A?N: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews on the first chapter and also for coming back for chapter 2! Happy reading.
Kairos - (n.) The perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement.
Once she has finished lighting the candles in the candelabra and filling the two flutes on the table with champagne, Maria returns the bottle to the ice bucket before she takes a step back and smiles as she clasps her hands together with happiness. Going into this, she hadn't intended to go so overboard. A simple meal was all she planned for them, but when she told Hede her secret she told her to make a big deal out of it. To surprise Georg, to plan something romantic and wear something he would love, and then she offered to have the children for the weekend to allow them some quality time together.
She took her up on her offer without hesitation, hence Georg being out at this very moment.
Knowing it won't be long until he returns from dropping the children off in Hallstatt, she turns away from the table and walks across the terrace before heading back inside and making a bee-line for the drawing room. His gift has been hidden atop one of the cabinets all day and although that may sound like an odd place to hide a gift, she knows her husband and children. They are terrible at minding their own business and if one of them caught onto the fact that she is planning a surprise then they would have snooped for sure. The risk of one of them finding the gift and ruining everything had been much too high, so she hid it in the last place she knew none of them would truly have thought to investigate.
She takes one of the armchairs and drags it over to the cabinet in question after entering the drawing room, a smile crossing her lips as she climbs onto it and rises onto her tiptoes to bring the box down. Pausing for a second, she lifts the lid before brushing her fingertips against the garment hidden inside and her heart swells as tears gather in the corners of her eyes. It is simple, nothing too fancy, but she knows Georg will admire the simplicity and he will be over the moon at her news regardless. Oh, she cannot wait to see the look on his face when she surprises him. In all honesty, just the thought of that moment makes her want to forget all about the meal she has planned and give it to him the moment he gets home, but she won't.
She wants to spoil him.
Whenever she is unwell or he merely feels like doing something to brighten her day a little, he brings her home the loveliest gifts.
Just the other week, for no reason at all, he went into town while she was watching the children swim in the lake and when he got back he had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hand. Gentians, monkshoods, bellflowers…any flower she could possibly think of, it was among them. She had no idea why he bought them, as far as she could recall she had done nothing special, but he simply pulled her into his arms and softly kissed her. He told her there was no reason, he just wanted to make her smile.
Just once, she wants to do the same for him.
She wants to be the one to surprise him for no reason, but he will never hear of it or allow her and the children to spoil him unless it is a special occasion and he is unable to refuse. She is powerless to keep from smiling as she thinks about it now, knowing that since he is still out and has no idea she is doing this for him, he will be unable to refuse when he comes home and he is going to have to allow her to fawn over him all night. He is going to grumble initially, she knows, and he will complain that she has gone to all this trouble for nothing, but she will refuse to listen to him and just kiss him to shut him up if necessary. Or she may just kiss him regardless. Truthfully, knowing her, it will probably be the latter.
Glancing over her shoulder at the grandfather clock, she gasps when she sees the time. Her husband will be home in less than fifteen minutes and she still needs to run upstairs and change into the dress she bought for this evening. She gets down from the chair and returns the lid to the box in her hand before leaving the drawing room and heading back to the garden terrace. She looks around for just a second, trying to work out where to hide the gift for the time being, before figuring that underneath her chair will be perfect. Georg bought new coverings for them recently, so they were a true lifesaver.
She heads back inside after sliding the gift under the chair and smoothing her skirt down, but before she even has the chance to reach the stairs the front door opens and her husband wanders in, hat in hand. Stopping in her tracks at the foot of the stairs, she gives him a smile as he shuts the door behind him and pushes a hand through his hair, but the look he gives her as he approaches makes it obvious that he knows that smile means more than she is letting on. "Mmm, I should have known something was going on when Hede offered to have the children stay with her out of the blue," He groans as he descends the stairs and walks past her, throwing his hat onto the chair. "Maria, what have you done?"
"Oh, what a charming way to great your wife!" She tuts at him, bringing a hand to her chest in mock offence. "And here I was, thinking you must have missed me having been gone the whole afternoon."
