She took a deep breath of the mountain air, and her heart was immediately filled with gratitude. It had been so long since she set foot upon her mountain, and she felt all of the tension she had been carrying leave her body in an instant. She smiled brightly as the children took her hands, pulling her across the meadow in all of their excitement. She looked behind her to find Brigitta taking her father's hand as well, pulling him right along with them. She couldn't believe she had finally made it back, and they were all with her to experience the beautiful day. She couldn't have asked for more.
Georg watched her as she laughed and ran about with his children, completely at home on the mountaintop. He loved seeing her in that way, her spirit free and uninhibited. He loved seeing her in any light, he had to admit, but the outdoors suited her perfectly. She was perfect. Everything about her was perfect, even when she felt she was falling short.
They hadn't spoken alone since the day she visited the villa and joined him and Max for tea, and they found themselves arguing, and then some, in the bathroom. Either Otto had kept her busy with business meals, or the children kept her busy with their own antics. Getting her alone seemed to be impossible, but he knew he had to try. He desperately needed to speak with her, selfishly, he knew. He needed to share a moment with her, to feel close to her after the night they spent together. There were so many things they needed to say, even though he knew in his heart that nothing they said would change their fate.
He looked over at Otto, who had tagged along for the adventure, and he nearly rolled his eyes at the sight. He was dressed quite fashionably, certainly not suited to climb and frolic upon a mountain, and he seemed incredibly out of place. He noted that Maria did not appear overly enthusiastic that he would be joining them, but she hid it very well. In fact, Georg decided that he was the only one who could see through her sunny exterior. Only he knew the real Maria, he was certain.
She did her best to include her husband in the games they played and the little adventure they took to gather berries to go with their lunch. He sat next to her upon the picnic blanket, and she did all she could to make certain that he didn't feel like an outsider to the group. In reality, it was clear that he was completely out of his element. He seemed uninterested in their stories of the past, the memories they all shared upon the mountain. He wasn't at all thrilled about the picnic or sitting upon the ground either, and it occurred to her that, given his upbringing, he likely had never done such things in his life. He likely found them all to be terribly primitive, she thought with a chuckle.
"Where does one relieve themself up here?" He whispered into her ear, and she gave a quick laugh. She pointed to a wooded area not far from where they sat, and watched his eyes widen in disbelief. "You must be joking?"
"Where else would you go?" She laughed for a moment, but stopped when she saw how serious he was. "I thought all men liked to go outside? It's certainly easier for you than it is for me."
"Oh, Maria, that is so distasteful." She smiled, doing her best to hold back laughter.
"I grew up in these mountains. Do you really think we had any sort of plumbing up here?" He frowned, still unamused. He supposed he hadn't realized just exactly how poor she had grown up, he only knew that she did not come from a wealthy bloodline. He at least assumed she'd had indoor plumbing as a child.
"I couldn't possibly." She couldn't stop a short laugh from escaping her lips as she stood to tidy up a bit.
"Then I imagine you will find yourself most uncomfortable by the time we leave." He gave her a dirty look, and she smiled to herself as she picked up a ball and tossed it to Kurt in the distance.
Georg watched silently, pretending he was engrossed in the book he had opened upon his lap. In reality, he couldn't have been more surprised by the fact that two completely opposite people had married one another, it simply wasn't right. She belonged with someone who would appreciate her for who she was, urinating in the woods and all. He smiled a bit, remembering how appalled he was when he learned that she had instructed his daughters how to relieve themselves outdoors, but suddenly it was a fond memory. It was just another thing she had taught them that kept them all incredibly grounded.
Otto grumbled something to himself as he finally stood from his place upon the picnic blanket, and he stormed off toward the woods. He saw Maria smiling to herself, but she didn't say a word to her husband, who was clearly unamused by most things. After a few moments, she met his eyes, and they shared an understanding smile.
"His first time outdoors?" She laughed as he closed his book, finding a much more engaging pastime as she approached him.
"Shame on you, I knew you would poke fun." He feigned offense, and she laughed once more. He noticed vaguely that her smile wasn't nearly as bright when her husband was around, but he stopped himself at the thought. He needed to keep himself in line. He was surely imagining the things he wanted to see.
"A mere observation." He stood from his place upon the blanket, groaning a bit at how tight his lower back felt from sitting upon the ground.
"I believe you're the only one here who makes that noise when they stand." He scoffed, meeting her eyes sharply, but he couldn't stop himself from sharing her laughter when he saw how amused she was with herself.
"You just wait, you'll be surprised how young you'll be when you do the same." She smiled, taking a few steps closer to him. She could smell his cologne, even though it should have worn away by then. She wondered if it was cologne at all, perhaps he simply just smelled that wonderful at all times. Her knees felt a bit weak either way at their close proximity. "I've wanted to talk to you."
"Me too. I…" She nearly said she missed him, but she stopped herself, knowing that it wasn't fair to say such a thing. "It would be nice to chat."
