When The Lord Closes A Door
Chapter 6
Elsa held the phone to her ear and tried to breathe evenly. "Yes Hilda," she said to the person on the other end of the line. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation. No, no, please don't worry yourself about it. I'll sort it out with Georg. Yes, that's right." She paused as she listened to her friend continue to prattle along. "Yes? Good. I'll see you next week. Goodbye."
As her friend rung off and the line went dead, Elsa stared at the receiver still in her hand. She chewed on her lip and wrapped her polished fingernails on the table next to her. Could it possibly be true? She wondered. No, of course not. It had to be a mistake. But Hilda had been so sure of what she'd seen: Georg, in the Mirabell Gardens, embracing a woman who looked remarkably like the young governess who had been at the party he had thrown for Elsa the previous year just before their engagement.
The news had hit Elsa hard. Fraulein Maria was safely back at the abbey, wasn't she? The young governess had fled the night of the party and never returned and so Elsa had all but assumed that she had stayed at the cloistered convent to become a nun. But yet, she was out meeting Georg.
Elsa gently placed the receiver back on the telephone and walked to the other side of the parlour where she opened her cigarette case and took one out however as she went to place the cigarette in her mouth, she remembered how Georg didn't like her to smoke in the house. Georg! At the thought of her husband and Fraulein Maria, Elsa slammed the cigarette case down on the table before she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
How could she have been so blinded? Elsa wondered. Normally she noticed everything yet somehow, she'd missed this.
She shook her head. Georg was no ordinary man, she had known that for years. When his first wife died, she'd left him with a terrible heartache and Elsa liked to credit herself with bringing some meaning back into his life. Why, Georg himself had told her that too and they had enjoyed a very pleasant and respectful courtship before he had brought her to Salzburg to meet his children.
That's when everything started to unwind.
Almost immediately, Elsa had noticed the change in Georg's disposition: calm, relaxed, more at home among the birds and the flowers and the wind that moves through the trees like a restless sea. Then she had met the governess. Young, attractive and soaked with water – Georg would have hardly been a man if he hadn't noticed her. Elsa had quickly retreated into the house as Georg stared daggers at Fraulein Maria after she had inadvertently tipped his children into the lake.
While she hadn't been privy to what went on between them out on the boat landing, only minutes later Georg arrived in the parlour, sung with his children and appeared to be reunited with them as they shared a hug and a laugh. But rather than include her in their family moment, Georg disappeared out to the hallway to speak to Fraulein Maria, who was still dripping wet.
After that, Georg changed. He was no longer the solemn, brooding man that she'd met in Vienna several years before. He had become bright, vibrant, joyful but annoyingly, he always seemed to be hanging around Fraulein Maria, even when she wasn't with his children.
Elsa had put up her guard: watching Georg's every move and unhappily, she had noticed the growing attraction between her Captain and his governess. More than once she'd seen the way they would look at each other: after the puppet show and when Georg sang Edelweiss for the entire family. Elsa had been afraid: she knew Georg was slipping from her grasp. In desperation to focus his attentions back on her, she had suggested the grand and glorious party that Georg threw for her only weeks later. Elsa knew that just a public display of affection could hardly be ignored and that, at least to the society of Salzburg, a proposal of marriage would follow shortly afterwards.
But then her worst nightmare happened: she had walked out onto the back patio during the middle of the party to see Georg and Fraulein Maria in each other's arms dancing. The look on both their faces told the tale of their true feelings for each other. And even after the children had performed their goodnight song, she saw Georg's eyes searching for Fraulein Maria, and not her, across the room.
Elsa was not proud of what she did next, persuading Fraulein Maria to return to the abbey, but she was so desperate to hang onto Georg. Thankfully he never found out what she had done and only days after the party, Georg proposed to her.
Everything after that had gone exactly to plan: they had married in an extravagant ceremony then gone on a luxurious honeymoon where they were enjoyed the pleasures of various society functions all over Europe.
Elsa was happy, and at least she thought Georg was happy too. He certainly had lived up to his reputation as being an excellent lover in bed, although she sensed he was a little put out by her request to have separate rooms. Elsa knew she was probably a little crazy to want to be apart from such a handsome and desirable man like Georg, but after years being married previously then years alone as a widow, she felt too set in her ways to wish to have her private space invaded. Also, since they'd both had been married before and as mature adults, she didn't think either of them needed to behave like hormonal teenagers. Besides, she had rationalised to herself, it was hardly the 'done thing' in a high-class society marriage like theirs to constantly occupy a bedroom together when she could certainly just share his bed anytime she wished to. She couldn't imagine what her friends would have said if they'd found out she was sharing a bedroom with her husband! Elsa shuddered at the thought.