He shakes his head. "The silent drive home was rather peaceful, honestly."
"Oh, I see," She laughs as she walks over to him, her hands coming to settle on his waist through his jacket. "Bored of me already, Captain, is that it?"
"It has been almost a year since the wedding," He reminds her while trailing his hands down her arms. "It's a miracle I lasted this long."
She looks at him in silence for a second. "You are very, very close to spending the night down here."
"Really, Baroness? You're going to make me spend the night on the settee?"
"Who said anything about the settee? The floor would be a more suitable punishment, I think."
"All right, all right, all right," He huffs, rolling his eyes while taking her face in his hands. "We can stand here arguing all night long or you can simply shut up and let me kiss you. The choice is entirely yours."
She hums, pretending to think it over as she curls her hands into the back of his jacket, but before she has chance to respond his lips are on hers and she is chuckling into his mouth. His hands are rather cold against her skin, but she cares terribly little as she sinks into his embrace and meets him kiss for kiss. "You never answered my question," He breathes between kisses, one hand burying itself in her hair as the other ventures down to her waist, drawing her close. "I want to know what you have been up to."
"Do you now? Interesting…" She mumbles, brushing her lips against his twice more before bringing a hand to his chest and pushing him back a little so she can look at him. "You're right. I have been up to something the past couple days and the children spending the weekend with your sister is part of it. I know you detest surprises and you see no real need for me to do things for you, but this is important to me. I...I am so excited about this and wanted to make it special, so I planned for us to have dinner and I even went shopping with Liesl the other day for a new dress. Please, just this once, will you just go along with it? I swear you won't regret doing it. I mean, I really hope you're not going to regret it."
He sighs and strokes her cheek with the back of a hand. "You really are excited, aren't you, darling?"
"I have never been this excited about anything," She admits. "And that's saying something."
"Oh, all right," He relents. "Just this once, since you're so looking forward to it, I'll go along with it."
"Thank you," She grins, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I need to change still, so just wait in the lounge."
He nods his response before chuckling when she turns and all but runs up the stairs, his eyes following her before he shakes his head once she is out of sight and heads for the lounge. He has no idea what to expect. This is Maria, meaning whatever she has planned is either the most extravagant or simple thing in the world.
He has no doubt, however, that he is going to love whatever it is regardless.
No doubt in the slightest.
She has to admit she was rather unsure about the dress when Liesl directed her attention to it in the store the other day, but she is certain it is the most beautiful dress she has ever owned now she has it on and she never wants to take it off. It has spaghetti straps and is almost completely white, save for the tiny red roses embroidered all over it, and she knows for a fact her husband will just love the way it hugs her in all the right places. It is shorter than her other dresses, ending inches above her knees, but she is fine with it. Since marrying Georg, her confidence has increased tenfold and all he has to do is look at her a certain way and she feels like the most attractive woman that ever lived.
Running her hands down the skirt of the dress, she checks her appearance one last time in the mirror, straightening her fringe, before turning and walking across the room to her new shoes. She slides her feet into them before reaching for the cardigan that is draped over the back of the chair at her vanity and leaving the room. While she walks, she slips her arms into the sleeves of the cardigan and fastens the top button before combing her fingers through her hair as she goes downstairs and heads for the lounge. Her husband looks up from the book in his hand the second she walks in, her heart starting to flutter in her chest at the look on his face as he places the book on the small table and gets to his feet.
"This is pretty…" He says lowly after approaching her, playing with the lacy hem of her dress.
Her breath trembles in anticipation as her gaze moves between his and his lips. "You…you think so?"
"Mmm…" He hums as his hands move to claim her waist.
Only when her back hits the wall with a soft thud does she realize he has been walking her backwards, but before she can form a coherent thought his lips have captured hers in a long, deep, drugging kiss. Her head spins and she fails to make sense of much of anything for a time, especially when he reaches down and brings her leg up to wrap around his waist, but when he sighs into her mouth she snaps out of the trance she is in. Placing a hand on the back of his neck, she plays with the greying hair she finds there before she makes a gentle sound in the back of her throat when his hands settle on her hips and he deepens the kiss. She indulges him for a time, savouring the moment, but then something hits her.
