Opportunity Knocks at Every Man's Door
"A very little key will open a very heavy door."
— Charles Dickens
After Maria had made it to her room that night, she had turned down the covers, crawled into bed, and turned out the light. Yet, she found that sleep would not come: for over an hour, she tossed and turned. The many photographs of the Captain were burned into her eyelids as though she had been the one who took them. Realizing there were too many thoughts in her head to yield to sleep any time soon, she finally got out of bed and opened her wardrobe.
She pulled out the photo folio from its hiding place and set it on the windowsill in the moonlight. She looked down upon the Captain's face, then over to the Baroness. She looked out over the lake and closed her eyes as she retrieved the most recent image in her mind of the Captain, the piercing look he had given her earlier yesterday morning when he was standing by the garage. She layered that image of the Captain over top of this one in the photograph and she realized that he had changed very little. A few grey hairs now graced his temples and he now had the chiseled face of a grown man. He was so devilishly handsome! Maria tried to shake some sense into her head since a postulant probably should not be noticing such things. However, she was confident that the Reverend Mother would encourage her to be appreciative of all of God's creations: the flowers, the bees, the mountains, the sky, and handsome sea captains.
She peered down at the photo again and sighed. Once upon a time, in her imagination, she saw herself standing beside a man like the Captain as his bride. She scoffed and rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of the thought now: she would never get married. Her life's path was laid out before her and she would most certainly avoid the heartbreak the Captain had endured when his wife had died so long as she stayed hidden behind the walls of Nonnberg. Maria knew that God's love was uncomplicated and eternal and that should be enough for her lonely soul…shouldn't it? Maria sighed and looked out over the lake again and gently shrugged her shoulders in disinterest.
But if she was completely honest with herself, she was not disinterested. She could not understand how something like marriage and family, so long ago swept away from her daily thoughts, was pushing its way back into her consciousness. Had the Reverend Mother planned for something like this to happen? Was it the children or was it the Captain? Something about the Captain, even though he would never be the one, made her reconsider some of the things she had not thought about for a long time. Maybe she could choose a different path?
How was it that this one man, someone she had just met, could at once make her feel so strange and warm, but then a moment later all she wanted to do was wring his bloody neck! The neck wringing was not a new sensation to Maria. Indeed, most of the boys and young men that she had been close to growing up usually had that effect on her. All her life she had not really considered that there would ever be a kind enough man to give her heart to. Maria was fiercely independent and would not tolerate anyone, her uncle for example, who was always criticizing her and trying to change her. The past day and half with the children had already shown her the simple pleasures she could have when not struggling through life on her own.
Maria had never really had a family until she came to the Abbey, but when she arrived, the sisters provided a safety net she never had possessed before. Now that she has spent almost two full days at the villa, she knew she was quickly becoming attached to the seven Von Trapp children. They depended on her, and in many respects, Maria was starting to depend on them. Maria scratched her chin pensively. She believed that she liked the idea of having children of her own someday; her time with the children had reminded her of that. However, unless she adopted a horde of children from the Abbey orphanage, there would be a very important prerequisite to having her own children: a man.
There wasn't any man this side of the Atlantic Ocean who would ever be attracted to her. Maria learned that all through her school years. Any boy she was interested in was already taken by the popular girls, leaving her on the outside looking in. When she was in elementary school, Maria would just play with the boys during free time and join in their ball games or rough-housing. It was a fun existence and the idea of love wasn't something she needed to complicate things.
In high school there were a few boys that had asked her out for ice cream, but they didn't usually call twice. She knew that her uncle instilled fear in many of them, and so they didn't want to return once they had encountered him nor did they wish to walk Maria home. Maria realized that many people she had met in her life were put off by her brutal honesty: she tended to say whatever she felt. Maria giggled as she thought of Simon, the boy from high school who ended up with a bloody nose because he decided to take liberties with her while they were walking together in the gardens.
As she entered her teens, Maria lacked the traditional family structure that could show her what a normal relationship looked like. Her Uncle was hardly a role model for "normal": he was a confirmed bachelor who often spoke poorly of women. He didn't seem to understand that his inability to attract female attention was because he didn't show women any respect. In his opinion, women were put on Earth to do his bidding and to be submissive. Given that he had little money to attract women, he had few redeeming qualities and thus, was pretty much on his own in their small mountain town.
After Maria entered the Abbey, things didn't get much better for her. While she did feel as though she was finally part of a close-knit group of women, a family of sorts, fitting in amongst the sisters was hard. They were all so stoic and proper, and Maria found it so difficult to conform to what was expected of her. At least there were no men to worry about in the Abbey, save for the odd workman that would be called upon to fix things, and Maria was alright with that.
