A/N: Sorry for the mix up in chapters. I should probably find a better way to label them in Doc Manager in the future. . .

Changes (January 1935)

"Ah, there you are, Baroness!" Frau Schmidt exclaimed. It took Maria a moment to realize the older woman was speaking to her, and she turned quickly, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Frau Schmidt, I told you I do not mind if you call me Maria."

"Well, I do mind. You are the mistress of this household, and I intend to treat you as such. Now, with the Captain out of town, I was wondering if you would like to put together the menu." She looked at Maria expectantly, and the flustered young woman realized she was expecting an affirmative response no matter Maria's true opinion on the matter. And Maria did not truly mind putting together a menu—in fact, under normal circumstances, she would have enjoyed picking out the food her family would eat in the coming week, imagining their reactions to each dish, particularly when prepared by a chef as skilled as Evelyn, the von Trapp chef. However, Georg had left on his first trip since their honeymoon two days before, and in that time, Maria had realized just how many small details went into running a house like the von Trapp villa. It seemed that someone needed to talk with her just about every hour about some question they had or needed her approval for something. Georg had assured her before he left that she would be able to handle it without a problem, but she was beginning to doubt him.

"Oh. . .uh, yes, of course."

"Excellent. You can just give me the menu tonight, and I will have Evelyn order all the ingredients she will need. And this may be helpful—here are some of the standard meals we have at this time of year."

Maria gave Frau Schmidt a true smile, knowing the older woman was trying to help in the ways that she felt she could. "Thank you, Frau Schmidt." The kindly woman nodded, leaving the room. Maria looked back at the papers she had been working through—an expense report from the gardener that he had asked her to "take a quick look at—it should only take a moment." Maria had accepted the task though she was not sure what she was supposed to be looking for, having never been one to spend much time gardening or with finances. Therefore, she had spent half an hour puzzling over the numbers, trying to decide if they truly did need the items listed. She imagined menu planning would be a welcome change.

For the first twenty minutes, she did indeed enjoy planning the menu more. However, after the third time she had changed one meal upon remembering that someone refused to eat a particular food the previous time it was served or that certain items were not in season, she was beginning to think that it would have been better to stick with the gardening supplies. Still, Maria was not one to give up easily, so she persisted, relying heavily on Frau Schmidt's list of standard meals, until she had something she felt was workable. Pleased with herself for accomplishing that task, she stood and left the room to find Frau Schmidt. The kindly woman scanned the list quickly, nodding satisfactorily at first, until she reached the final day. At that point, her lips turned down in a frown. "I'm afraid this will not work," she told Maria, pointing to the Potato Gulasch she had written on the menu.

Maria's brow furrowed. "Why? I know it is one of Georg's favorites as well as many of the children, and since he should be back by then, I thought it would be nice to serve something he enjoys."

"Our supplier does not carry hot paprika, and the dish would not be the same without it." As Maria thought more about it, she realized that she had never seen the dish served in the von Trapp household though she had seen more than one member of her family order it at restaurants when they went out.

"Can Evelyn not just pick some up in the market? I know I have seen it there."

Frau Schmidt's eyebrows rose, and Maria knew she had once more shown her ignorance. "Evelyn does not have time to go to the market. That's why we order everything she needs in advance."

"Of course. Perhaps I can pick some up? I plan to go into town tomorrow."

"It would not normally be something we would ask you to do."

"Oh, I don't mind at all."

"If you're sure. . ."

"Yes, I am sure everyone would appreciate it."

"Very well then, I will let Evelyn know about the menu and the fact that you are picking up the hot paprika." With that, Frau Schmidt thanked Maria and headed out of the room. Maria turned back to the gardening supply list, but she had only had time to look at a couple lines before the clock in the hall chimed the half hour and she knew it was time to retrieve Gretl and Marta from their room and prepare for the arrival of their older siblings.