"We should stop," She pants between kisses. "The children may not be here, but the servants are."
"You make a good point," He agrees. "Franz would be scarred."
She is unable to keep from breaking the kiss as she bursts into laughter, the thought of the miserable man's reaction should he come upon them like this amusing her to no end, and her heart swells when Georg caresses her face tenderly. "Why do you stare at me that way?" She asks with a tilt of her head.
"Because you are the loveliest creature I have ever seen." He tells her
"Oh, don't make me blush." She sucks on her bottom lip, losing his gaze as her cheeks heat up.
Chuckling, he kisses her on the forehead before she looks up into his eyes once again and they share a smile as he takes her hand. "Now, your little surprise," He reminds her. "Are you going to let me see?"
"Frau Schmidt and Cook helped me out a little, but I wanted to do most of it by myself to make it a bit more special, so I apologize if you were expecting something more grand," She explains as she guides him through the hall to the French doors, the two of them sharing a look when she glances over her shoulder at him before she opens one of the doors and leads him out onto the terrace. She turns her attention to the table, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing Frau Schmidt brought the dinner outside on time, and when she looks at him again happiness runs through her veins at the expression on his face. "The setup pales in comparison to those restaurants in Paris, I know, but…but I hope that it's all right."
"All right? Maria, this is amazing." He drops her hand to run his own up and down her back.
"Really? You mean that?" She seems genuinely surprised by his response.
Nodding, he turns to her and wraps his arms around her so he can pull her close. "Of course, the meal and set-up are different to the meals and set-ups we were used to on our honeymoon, but they don't pale in comparison in any sense. This means so much more to me than if you made us a reservation at a restaurant somewhere, too. You did this because it was important to you, not because you had any obligation to do it. It must have taken you forever, my darling, and I love you so much for doing this."
"I love you too," She reassures him, allowing him to kiss her softly.
"Shall we sit down?" He asks as he takes an arm from around her and gestures to the chair closest to them, the love he has for her intensifying as she nods before he releases her from his arms and draws out the chair for her. Once she has sat down and he has tucked the chair in, he rubs her shoulders and kisses the top of her head before walking around to the other side of the table and sitting down. They sit in comfortable silence for a time, sipping at their champagne and placing their napkins in their laps, but he realizes when he glances at her once again that she seems rather anxious. "Maria? What is it?"
Her hands wring together under the table as she looks him in the eye. "There is a reason why I did all this. Why I wanted to make tonight as special as possible for you. For us. I received some news a little over a month ago and wanted to tell you the moment I found out, but it was too early and I knew the chances of something going wrong were high. I decided to hold off until I could be sure things would be fine and, knock on wood, it seems as though it is. I wanted to give you something for the occasion, but I wanted it to be something unique, so I decided against getting something from a store and I…I decided to make something instead." She leans down then, reaching under her chair for the little box.
She smiles as she hands the box to him, being mindful of the candles, and settles in her chair again.
"What is it?" He raises an eyebrow.
"My love, the whole point of a gift is you find that out yourself," She smirks. "Open it and see."
Doing just that, he removes the lid and tucks it beneath the box before moving the tissue paper aside and all but freezing for a moment when he realizes what it is. Once the initial shock has worn off a bit, he reaches into the box and takes out the tiny matinee jacket she has knitted before looking up at her again. "Please tell me I'm right," He all but begs, his voice trembling with emotion. "You're telling me what I think you're telling me, aren't you?"
She gives him a tearful nod in response. "I…I'm four months pregnant. I have the letter if you need it."
"No," He shakes his head with a chuckle. "I believe you. I just have no idea how I never worked it out! Looking back on the past couple weeks now, it was so glaringly obvious!"
"It was?" She laughs.