But perhaps, Elsa wondered to herself, what if she had been more attentive to Georg's needs rather than her own? Maybe he wouldn't have strayed… No, Elsa scolded herself. She didn't know for sure that he had… she only knew what her friend Hilda had told her on the telephone. Elsa didn't know whether Georg was indeed having an affair with Fraulein Maria or her friend was mistaken and the whole situation was completely innocent accompanied by some sort of explanation. Elsa had no way of knowing until she spoke to Georg.
Almost right on cue, Elsa heard the front door open and Georg's familiar footsteps echo throughout the grand hallway.
Elsa took a deep breath and ran her hand over her impeccably coiffed hair and forced a smile like nothing was wrong for when Georg entered the parlour a moment later.
"Ah, Elsa. There you are," Georg remarked as he crossed the room and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
He was trying to pretend that nothing was wrong when in fact he still felt incredibly rattled. After Maria had left him, Georg spent the next hour wandering the gardens trying to process what had gone on between them that morning. He'd been fighting his feelings for Maria and bottling them up for so long that in a way he wasn't that surprised that finally something snapped and everything had rushed out. But he did feel a bit ashamed at himself for actually propositioning Maria to have an affair. He knew she was right though – having an affair was wrong and he'd was thankful that at least one of them had enough sense to put an end to things between them before they'd gone too far. Nevertheless, the way things had ended between them had shaken him up and he felt like he had lost her all over again.
"How was your day?" asked Elsa, rousing Georg from his thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh, fine. Just fine," he replied absently as he moved to the other side of the room and began to pour himself a brandy. "And how was your day?"
Elsa paused. "Interesting," she replied in a calm, even voice.
"Oh?" Georg turned his head slightly back towards her.
"Yes," Elsa continued steadily as she took a step in his direction. "I was just speaking to Hilda on the telephone."
Georg chuckled as he took a sip of his brandy. Countess Hilda von Doss: one of Elsa's closest friends and the most incredible gossip he'd ever encountered. "So, who was the poor sod she was gossiping about this time?" he asked with a smirk.
"You, Georg," Elsa said bluntly.
All at once the smirk disappeared from Georg's face. "W-what?" he spluttered, completely taken by surprise. "I don't understand."
"I don't understand either," she replied. "I was hoping that perhaps you could help me."
Georg narrowed his eyes trying to figure out what on earth Hilda could have been saying about him. Generally, as a well-known figure around the business and social circles of Salzburg, Georg tried to live a life above reproach. His only point of weakness was Maria. Did Hilda know anything about him and Maria? Georg wondered. As the master of interrogation, Georg knew he only had moments to get his story straight in his head before Elsa started probing.
"Georg, I'd like a truthful answer from you: were you, or were you not at the Mirabell Gardens today?"
At once Georg felt the blood drain from his face. Trying to remain as calm as he could and putting on his best poker face, he began to think about how he should reply. Clearly Elsa knew something about his whereabouts that day and so lying outright to her face was not a good idea. However, he had to be careful not to reveal what had occurred that morning with Maria. While he had a clear conscience that nothing had actually happened between him and Maria – they hadn't even kissed for goodness sake, Georg knew the situation with Maria was too delicate and complicated for Elsa to really find out about. But he decided to stick as close to the truth as possible as it would be too easy to be caught out in a lie.
"Uh, yes," he answered Elsa honestly. "I took a walk through the gardens after one of my appointments this morning. The spring flowers there are really quite lovely."
"I see," Elsa said flatly. "And were you alone?"
Georg knew he had to tread very carefully. "Why do you ask?" he threw the question back at her.
"Because," Elsa said slowly taking another step towards him, "when a good friend of mine calls me and tells me she's seen my husband in the arms of another woman, I want to know whether it's true or not."
"Another woman?" Georg's mouth went dry. He cursed silently. Elsa did know about Maria.
"Yes," Elsa replied. "A woman, according to Hilda, that looked remarkably like the young governess that was at the party last year. Fraulein Maria." When Georg said nothing, she continued. "Of course I could barely believe my ears, especially when Fraulein Maria had apparently returned to the abbey to become a nun, so I asked her whether she was sure. Hilda told me she was absolutely certain it was the same woman as she would have recognised that completely unglamorous mop of short, golden hair anywhere." Elsa paused and stared intently at Georg. "So Georg you still haven't answered my question: were you alone at the gardens?"