The next three days flew by. It was not until the fourth day as the children were clambering for their snack that Maria remembered the hot paprika she had promised. Unfortunately, there was no time to go to the market at that moment, for the rest of her afternoon and evening was already spoken for. Tomorrow, she promised herself silently. I will go tomorrow. But then the following day, Georg arrived home from his trip and Maria forgot about the paprika completely in the ensuing jubilation.

On Friday after Georg came home, Frau Schmidt was frowning as she carried in the dinner. Maria did not think much of it at first, for she was too focused on Kurt who was trying to tell her about something that had happened at school. However, on hearing her family's exclamations of delight, she looked at the center of the table where Frau Schmidt had removed the cover of the dish to reveal the gulasch. With a sinking feeling, Maria realized she had never had a chance to pick up the hot paprika, but she held her tongue as the children eagerly passed around the dish. Perhaps Evelyn had found some other way to obtain it.

It did not take long for Maria to realize that Evelyn had not found the hot paprika and had simply made the dish without it. Though she was an excellent cook, even her skills could not compensate for a key ingredient. Maria watched with growing unease as Georg took a big bite of the meal, chewed carefully, and grimaced slightly as he swallowed. From the corner, Frau Schmidt's frown deepened. "Was Evelyn sick today?" he finally questioned.

Maria's conscience insisted she confess. "It's my fault," she admitted. "I told Frau Schmidt I would buy hot paprika at the market for the dish, and it completely slipped my mind."

"Hmm." Despite how well Maria knew Georg, she could not figure out how he felt from his tone. Was he angry at her? Disappointed? Amused? It did not help that he had raised a napkin to his face, so she could not even try to guess from his facial expression.

"I do believe we have some crackers and cheese as well as cold cuts in the kitchen. I could have Evelyn prepare a quick tray," Frau Schmidt suggested.

Georg did give the older woman a quick smile. "That would be excellent, thank you."

"We could make a picnic of it!" Maria suggested, hoping to salvage the situation. The children all immediately cheered, happy with the prospect, but Georg frowned at her.

"We eat dinner like civilized humans," he said simply, raising his eyebrows. "Just because we have to consume such common food does not mean we abandon all of our principles."

Maria's cheeks flamed. "Of course," she stammered. Would she ever grow accustomed to the ways of the upper class? She would not have imagined a suggestion of a picnic could garner such derision.

"Ah, thank you Frau Schmidt. And please thank Evelyn as well and apologize to her," Georg remarked as Frau Schmidt returned with the promised tray of food. Maria's blush deepened. She should have thought to apologize first; after all, it was her mistake. However, Georg said nothing else on the subject; instead, he simply served himself from the new tray of food before passing it to the rest of his family. Maria sensed the eyes of the children on her, but she focused on serving herself as well as Gretl and Marta and then eating her food, studiously ignoring the others' attention.

Maria excused herself before dessert, unsure if she could keep her composure any longer. Georg raised an eyebrow at her, especially when she gave the excuse of not being hungry, but he did not stop her from leaving. Though difficult, Maria forced herself to leave the room at a sedate pace, but she immediately sped up her strides once the door to the dining room closed behind her. She and Georg had only been married for three months, but she thought she had been doing well at transitioning into her new role as a baroness. She should have known that it was just an illusion. What had she been thinking, trying to fit into a role for which she was so ill-suited?

Tears blurred her vision as she hurried upstairs, and she did not see the figure in front of her until she felt herself collide with someone else. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Maria exclaimed as she staggered backwards, noting that the person she had hit dropped to the floor. "I am afraid I was not looking where I was going. I hope you are alright. Here, let me help you up." Maria reached down and helped up the woman with whom she had collided. She was young, likely around Maria's age or perhaps even a year or two younger. She had blond hair so light it was almost white and piercing blue eyes. Her attire suggested she was a maid, but Maria had never seen her before, so she assumed she was new. "What is your name?" Maria asked, having never been one to consider herself superior to the servants—after all, she was essentially one of them not long before.