"You are so tired at the moment and, most nights, you are already fast asleep by the time I join you in bed. The smell of milk is turning your stomach now too, I noticed at breakfast a couple mornings ago because you had to forego your coffee and you never do that," They chuckle at that as he returns the jacket to the box and pulls the lid back in place, his fingers curling around her own once he has laid his hand palm-up on the table and she has slipped hers into it. "Is there anything I can do to make things more manageable for you? You have so much on your plate at the moment, sweetheart, and the last thing I want is you stressing yourself out unnecessarily. I truly want to help you. In any way that I can."
Running her thumb over his knuckles, she smiles. "I can manage for the moment, but I promise to let you know if things start becoming a little too much for me to deal with."
"Come here," He lets go of her hand and places the box on the table before moving his chair back, his gaze following her as she rises from her chair and walks around the table before he lowers her into his lap by the waist. Sitting in silence for a minute, he waits for her to slip an arm around his shoulders to balance herself before he kisses the side of her head and presses a hand to her belly. He traces gentle circles onto it as he looks down at his hand, a lump coming to his throat when she rests her hand over his and entwines their fingers. Mere minutes have gone by since he found out she has their first baby growing inside her and he already has such a fierce urge to protect it – protect them – as best he can. "Our first baby…" He breathes, lifting his gaze back to hers when she strokes his hair with her fingers.
"You have no idea how hard it was to keep my mouth shut about this for so long."
"I really am very much impressed," He teases. "You never shut up, so how you did this is beyond me."
"Captain, your child is going to be taking over my body for the next several months. I would think the very least you could do is be a little nicer to me." She pouts, sitting herself a little further up in his lap.
"You daft thing," He scoffs before leaning in to kiss her. "You know I love you."
"Mmm, my current condition is something of a giveaway," She jests. "Luckily for you, I love you too."
"It is," He agrees, his lips inches from hers. "It is very, very lucky for me…"
Seconds later, his lips are on hers again and he is kissing her with all the tenderness as he can muster while she laces her arms around his neck and tangles her fingers in his hair. He only intended for it to be a simple kiss, simply to reaffirm his love for her, but when she flicks her tongue against his bottom lip he is powerless to resist her advances and gives in to her. Their once chaste kiss quickly takes on a much more passionate nature, the two of them sinking into it with the urge of old lovers. After a time, a thought enters his head and he smirks against her mouth before easing an arm beneath her legs and standing from the chair with her so he can carry her back inside the warmth of the house.
"Wait a minute," She breaks the kiss, her breathing uneven. "What about dinner?"
"Dinner can wait," Is his only response before he presses his lips to hers again, the love he has for her deepening when she chuckles into his mouth while he carries her bridal style through the hall and up the stairs to the second floor. Without breaking the kiss for so much as a moment, he walks along the gallery before turning onto the corridor that will lead them to their room. Once they reach their door, he feels her take an arm from around his neck so she can reach behind her and turn the door handle. She opens the door and he carries her inside, shutting the door with his foot once she has both arms wrapped around his neck again, and they hum with delight as he carries her to the bed and climbs on.
Laying her down atop the covers, he pulls back for a moment to unbutton his jacket and shrug it from his shoulders and it is then that he sees her handiwork. She has dimmed the lights, letting the candles around the room cast the warmest, most beautiful glow, she has scattered rose petals across the bed and one of the records they bought in Paris is playing on the little gramophone. He lets his jacket drop to the floor after removing it, shaking his head as he covers her body with his again before brushing a warm kiss against her lips. "When you said you thought of everything, you really meant it, didn't you?"
"I told you…" She panted, reaching up to brush his hair from his forehead. "I wanted it to be perfect."
"It has been, my love," He reassures her. "Tonight has been nothing short of perfect."
"Good," She whispers. "Now, stop your talking and make love to me before I get cross."
Funnily enough, she has no need to tell him twice.
"Cake? You're telling me we're actually having cake for dinner?" She laughs while sitting up in bed as midnight nears, her gaze fixed on her husband as she watches him re-enter the bedroom and wander over to her with half a Linzer torte on a plate.
