonight that they are effectively removing Britain and France from the equation even if either of them wanted to help. Schuschnigg will have no choice but to resign. German troops are gathering on the border, just waiting to march in and take over the country. Within the next day or two, there will be no Austria."
"Oh, Georg." Maria knew how hard that realization must be for him. Georg was proud of his heritage, proud of the country he called home, the country he had fought for valiantly during the Great War.
"It will not be safe for me here any more, for any of us really. They had information on the location of British and French troops near Austria, information they were planning to use for a surprise attack. I had to give it to Allan, Maria, and he really has no choice but to act. And once he does. . ."
He trailed off, but Maria knew exactly what he was trying to tell her. They had, in fact, discussed the situation before, for Georg had always been practical even while trying to remain optimistic about the future of the country he loved and his role in keeping it independent. "We prepared for this possibility," Maria reminded him gently.
Georg shook his head. "The plan won't work now. The Germans moved faster than I expected. Dammit!" He slammed his fist on the desk, and Maria jumped back slightly in surprise at his sudden outburst. "They won't let me leave the country. I am actually a bit surprised I was able to make it back into Austria, but my presence has definitely been missed now." He was quiet for a minute, obviously thinking hard. "We'll have to separate. I'll go on my own; it will be too risky to do anything else. You can take the little ones, and the older ones can go together. You and the other kids should be able to meet up as soon as you cross into Switzerland, and I will. . ."
"No." His brow crinkled, so Maria explained. "We're not splitting up, Georg. We're a family which means that we are in this together. I refuse to spend weeks in a foreign country wondering whether you are dead or alive."
"Maria, my love, there is no way I can board a train right now."
"Then we won't take a train."
"They'll have closed the roads out of Austria as well."
"Then we won't take the roads."
He looked at her warily. "Maria, what exactly are you suggesting?"
"We cross on foot. It is not possible for them to patrol the entire Swiss border." He gaped at her. "The children have always loved hiking."
"No, Maria. I won't put you all at risk because of me!"
"Georg, have you ever considered that we would be more at risk without you than with you? What if we get detained by Nazi soldiers trying to cross the border? How long exactly do you think we'd be able to keep our identities a secret? And what do you think would happen to us when we no longer could?" He grimaced, and Maria knew she had made her point. Still, she saw the guilt and anguish clearly written across his entire face. Grabbing his cheeks between her hands, Maria forced him to look at her. "Georg, I went into this marriage with my eyes wide open. I knew exactly who you were and what you were doing and why, and I loved you all the more for it. You are a man who stands by what is right, even when it's difficult, and who does not let others dictate how he lives his life. That is the man I fell in love with. I did not think it was possible for me to love someone as much as I love you. You are my light in the dark, my strength, my touchstone, my everything."
He swallowed hard, turning to press a kiss into the palm of her hand. "And you are mine."
"Then will you accept that we need to face whatever is to come together?"
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before nodding. "Go wake the children and prepare them to leave. I will meet you all by the car in exactly thirty minutes." She nodded, starting to turn, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Leaning forward, he captured her lips in a kiss that was simultaneously passionate and desperate, and she returned it with just as much feeling. When they pulled away, he gave her a slow smile before his features hardened once more, and they each turned to their respective tasks.
Maria woke Liesl and Louisa first. To their credit, after their initial confusion, they did not question her when she pressed a bag into their hands and told them each to change into warm clothes and pack a single change of clothing and one special item they could not live without. Immediately, they slipped out of bed to do as she asked. Friedrich and Kurt reacted similarly though Maria could see the fear flash on Kurt's face briefly before he managed to suppress it. She gave him a quick hug and ruffled Friedrich's hair before moving on to the younger girls' room. Gretl and Marta were more vocal about their fright than their siblings had been, but Brigitta was quiet, withdrawing into herself as she followed Maria's instructions. Maria helped the youngest two pick out clothes to wear and made sure they were changing before packing their outfits. "I've got to get your brothers ready," she told them. "Can you make sure to put one special thing each into this bag?"