"Rebekah, ma'am," the woman said, a slight stammer in her speech. "And do not worry about it; I should have been paying more attention as well. I hope you are not hurt."

"Not at all."

The other woman nodded, her head starting to lower, but she stopped after a moment and peered back at Maria. "Are you okay, ma'am? You look like you've been crying."

"I'm fine," Maria said, forcing a small smile that she was sure would fool no one.

"If you would like to talk about it, I am always happy to provide a listening ear." Maria started to shake her head, but she reconsidered. Perhaps it would be good to talk about what had happened, particularly with someone who had not been involved in the situation and therefore had not yet formed an opinion.

"Actually, if you do not mind, that would be quite nice." Rebekah nodded earnestly, and Maria beckoned her forward. She led the other woman to a down the hall of the family wing, pushing open a door near the end of the hall. It led to a sitting room that Georg had told her was intended for the mistress of the house. A door on the opposite side of the room led to a bedroom that was also intended solely for the mistress of the house though Maria had only used during Georg's recent trip, preferring to sleep in his warm, comfortable embrace as often as she could. Generally, both of them slept in the master bedroom, so Maria spent very little time in the room in which she currently stood. However, even with her limited knowledge of the habits of the upper classes, she knew it would be considered quite improper to take a young maid to Georg's sitting room even if he himself were not there.

Maria gestured for the maid to sit on one of the beautifully-upholstered sofas and, after a few seconds hesitation, she did. Maria sat down in an armchair across from her, and silence settled over them for a moment before Maria began to talk. Once she did, the whole story quickly poured out of her mouth, and Rebekah listened carefully, making noises from time to time to indicate that she understood. When Maria finally finished, Rebekah considered for a moment before remarking, "It sounds to me like an honest mistake. No one can blame you for that." Maria shook her head vehemently.

"I'm sure they did. You should have seen the way they looked at me!"

"Does your family love you, Maria?"

"Of course."

"Then I would not worry. If they love you, they understand that you were trying to do something nice for them and it just did not work out quite as you had planned. These things happen."

Maria slowly nodded, starting to feel better. Perhaps Rebekah was correct—in the grand scheme of things, it was not a huge mistake. Maybe everyone would have forgotten it already. With that thought in mind, she thanked Rebekah profusely and left to find her family. Somewhat unsurprisingly, she found them in the music room though they were not playing music on this particular day. Instead, they had spread out on the floor with a card game in front of them—even Georg, somewhat to Maria's surprise, was sitting cross-legged on the floor with the children, Gretl in his lap as they played together. Maria smiled at the scene, stepping closer. Liesl was the first to notice her. "Fr-Mother, would you like to join?" she asked. "We are just about done with this round."

"I would love to," Maria told her, seating herself next to Friedrich and Marta who were playing together. They dealt her in the next round, and she quickly became engrossed in the game, grateful that Rebekah seemed to be correct in her assessment that no one would blame her for the dinner episode.

Bedtime proceeded as it always had, and as Maria prepared herself for bed, she felt herself relaxing fully. There was no reason that she should have worried. However, as she settled into bed with a book, Georg entered, unknotting his tie. As he looked over at his wife, an uncomfortable look crossed his face. He cleared his throat before remarking, "About dinner tonight, my dear, I understand you were trying to make us happy and I do appreciate that, but in the future, perhaps you should trust the cook's advice in matters of food. After all, that is her job."

Maria flushed, dropping her eyes to her book. "Of course."

"Good. Then I suppose no more needs to be said on this subject." With that, he leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek before retiring to the bathroom to finish his nighttime preparations. He said nothing more that night on the subject but Maria could not help but feel like she was still an imposter as she lay in the opulent bed, staring at the ceiling long after his deep breathing told her that he had drifted off.