"Perhaps you'd like to join me for lunch tomorrow? At the little cafe on the corner by your hotel." She knew Otto would come unglued if she said yes, as it was obviously quite improper for her to be alone with a man who wasn't her husband. But she didn't care in the slightest if it meant she would get to share just another moment with Georg. They would be in public, certainly nothing improper could happen anyway, she reasoned.
"Yes. Around eleven thirty or so?" Her husband had a meeting and then lunch across town. He wouldn't be back until suppertime, so she would have the entire day to herself.
"Knowing how punctual you are, you aim for eleven thirty, and I'll aim for noon." She laughed, giving him a little shove upon the arm as one of the children began calling for her to join them. He caught her hand, squeezing for a moment as they shared a smile, before he let her go.
Otto watched as he walked back toward the group, and he felt his stomach tighten at the sight of his wife chatting with the Captain. He had always heard that the Captain was an honorable, wonderful man, and he had truly been quite intimidated by him the first time they'd met. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to say he liked the man all that much, particularly when it came to the friendship and familiarity he showed with his wife.
Maria seemed so comfortable with him, confident and even a bit flirtatious, if he could dare to be so bold. Knowing her, she wasn't meaning to be, but he still didn't care for it all the same. She touched Georg's arm in an all too familiar way, and he felt his jaw clinch at the sight of their hands grasping for a moment too long. While she never mentioned a relationship other than being his employee for the summer, he knew that there had to be more to the story. He had found a stack of unopened letters in her closet one day, all from the Captain himself. Had they been opened, he would have read them all immediately, but he certainly didn't want to open them and for her to know he'd been going through her things like that.
He understood her bond with the children, more or less. She explained how they had been without a mother for years, and she had filled that void for them over the summer. She had no family of her own, so the bond between them made sense to him. But the way the Captain looked at her…the way she looked at him, it was impossible to ignore. He wondered if she really thought he hadn't noticed their glances toward one another, the way they seemed to speak with their eyes when they thought no one was looking. It filled him with rage, made him sick at the thought that there was something there, something she was keeping from him. She had never once looked at him the way she looked at the Captain.
"Are you alright, darling?" Otto met her eyes quickly, as if she'd brought him out of a trance with her words. He had been uncharacteristically quiet all day, and she couldn't decide why. He seemed terribly distracted by something, but hadn't said a word to her about it. Suddenly, he stepped closer to her before quickly taking her in his arms and pressing a thorough kiss to her lips. She couldn't believe he would kiss her right there in front of everyone, and she nearly pushed him away, but thought better of it. He pulled away on his own and gave her a smile that she couldn't quite understand.
"Much better now." She felt a bit out of sorts, blushing as he walked toward the picnic basket and pulled out an apple.
Georg's face was red, as he couldn't hide his surprise and complete rage at the sight of a kiss between them. He knew it wasn't his place to care, they were married after all, but a fire burned through his veins at the sight. She met his eyes, almost apologetically, as she clearly was uncomfortable with the display as well. But what could they have possibly said about it. Things felt quite the mess.
xxxxx
She removed her earrings as Otto sat upon the edge of the bed, taking off his shoes after the long afternoon on the mountain. They had barely spoken since they made their way back to town. Something was obviously upsetting him, she could tell by how quiet he had been all day, but she felt nervous to bring it up. His shoulders held quite a bit of tension, and she didn't want to push him if he wasn't ready to talk. Instead, she decided to focus on more positive matters.
"I've been seriously thinking about bringing Liesl back to Vienna with us. Her last day of school is tomorrow, and taking her alone will give us a chance to explore a bit easier." She kicked off her shoes, running her fingers through her hair, which felt quite tangled from the wind. "I do admit that all seven of them at once will take some preparation, but I am still hopeful they'll come soon as well. I'm thinking…"
"Why are you acting like everything is fine?" She turned to face him, eyebrows raised in surprise. Her heart began leaping about in her chest, her mind racing to be sure she was prepared for anything. She hadn't really expected him to bring anything up at all, if she were honest.
"I don't understand." He gave a quick laugh, standing to tower over her as she met his eyes in question.
"Do you think I'm daft, Maria?" She shook her head. She certainly didn't think that, but she was concerned that he was about to explode, judging by the look upon his face.
"Of course not. What are you…"
"Don't pretend you don't know! Stop pretending all the time, and be honest with me!" He shouted, and she was taken aback. She felt nervous, his height and the tension in his body making him seem quite intimidating. "Let's begin with the way you spoke to me today."
"When?"
"When you acted as if I were a fool because I didn't want to piss in the woods like an animal. You talked to me like I was a child."
"You were acting like one, I assure you." The words left her mouth without her control, but she was well on her way to losing her temper as well.
"You were entirely disrespectful to me. I'm a man! You will not speak down to me, especially in mixed company!" She laughed, unable to believe his rage over a conversation that she hadn't thought once more about since it happened.
"And you will speak to me like this?"
"I have every right!"