"I can help," Brigitta assured her mother. Maria smiled gratefully, giving all three a hug and a kiss before heading to the nursery. She paused a moment in the doorway, looking at her sons. They were both so young–neither had moved out of a crib yet, and the outline of their small figures lying in the cribs simply served as a reminder of just what they were risking in their trek over the mountains. But then, it also served as a reminder of just what Maria had to protect.
Leaving the door open so there was some light from the hallway, Maria stepped into the room and quickly packed diapers for Phillip and clothes for both boys as well as the wraps Maria had used in the past to carry them more easily while hiking. Johannes woke as she changed him into his warm clothes, seeming confused for a moment, but he settled again quickly when she held him, his small hand insinuating itself into the collar of her dress. "We can help with them, Mother," a voice said from the doorway, and Maria turned to see Liesl and Louisa standing there, the small bag slung across Liesl's shoulders. Maria smiled gratefully at them.
"Did you girls finish packing?" They nodded, and Liesl stepped forward to take Johannes from Maria. The small boy went willingly to his sister's arms, cuddling against her shoulder, his eyes already closing again. Maria changed Phillip as well before passing him to Louisa. "Can you gather your siblings and go wait in the garage for your father?" Maria questioned. "I have a few more things I need to pack."
"Of course." They turned to leave, but Liesl paused in the doorway and turned back. "We aren't coming back to this house, are we?" she questioned.
Maria swallowed hard, fighting back her own grief to comfort her children. "I truly do not know, Liesl, but we should prepare for such an eventuality." With that somber note, the girls left. Maria quickly moved to the master suite, packing clothes for herself and Georg and bundling up in warmer clothing for the trek. She stopped at the kitchens next, filling the remainder of the pack with any food that she could find which needed no preparation and was unlikely to spoil. Once she completed that task, she moved to the garage where she found the rest of her family already waiting. Georg gave her a tight smile.
"I have money, blankets, matches, full water skeins, and other camping gear. Did you get-"
"Food and clothes for us." Though they had never discussed who would pack what, they had naturally packed the items they would normally pack for their camping trips. Georg nodded at her words, reaching out to cup her cheek. Maria could tell he wanted to kiss her, but he also knew it was not the time and place. Instead, he settled for brushing his thumb against her lips, his eyes conveying the message he intended to send quite clearly.
"I woke Frau Schmidt as well. She is going to give us an hour's head start and then wake the other servants and send them home with a generous severance." Maria had not even considered that problem and found herself extremely grateful for Georg's foresight. It would mean no one available for the Nazi's to question. Even if they managed to track down one of the servants, all they would learn was that Georg had asked them to leave.
"In that case, I think we are ready. Children?" She turned to the children who all nodded. Georg looked at them as well, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly before moving to the trunk of the car to load the bags inside. In no time at all, they were driving on the quiet streets of Aigen.
"You should all try and sleep," Georg told them as he drove. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"Where are we going, Father?" Liesl questioned. Georg glanced in the rearview mirror at his eldest daughter, obviously a bit torn over how much to tell her. Maria reached out and took the hand that was not steering, squeezing it gently. When he looked at his wife, she nodded.
"Switzerland," he told her. "I'm going to get us as close to the border as we can safely go, but there will be a point where we will have to go on foot."
"The Anschluss is happening, isn't it?" Friedrich asked quietly.
"I'm afraid so." With that, they lapsed into silence.
Georg drove for nearly four hours, stopping only once for petrol, carefully winding his way through rural roads. Though Maria did not know much about Austrian roads, even she could tell he was avoiding major highways. Only a few cars passed them, and most looked to be old farm trucks. The children were all dozing, but despite Georg's entreaties for Maria to join them, she simply could not. Instead, she watched the road, her hand resting comfortingly on Georg's thigh, covered by his own when he did not need to shift gears. It was a mark of how worried he was that he did not object to its presence, for she knew he would normally have found it all too intimate of a gesture around their children, even with the cover of darkness.
He suddenly let out a low curse, and she felt the car slowing down. She wondered briefly if they were out of petrol, but that did not make sense because they had stopped less than an hour previously. Georg's eyes darted from side to side, but he obviously did not see what he wanted, for he cursed again. "Darling, what is it?" Maria asked in a low voice.