As Georg had mentioned, he said no more about the dinner fiasco, but it still weighed heavily on Maria's mind. She felt, however, that she could not talk about it more with Georg, for it seemed that it no longer bothered him, so she instead spoke more with Rebekah. The other woman was an avid listener and always ready with practical advice, and over the next two weeks, Maria found herself seeking out the maid more and more often and confessing many of her insecurities about her recent marriage. By the end of the first week, she considered the woman a true friend—something she was sure that she was not supposed to admit given her position. However, Maria decided she did not particularly care—with all the changes that had occurred in her life, she needed a friend and confidant and as much as she loved Georg, he simply could not be that person.

During their long conversations, Maria learned a good deal about Rebekah's life as well, and she found many similarities to her own story. The other woman had also lost both her parents at a relatively young age though in her case, there had been no relatives to take her in—instead, she had spent much of her childhood in an orphanage. Despite her wariness of confessing her past to others, Maria found herself confiding in Rebekah, telling her details that she had not even told Georg. It was not that she did not trust her husband—she simply did not feel that he would understand. Rebekah, however, did understand, and it made it easy to talk to her.

About two weeks after the dinner incident, Maria put the youngest girls down for their rest time and retired to her sitting room, expecting Rebekah to arrive at any moment with a tea tray to take her break with Maria as had become their custom. After she had waited in vain for half an hour, she began to grow worried. Telling herself that Rebekah had probably just been held up with some task, she stood, intending to seek her out. However, she could not find the other woman anywhere. Eventually, she found Frau Schmidt and asked the older woman what had happened to the maid. Frau Schmidt's lips immediately turned down in a frown. "I am afraid that she was not suited to the position," the older woman said.

"But why?"

Frau Schmidt seemed to consider her answer for a moment. "I spoke with the captain about the decision, and he approved," she finally remarked, skirting the question.

"Should I not have a say as well?"

"That is something you will need to discuss with the captain."

"He is in town all day."

"Then I suggest speaking with him when he returns."

"I am afraid that might be too late in this instance. Can you not just reinstate Rebekah, just this once, and I will talk with Georg tonight and get his official approval?"

Frau Schmidt's lips pressed more tightly together. "Doing something like that rarely ends well."

"Please, just this once." The older woman sighed.

"On your head be it," she finally said, shaking her head as she turned away. "You can give her the good news. I believe she is still in her room packing."

"Thank you, thank you!" With some difficulty, Maria resisted the urge to throw her arms around the older woman, knowing Frau Schmidt would not appreciate that action. Instead, she practically skipped up the stairs in her eagerness to share the good news with Rebekah. A small part of her briefly wondered what Rebekah might have done to cause the dismissal, but she quickly pushed that thought aside. Georg had notoriously high standards for everyone around him, and Frau Schmidt was not much better. Maria, on the other hand, believed in forgiving minor transgressions, particularly when the intent was good.

Rebekah, as Maria had expected, was overjoyed to hear the good news and thanked Maria profusely. Rebekah asked how she could repay Maria who assured her that all she needed was a friend. Rebekah immediately agreed to provide that friendship, starting immediately if Maria so desired. Maria agreed, and the two retired to her sitting room, quickly falling into their comfortable conversation.

SOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOMSOM

Georg let out a long breath as he finally entered his house well after dinnertime. He glanced at his watch, noting with dismay that he would be lucky to have a chance to kiss the youngest children goodnight. He had intended to return much earlier, for when he was at home, he tried to take dinner with his family as much as possible, but business had unfortunately delayed him. He was regretting agreeing to Allan's suggestion that he spy on the Nazi's for many reasons, but the most prevalent at the moment was the fact that the Nazi leadership seemed to delight in making him jump through as many hoops as possible. They would often let him know at the last minute that they needed him for something only to make him complete a series of mundane tasks with exacting specifications that ensured they took far longer than needed. Georg knew they were testing his commitment, but it did not make the absences any easier, particularly since he was not truly committed to the cause.