"I had three options," He shrugs as he hands her the plate and forks before pulling back the quilt and climbing into bed beside her. "My first option was to go wake Cook and ask her if she would spend the rest of the night slaving away in the kitchen, but the thought of her beating me with that rolling pin of hers was far from appealing so I decided against it. My second option was to try and make something myself, but that would have only resulted in me burning the house to the ground and I think we could do without that, so cake was the only option in the end. Anyway, what are you complaining for? You would have Linzer torte for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I allowed you to and you know you would."
Using her fork to break off some cake, she puts it in her mouth and mumbles: "What made you think I was complaining? This is the best dinner ever."
"Not a word to Kurt about this, I mean it," He chuckles. "He would kill us both, seriously, we're forever refusing to let him have cake for his dinner."
"I'll just say it was all your idea if he finds out," She shakes her head. "I'll tell him you made me."
"You think he would believe that?"
"Kurt adores me. I can do no wrong in his eyes, so I know he would believe that."
He puts his fork down for a second. "You would do that to me? Let me take the blame for this?"
"You are to blame. You could have come up here with anything, but you chose cake." She teases.
"If it bothers you that much, I'll take it back." He reaches for the plate in her hand, laughing heartily when she slaps his hand away.
The two of them share a smile when he pulls his hand back only to slip his arm around her shoulders, his lips finding her neck before he kisses her there and allows her to cuddle up to him for warmth as she puts another forkful of cake in her mouth. "While we're on the subject of our children," He says. "Do they know about the baby yet?"
"Liesl does. I had to go for a blood test last week, but I thought it would be a bad idea to go on my own given I go lightheaded when it comes to needles. I told her about the baby in the waiting room, but I made her promise she would keep it to herself," She tells him. "I want to tell the others soon because I want to see their faces, Gretl's especially since she has been mithering me constantly about having a baby for months now, but I think I want it to be our secret for a little while. I mean, with the exception of Liesl. I wanted you to be first to know, but it just didn't pan out like that and I really am sorry."
"No, it's all right," He sooths. "I may not have been first to know, but it doesn't make it less special."
"Truly?" She looks him in the eye.
"Truly." He nods, setting his fork down so he can rest his hand on the silken skin of her belly beneath the covers. "Maria, I had a part in creating this baby and that means more to me than whether or not I was the first to know. Besides, I know now and I can look forward to the next couple of months with you and that means absolutely everything to me."
"I still can't believe there's a baby growing inside me," She shakes her head. "It feels so surreal."
"Just wait until it starts moving and kicking. Agathe loved that about her pregnancies." He smiles.
Bringing a hand to his chest, she kisses his cheek. "You always make her sound like a grand mother."
"She was. She was a natural and I have no doubt you are going to be the exact same," He admits.
"You're going to help me though, right? You'll teach me how to do things?" She asks him.
He kisses her brow. "I am going to help you with everything. You and I are in this together, promise."
"Thank you, darling." She whispers before brushing a kiss against his lips.
A comfortable silence falls over them as they eat the last of their Linzer torte, and once the plate has been cleared and Georg has set it down on his nightstand they begin to settle down to sleep. Turning the lamps off on their nightstands, they lie down and Maria allows him to wrap his arms around her as she rests her head on his chest and buries her nose in the curls there. "We should take advantage of the children's absence and get away for the day tomorrow," She hears him sigh as he runs a hand up and down her back. "We could drive to Innsbruck and spend the afternoon there, then we can stop at a restaurant for dinner on the way home."
"Oh, I would love that," She tilts her head back on his chest with a smile.
"You can even drag me into all those little stores you like after tonight." He kisses the tip of her nose.
She grins. "Tonight was a success then?"
"Tonight was wonderful and I loved every moment," He assures her. "But now I think it's time to sleep."
"I agree," She murmurs sleepily, tucking her head into his neck and draping an arm across his stomach. "Goodnight, Georg."
"Goodnight, my love," He says into the darkness of the room. "Sleep well."
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I truly hope you liked this one and would love for you to leave a review to let me know your thoughts if you have the time. See you all in the next one!