"Roadblocks," he explained succinctly. "I have seen a couple others, but I have always been able to turn off the road and find a different route. It seems that our luck has finally ended." He cast his eyes around again before setting his jaw, obviously deciding on a course of action. "Wake the children and get them ready to move. There's a large farm up ahead with a hedgerow in front that should hide the car at least for awhile. I will park it there and hopefully anyone who finds it will believe it belongs to the farmer." Maria nodded, carefully shaking Brigitta and Kurt, who sat beside her, awake before turning to wake the children in the back as well. They were all unusually quiet as they awoke. "I am going to stop the car soon," Georg explained quietly. "When I do, I want you all to get out as quickly and quietly as possible. Liesl, please take Johannes, and Louisa, take Phillip. Friedrich, you, Kurt, Brigitta, your mother, and I will take the packs. Gretl and Marta, please stay close to your mother. We're going to head for the wheat field and cut through it to those hills behind it, okay? Try to keep your next oldest sibling in sight, but if for some reason we get separated, meet at the base of that hill you see right there," he told them, pointing.
All of them nodded, and Liesl spoke for everyone when she said, "We can do this, Father."
He allowed a small smile. "I know. I am so very proud of every one of you. You are all braver and stronger than I ever could have imagined." He slowed the car further, carefully manoeuvring it off the road behind a large hedge. As soon as he cut the engine, the children all piled out of the car, each performing his or her assigned task. Even Gretl and Marta immediately glued themselves to Maria's side, taking their father's instructions to heart. Once everyone had what they would be carrying, Georg led the way, keeping his strides short in deference to his youngest daughters. They followed the hedge up the driveway, skirting around the hay barn when they reached it. As Georg ducked around the corner of the barn, Maria briefly turned away from him to check on Gretl and Marta when she heard something that made her blood run cold. "Well, well, what do we have here?" a low voice remarked. "And here I thought we would have to make do with that cow the farmer calls a wife. Where has he been hiding you, my lovely?" A man in a Nazi uniform stepped out of the shadow of the nearby silo, his gaze lecherous as his eyes roamed Maria's figure. Quickly, Maria pushed Gretl and Marta behind her, hoping he had not spotted them. She felt someone else–likely Liesl since her oldest daughter had been closest–pull them away and hoped that Liesl would take them back the way they had come so the barn would hide them. "Warner, come over here and see what I found!" the man called, turning his attention briefly away from Maria. Quickly, Maria turned so that her body could better cover the children's escape.
"Oh, I bet it is not as good as what I found," a second man remarked, and Maria's heart sank as another man joined the first, pushing a familiar figure in front of him. Liesl stumbled slightly but remained upright as she joined Maria, Johannes still in her arms and wide awake now though still, fortunately, quiet. Out of the corner of her eye, Maria caught a flash of blond hair and movement away from the men, and she realized it was Friedrich who had taken the youngest girls and was now leading his siblings to safety. But where was Georg? Had the Nazis already captured him? Why had they not announced it if so?
"Mother," Liesl said, and Maria caught the slight waver in her voice.
"It will be alright, Darling," Maria promised, willing herself to believe those words as well.
"Mother?" The first man's eyebrows rose. "I must say, I was not expecting that, but a mother-daughter pair is a nice surprise. Tell me, how old are you?" he asked, turning his eager gaze to Liesl.
Liesl swallowed hard before answering. "Sixteen."
"A wonderful age. Though older has its benefits as well," he added, glancing back at Maria. After a long moment, he turned to his companion. "Which would you prefer first? The older or younger?"
"The younger," the man answered immediately, having still not taken his eyes off Liesl. She shrank closer to Maria who could feel her trembling.