"You're back," a soft, feminine voice said, and Georg whirled around to see a woman he vaguely recognized standing in the hallway clad in a dress that showed more skin than some bathing costumes he had seen. His eyebrows furrowed as his tired mind struggled to place the face. The woman used his silence to approach, and he took an involuntary step back just as recognition hit. He supposed it was not too surprising that he did not recognize her immediately, for he had only seen her once before, and she had been dressed much differently at that point.

"What are you still doing here? I thought Frau Schmidt had made it clear that you would need to find another position." The woman continued to approach, her actions almost predatory, and Georg stepped back further.

"You lovely wife was kind enough to reverse her decision."

Georg was confused. "Maria? Since when does she take an interest in the staff?"

"Since she found a friend and confidant in one of them."

"You and Maria? I don't understand. . ." Georg had only one other interaction with the woman, an incredibly awkward one-sided flirtation that he had managed to escape from thanks to Frau Schmidt's timely intervention. He had rarely appreciated the efficient housekeeper more than he had when she had stepped into his study after only a perfunctory knock, set his coffee on a table, and proceeded to assure him she would handle the situation before practically dragging the maid from the room. Georg had assumed he would not have to worry about the woman anymore, and thoughts of her had truthfully slipped his mind due to his work in town that day. However, now that she was standing in front of him, one thing that he clearly remembered from his earlier interaction and the current one was that she and his wife were so dissimilar, he could not imagine what they would have in common that would lead her to confide in the maid.

"You're a man. You don't need to understand," the woman said with a dismissive wave. "Suffice to say, I know for certain that your wife is currently occupied with a good deal of homework help for your children, so that should give us plenty of time alone."

"I am not sure what gave you the impression that I would be interested in such a thing, but I am not. I ask that you return to your room at once and put on more suitable attire. I will speak with Maria and Frau Schmidt about your continued employment here, but I would not be too hasty to unpack your bag." As he spoke, Georg slipped around her, preventing her from cornering him against a wall. He instead put his back to the stairs, giving him an escape route. "Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to see my wife and children."

"This is not over," the woman assured him.

He turned back to her, eyebrows raised. "It most certainly is."

"You forget—if you countermand your wife's commands, what will that do to her already flimsy confidence?"

"I will not need to countermand them. I am sure she will do so herself when she hears the full story."

"Oh? And what is she going to tell the staff that all know it is on her orders that I stayed? It will not look too good to have her oppose your decision only to have her agree with it less than a day later." Georg cursed under his breath, knowing she was right. Some of the staff were already wary of taking any sort of orders from Maria, no matter how gently she made the requests, and he was sure that if they heard of her changing a decision the first time she had openly opposed one of his orders, they would lose even more respect for her. He would have to think of some other way to remove the maid from the house, but the first thing he needed to do was to have a talk with his wife.

He found her in the schoolroom as the maid had suggested, bent over a piece of paper. Georg leaned against the doorframe for a couple minutes, a small smile on his face as he watched her work diligently. Her tongue poked out of her mouth, an endearing habit that he had teased her endlessly for during their engagement. He had only stopped when she had come to him, genuinely worried that she had done something wrong. Fortunately, it did not take him long to convince her he did not mind the habit—using actions instead of words, of course. In fact, the habit was just a reminder to him of how special Maria was, how different from others in the upper class. He loved her all the more for it.

Reminding himself that the same could be said of the unwavering kindness which led to the current situation, he knocked gently on the door. "I thought the homework was for the children, not you," he remarked with a small smile, stepping into the room. She gave him a tired smile of her own in return.

"Friedrich just asked me to look over his paper. You know how he worries about his writing."

"He needn't do so. He's a fine writer, and he receives high marks in that class."

"It does not come as easily to him as math does, so I think he feels that he is doing something wrong." Georg nodded, realizing that her insight was probably correct. Once more, he was struck by just how lucky he was to have found someone who loved his children so completely.