"Then so do I! Don't you dare act as if you are in control of me." He stepped closer, attempting to frighten her, but she stood her ground. "Are you trying to intimidate me now? Does that make you feel like a man?"
He stepped away quickly, rage overtaking him. She knew she had overstepped with her comment, but she was simply not going to allow him to push her around in that way. Their problems would never even come close to being resolved if he chose to approach her with anger. Suddenly he stopped, meeting her eyes once more, and her blood ran cold. She should have known it wasn't really about relieving himself in the woods, after all.
"I need you to be honest with me, Maria." She nodded slowly, feeling incredibly nervous for what was to come. "Did you have an inappropriate relationship with Captain Von Trapp while you were his governess?"
"I can't believe you're asking me that. I was a postulant at the time."
"You aren't denying it."
"I promise you, nothing at all happened between us when I was his governess. Why on earth would you think that?" She felt lightheaded, her body trembling, but she thought she hid it well. She wasn't lying, nothing had happened between them while she was under his employ, but she knew she was on a slippery slope. She felt disgusting for knowing she was being dishonest with him, but she had to admit she was slightly afraid to even try telling him a fraction of the truth in his current state.
"Because the way you look at him makes me think otherwise. You were nearly undressing one another with your eyes today!" She scoffed, placing her hands upon her hips as she feigned confidence. There was no way she could tell him the truth in that moment anyway, the conversation was far too heated as it was.
"So you're feeling jealous. Is that why you felt the need to kiss me like that in front of everyone? It was terribly embarrassing."
"Your damn right I kissed you in front of him! You belong to me, Maria! You are my wife!"
"Yes, he knows that! There was no need to be distasteful." He shook his head, his hands twitching with anger. She was certain they had never yelled at one another in that way, and she needed to get a grip on herself. "I promise you, there was no mad employer/employee affair, or whatever it is you're possibly imagining."
"I found the letters." She stopped, her heart nearly beating out of her chest in that moment. She had tucked the letters from Georg away, as she never had the courage to read them.
"Which letters?"
"You know exactly which fucking letters! I can see it in your eyes that you know!" Her face burned red, she couldn't help it.
"I obviously never read them."
"But you didn't dispose of them either. What do they say? Does he profess his love for you?"
"Oh, how should I know? He likely wrote to keep me updated on the children."
"Then why didn't you read them? And why did you just pretend you had no idea what I was talking about?"
"Otto…"
"No! Do not try to lie your way out of this! If those letters have nothing to hide, you would have easily read them and moved on." She shook her head, nervous to say anything at all as he paced back and forth, much like a caged animal.
"Perhaps I was afraid I would miss Salzburg too much. I didn't want to be reminded of home."
"Vienna is your home! Your home is with me!" He stopped pacing and tried to calm himself as he thought about his next course of action. She backed away just a bit, unsure of what to expect. "I believe they are love letters."
"Believe whatever you like. As you've clearly seen, I haven't read them. They must not be that important to me."
"You wouldn't have kept them if they weren't!"
"What is it you want from me, Otto?" His eyes snapped to hers, his face red with rage.
"I want you to stop making eyes at a man who is not me! I want you to tell me you love me, that I'm the only man for you! You've still never told me you love me!" She shook her head in frustration, his jealousy overwhelming.
"I've told you before, I wouldn't have married a man I didn't love." His face was suddenly quite close to hers, and he stared into her eyes with anger in his heart.
"For a former postulant, you are an incredibly dishonest, ungodly woman."
"Yes, well, for all your talk about being a man, I find you considerably lacking." She felt the sting of the back of his hand to her cheek as her body slammed against the wall behind her, her vision blurry for a moment. She was stunned to the point where it felt as if time had briefly stopped. Her mind felt blank, tears immediately falling down her cheeks from the mere shock of it all.
"Christ, Maria, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." He tried to touch her, but she pushed his hands away from her as she held back a sob. Her breathing was heavy as she did her best to absorb the situation. She couldn't believe it. He had been rough with her a couple of times, but never in her life did she believe he would ever hit her.
"You don't ever touch me again." Her words were sharp, her body trembling against her will. His eyes held complete regret, but she didn't care how he felt in the slightest. She wanted to run away, to never see him again, she didn't care.
"I cannot express how sorry I am…"
"Please go." She brought a hand to her face, her cheek hot beneath her palm. He stepped away, both of them completely shaken by the argument that had ensued between them. She watched as he gingerly stepped out of the bedroom, thankfully following her request.
Tears fell from her eyes without her control, a fog setting over her mind as she desperately tried to make sense of it all. He had jumped to the heights of his rage with her so quickly, and she wasn't sure either of them had expected things to go that far. She had intended to hurt him with her words, they both had that intention, but she couldn't believe…
She shook her head, stepping away from the wall to find her nightgown. It wasn't time for bed, but she wanted nothing more than to lie down and distance herself from the day, from him. She avoided her reflection as she brushed her teeth, the sting still quite present in her cheek as a headache was setting in. She had no idea what she was supposed to do.