Georg swallowed hard, he couldn't deflect Elsa any longer. "No, I was not." As Elsa's eyes widened at his confession, he put up his hand. "But Elsa, it's not what it looks like…"
"Not what it looks like?" Elsa snapped back.
"…We're just friends."
"Just friends? Are you sure? Because from what Hilda tells me, the two of you seemed very close." Elsa could see Georg was starting to look uncomfortable. "I would have thought it was highly inappropriate for a nun to be throwing herself at a married man. Perhaps I should give Nonnberg Abbey a call and let them know about the behaviours of one of their Sisters."
Georg winced. With Elsa's threat to call the abbey, he knew he'd had to reveal Maria's actual vocation. "Err… she's not a nun."
"She's not a nun?" Elsa repeated, her voice getting louder and shriller.
"No," Georg replied. "She never took her vows and left the abbey many months ago."
Elsa opened her mouth but no sound came out. She closed it again before she found her voice. "H-how? W-why?" Elsa stammered.
Georg tried to act as casual as possible trying not to reveal Maria's true reason for not becoming a nun: him. "Oh Elsa, could you have honestly seen Maria actually conforming to the disciplines of the convent? She's far too loud and active. Remember how she never used to sit still or be quiet? I think the Reverend Mother had had doubts about Maria's ability to live up to the expectations of being a Sister a long time before she'd sent her away to be a governess for the children. I think she's in a much better place now than she would have been cooped up in that cloistered abbey. She's now a governess for another family across town."
"Oh?" Elsa raised her eyebrows. "You seem to know quite a lot about her."
"We've just talked a bit, I suppose," he dismissed her accusation with a shrug.
But Elsa looked like she was just about to explode. "Georg! This is getting worse," she cried. "I don't know what to make of any of this!"
Georg knew he had to calm her down. "Elsa! There is nothing 'to make' about this. We are friends, and that's all." When Elsa didn't look convinced, Georg knew he need to give her more explanation, while still keeping his true feelings for Maria secret. "Look, I bumped into her by accident several months ago and we've met up every once in a while for her to catch up with how the children are."
"Even though the children aren't even here?" Elsa was skeptical.
Georg shrugged again noncommittedly. "I just let her know what they have been doing from the letters they send me from school."
Elsa narrowed her eyes. "And what about Hilda's report of Fraulein Maria being in your arms."
Georg swore silently to himself. Damn! He had forgotten that little detail that Hilda had apparently seen. He looked at Elsa blankly, like he didn't know what she was talking about. "It's obviously incorrect," he lied through his teeth. "I don't know what she's talking about, unless Hilda happened to somehow see me steady Maria and prevent her falling when she accidently tripped over a lose stone. You do remember how clumsy she can be, don't you?"
Elsa looked at him warily, like she wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. "Why didn't you tell me about Fraulein Maria before now?"
Georg had been waiting for this question and he quickly recited his prepared answer to Elsa. "I didn't think you'd understand and I thought you'd jump to the wrong conclusion."
"You're right. I don't understand and I have jumped to that conclusion," Elsa snapped. "So Georg, I'm going to ask you directly. Are you having an affair?"
Even though Georg was in love with Maria and had clearly wanted more from her, as nothing had actually happened between them, he was able to look Elsa straight in the eye and tell her truthfully. "No, I am not."
Georg watched Elsa breathe a sigh of relief. "Elsa," he told her gently. "I've told you everything."
Elsa bit down on her lip in quiet contemplation. While part of her believed him, the other part of her was still suspicious, knowing the obvious attraction there had been between Georg and the governess. Elsa shook her head sadly. "No, not everything," she whispered, almost to herself. "You left out the part about how you're still in love with her." Now it was Georg's turn to be shocked. His eyes widened.
"Yes," she told him. "I've known for a while how you feel about the girl." Georg opened his mouth to reply but she stopped him. "But Georg, you chose me. You proposed to me. I am your wife now. And you cavorting around town with your former governess has embarrassed me. How am I to face my friends again who are already asking questions about your faithfulness to me? Whether or not these meetings with the governess are purely innocent like you claim, I want to ask that you stop seeing her completely."
Georg ran one hand over his face as he thought about what Elsa wanted him to do. Maria had made it clear that they couldn't see each other again and Elsa didn't want him to see Maria either. It seemed as though he had no choice. "Alright," he nodded. "I won't see her again."