"Are you almost finished?" he asked, moving to her side and letting a hand rest between her shoulder blades.

"Just one more page," she told him, nodding.

"Go ahead and finish and then I'd like to speak with you about something." Her eyebrows rose, but he simply gave her a smile of reassurance and nodded to the paper in front of her. As she bent her attention back to it, he let his fingers begin to massage the base of her neck, pleased when she gave a satisfied groan, leaning slightly into his touch. He continued to massage her neck and upper back until she finally set aside the pen she had been using, placing the paper down on the table where she was working. "Finished?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm." She let her eyes slide shut as she leaned into his touch fully, clearly enjoying the impromptu massage. Georg brought his other hand to her body as well, nudging her forward slightly so he had better access to her back. For a few minutes, he lost himself in the feel of her body beneath his hands, warm even through her clothing, and the pleased noises she was making. Eventually, however, he slowed his caresses, letting his hands drop from her body. He knew they needed to talk, the sooner the better. At the very least, she deserved to know the reasons for firing the maid.

"Would you like to join me for a nightcap in my study?" he asked.

"Truthfully, I was going to just go to bed once I was finished here. I am quite tired."

Georg nodded. "In that case, we can just talk here for a couple minutes before you go to bed." He slid into a set beside her, grabbing one of her hands in his own and pressing a kiss to the back of it. After a moment's consideration, he decided to ease into the conversation. "I understand you have become close to one of the maids."

Maria's eyes lit up. "Rebekah," she clarified eagerly. "Oh I know it is likely not proper, Georg, but she is so easy to talk to, and we have similar backgrounds. It has been wonderful to have someone to talk to who understands where I came from. Did Frau Schmidt talk to you? I know you had approved firing her, but I would really appreciate it if she stayed, and she promised me that she would not daydream again while on duty."

Georg frowned. "Is that what she told you happened?"

"Yes, she said that Frau Schmidt caught her daydreaming a couple times and was not pleased that she was not working, so she fired her. But I convinced Frau Schmidt to give her a second chance. I promised to talk about it with you tonight, but I thought you would be fine with it. Please, Georg, it would mean a lot to me if she could stay!" She grabbed his hand in both of hers, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. Georg sighed.

"Maria, Rebekah lied to you about why she was fired."

Maria's smile faded. "Why would she do that?"

"Likely because she did not want to tell you the real reason. Do you remember when we were engaged and I mentioned that Frau Schmidt does not tolerate. . . amorous behavior from the maids?" Maria nodded slowly, and Georg watched her eyes widen as the pieces slotted into place in her mind.

"You mean, she. . ."

"Made a pass at me. Twice, actually."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Georg forced himself to ignore the slightly accusatory note in her tone, reminding himself that she was not mad at him. "The first time was just this morning before I left, and I assumed that Frau Schmidt would deal with it by the time I returned. The second time occurred when I returned just now."

Maria dropped his hand, groaning. "I can't do anything right," she muttered, turning away from him. Georg's heart broke at the defeated tone of her voice, particularly given her normally vivacious spirit. He had actually thought she was doing quite well and believed she was gaining confidence in her new role, but it seemed that he had simply not been paying enough attention. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek and turned her head to face him again.

"You have actually done amazingly well, particularly given the difficult position into which you were placed. You did not have full information in this instance, and I understand why you responded as you did. I am also beginning to suspect there might be something more to this Rebekah though I cannot quite put a finger on what it is." He frowned, but it quickly became clear that Maria was not really listening.

"It wasn't just the situation with Rebekah. What about dinner a couple weeks ago?"

"Dinner?" Georg's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what she was talking about, momentarily distracted from his considerations about the maid's agenda.

"The gulasch?"

Georg's eyebrows rose, for he had honestly forgotten about that particular meal. He had not realized it had weighed on Maria's mind so much. "It was a one-time thing. You learned from it, and that is what matters in the end. You have done admirably with the menu the last two weeks."