"I suppose I can accept that. Go ahead and put the little brat on the ground. And don't think about getting into any funny business either. You are at our mercy now." The man reached into the holster on his hip and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Maria. Behind him, his companion did the same. "Put him down now!" the man commanded, his voice louder. Liesl bent over to do as he asked, and Johannes immediately began to wail, startling the men slightly. Maria suddenly saw a blur of motion behind the second man as Georg exploded from behind some broken farm equipment nearby. He wrapped one arm around the man's neck as the other forced his hand into the air, causing the shot he squeezed off to fly far from its target. The first man whirled around to face the newcomer, aiming his own gun. His shot went straight for Georg, but he had forgotten that Georg still had his companion in his grasp. Instead of hitting Georg, the bullet went through the Nazi soldier he was fighting, and the young man's eyes went glassy. Despite the horrible threats the men had just uttered, Maria could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. He was so young and did not deserve to die. No one did. As the man cocked his pistol to shoot again, Georg shoved the now lifeless Nazi towards him.
"Maria, Liesl, run!" he yelled, launching himself toward the remaining man. Immediately, Liesl snatched Johannes up into her arms and began to run towards the cornfield. Maria hesitated only a moment, torn between concern for her husband and concern for her children, before following. She had not run more than a few steps, however, when she collided with Liesl's back. Glancing up, she saw that Liesl was staring at a new man, her fearful gaze locked on the shotgun he held. Unlike the other two men, this man was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, and Maria suspected he was the farmer who owned the property. He glanced behind them, and Maria followed his gaze to see her husband slam his arm into that of the remaining Nazi, sending the gun flying. The man lost much of his bravado after losing his weapon, especially when faced with an opponent as formidable as Georg. With ruthless efficiency, Georg slammed a foot into his stomach, an elbow onto the back of his neck, and a fist to the side of his head. He grabbed him in a chokehold, and the man soon collapsed to the ground. He looked up then, the cold fury etched into his features growing somehow icier when he saw the farmer pointing a gun at Liesl and Maria. Maria half expected the farmer to begin shooting, but he surprised her by lowering the shotgun carefully and holding up his free hand.
"I don't much like trespassers," he explained. "But the two you just took care of have been terrorizing my family, so I suppose there are worse things than a man and his family passing through my land." Georg watched him carefully for a moment, not relaxing until the man set the shotgun fully on the ground. Only then did he step to Maria's side, carefully examining both her and Liesl for injuries. Once satisfied that they were unharmed, he turned back to the farmer who was doing his own careful examination of Georg. "I don't suppose you would do me the favor of finishing off the other, too? They have been horrible guests."
"That would likely create more trouble for you than it's worth."
The farmer sighed. "I suppose you are right. Take the right mountain," the farmer told him, pointing. "It looks worse from here, but the paths are better, and there are fewer truly steep sections. It's also the closest to a border town." Georg nodded. "You need anything? We don't have much, but I'm sure the wife and I could find some provisions."
"We have enough, thank you," Georg told him.
"In that case, you should get going. They usually patrol at sun up. I will delay as much as I can, but it will not be much. You should move quickly."
Georg frowned. "Will you get in trouble for helping us?"
"No more than I was already in, I am sure. It was a clever move, having the one shoot the other. It will be hard for them to say anything against me since the bullet came from his comrade's gun." Georg stepped forward, extending a hand. The other man clasped it briefly before Georg turned back to beckon to his wife and daughter to follow him to the wheat field. Once there, a rustling caused Maria to whirl around in enough time to see her oldest son come running for her, the other children following close behind.
"I'm sorry, Father!" he said as he ran to Georg. "I saw the men and I just froze and couldn't think of anything except the wheat field! I should have stayed and fought like you did, but I just wasn't brave enough, and Mother and Liesl could have been hurt-"
"Friedrich, stop," Georg commanded, placing his hands on his son's shoulders. "You did exactly the right thing. You got your siblings to safety. That was the most important thing."
"But those men-"
"Friedrich, you are fourteen years old. You should not need to fight men like that to keep your mother and sister safe. That is my job. You were braver than I ever would have been at your age by getting your other siblings to safety." Friedrich still looked as if he did not believe his father, but he stopped objecting. Georg glanced briefly at the sky where a faint pink tinge had already appeared on the horizon. "Come on, we need to get as far away from here as we can," he told his family, turning toward the mountain the farmer had indicated. Once more, everyone fell into line behind him.