"What about the luncheon at the Eberfields? Or the opera a few weeks ago? Or what about. . ." The litany continued, the words pouring from Maria's mouth so quickly that Georg did not even have time to try and recall the events of which she spoke. He quickly realized she was building up a number of minor events into something much greater, and he wanted to stop her before she worked herself into a frenzy. However, the torrent of words pouring from her mouth ensured he could not get a word in edgewise, so he stopped it in the best way he knew how—leaning forward, he pressed his lips firmly to hers, almost immediately inserting his tongue into her mouth. As often happened when he kissed her, he soon lost himself in her lips, and it was quite some time before either of them spoke again.

"Listening now?" he asked, smirking slightly at her dumbfounded expression when he pulled away. She nodded mutely. "Good. The truth is, Maria, that none of those things matter. You love me and our children, and that is all that I care about. I spent a lifetime learning how to behave in the situations you have mentioned, and I still make mistakes, so the fact that you have made just a few minor ones is a true testament to your ability to adapt to any situation."

"But your friends-"

"If they cannot see what you mean to me and this family, they are not true friends of mine." Maria stared at him a moment before seeming to decide that he was telling the truth. She nodded, leaning forward to rest her head against his shoulder as she embraced him.

"I still cannot believe that I trusted Rebekah," she muttered into his shirt. "I am usually a better judge of people."

Georg frowned. "I think there is perhaps more to that situation than meets the eye," he said slowly, his quick mind trying to sort through the details he had.

Pulling away, she looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I am not sure yet, but I need to make some calls. If my suspicions are correct, I think we may have a way to remove her without causing anyone to question your judgment." At her questioning look, he shook his head. "I don't want to share my suspicions without a bit more information."

"I trust you," Maria said, and Georg's face relaxed immediately into a smile at the sincerity in her words. Her unwavering trust and support was one of the things which he loved most about Maria.

True to his word, Georg sent a message to one of his contacts in the Nazi party that night. He did not hear back until two days later when his phone rang unexpectedly. "You needed something?" a low voice asked on the other end when he answered.

"I have found someone who I think may belong to you," Georg said. There was a long pause at the other end before the caller chuckled darkly.

"I thought she would be a good. . . token of our appreciation for the work you have done so far."

"No token needed," Georg told him shortly.

"You are rejecting our gift?"

"She is not a gift, and we both know it. Perhaps it would be better if I stopped dancing around the issue. I do not want to be spied on in my own home. I understand that when I am completing a task for you, I will be watched, and I have accepted that, but my home is private."

The other man let out a long breath. "Very well. I will inform her that her services are no longer needed. Would you like her to stay on a few extra days without any orders to report what she hears? It is my understanding that you have not yet. . . availed yourself of all the assets at your disposal."

"She can leave tonight."

"If you are sure."

"I am. And Mikal? You can tell whoever was in charge of this endeavor that I do not appreciate having my fidelity tested—any of it—and will likely not react so kindly the next time."

"You can tell him yourself in a few days. Train tickets are in the mail. Seems you are working your way up."

"Good." With that, Georg hung up, replacing the phone in the cradle. He stared at it a moment before standing, crossing to the liquor cabinet and pulling out a bottle. It was still relatively early in the day, but he could already feel the tension headache building behind his eyes. He supposed he should be happy that he was gaining the trust of the Nazi party—he was sure his British contacts would be thrilled. At the moment, however, he could not bring himself to feel anything but a lingering hatred toward himself for what he was doing.

A/N: Another one inspired by my children, this time by their love of paprika (though it's smoked paprika in their case-so much so that we actually travelled with it when visiting family! I draw the line at letting them put it on their oatmeal in the morning, but they eat it on just about everything else). Gulasch really isn't the same without it which led to this one-shot. I started this as a way to show that Maria's transition to baroness is not seamless, but it took on a life of its own near the end and will likely build into a small subplot that will be woven throughout future one-shots.