Maria understood that she preferred to just be herself, but given her spontaneity and zest for life, acting like herself was discouraged at the Abbey. She smiled out at the Untersberg in the shadow of night while she fondly remembered how the sisters had given her endearing nicknames that captured her creativity and impulsiveness: a flibbertigibbet, an ignus fatuus…what else was it that the Mother Abbess called her? Oh yes, a willo-the-wisp. And Sister Berthe? A clown.
What was Maria to do? When she surveyed all her options, the Abbey was the easiest path forward. It was the most comfortable. If she tried hard and prayed, surely God would show her the way and she would age gracefully, finally fitting into the sisterhood. So many of the sisters were so kind to her, so loving. She had a plan and she would follow it - God would look after the rest and help her to live the life she was born to live.
When Maria had arrived at the villa yesterday, she noticed how much she had in common with the children. Of course, they also had lost their mother, and in many respects, they had lost their father too. She understood her personal desire to rebel against the Captain's expectations to conform, to behave a certain way, and to only engage in appropriate activities. This was Maria's life in the Abbey up until yesterday. By freeing the children from all this structure, Maria's summer with the children would let her have a piece of the childhood that was so tragically taken away from her so many years ago.
Maria looked down at the portrait of the seven children in the moonlight. They were such wonderful children and she knew she would enjoy her time with them this summer. She could relish them even more without their father marching around and making sure they were always behaving. Ever since Maria had met the Captain yesterday afternoon she understood that she and the Captain were very much like oil and water. He was a stern disciplinarian, seemingly without any warmth of heart. He marched about barking orders, acting very much like the overbearing sea Captain that he was. Maria was quite accustomed to people telling her how it was to be and that she must conform, so the Captain's demeanour didn't rattle her too much.
At dinner yesterday, however, she sensed a sudden shift in the way he was regarding her compared to hours earlier when she had arrived. He studied her intently, almost sizing her up as the enemy, to understand exactly what he was up against. Maria had caught him looking at her with an air of confusion or perhaps even regard on more than one occasion. For a few moments she felt that things were changing, but those thoughts were soon quashed a few hours later when the Captain caught her and the children in her room and would not even consider listening to her request for material for play clothes. Insufferable man! "Yes…and I'm their father!" Maria mocked him and turned up her nose in an air of sophistication and snobbery. His puffy chested retort still made her angry, and the Captain was lucky the only thing she had to throw at him at that moment was her housecoat.
Maria laughed to herself as she found her blood boiling again – that unique combination of anger and intrigue he instilled in her. Yet, the words she had poured over this evening, the ones he had written…the photos, the newspaper clippings, they all showed her a different man. Where did that man go? She knew that man still existed somewhere. She just needed to find the way to dig him out of the hole he had fallen into, to push him out of the shadows and into the light.
Maria nibbled on her lower lip as she looked down at the photograph again, thinking about what she could possibly do to help bring the Captain and his children back together. Yesterday she had thought it was God's will that she help prepare the children for a new mother. Today she felt that, perhaps, her role was to bridge the gap between the Captain and his children. How could she ever do this when she didn't know him well, and especially when he wasn't home?
Memories, perhaps? The box of photographs and newspaper clippings revealed that memories were once important to this family. Words and reflections also seemed to be fundamental: the Captain's stories showed her how important it was for him to document his experiences and his language demonstrated a deep love and respect for the people under his command and in his family. Music and colour, prose and poetry? They might just be what the doctor ordered...after all, the Captain must have pushed those things away for a reason.
Maria stifled a yawn and realized now that she had sketched out a plan in her mind, and she would start to work with the children to make it a reality. Maybe a song for the Baroness and the Captain when they returned? Music had touched his heart before, perhaps this was the easiest way. Maria safely tucked the photos away in her wardrobe and hopped into bed, dreaming of the fun days of summer ahead.
ooOoo
The next morning Maria woke with the sun yet again, mostly because she had forgotten to close the curtains the night before. Motes of dust danced in the sunlight streaming through the window and onto Maria's face as the birds outside welcomed a new day. Initially, Maria had rolled over in frustration, pulling her pillow on top of her head. But as she lay there, she focused on the bird's songs and realized it was a sound that she was not accustomed to hearing at the Abbey. Their songs heralded a new day and with it, the freedom to do the things she enjoyed without restraint. Today was a new start, a new opportunity to bring life back to this family, to help dust off those images, and find the Captain of yore.
The children were a bit livelier at breakfast today compared to yesterday. They chatted amongst themselves about how much they enjoyed their play time in the afternoon yesterday. Louisa and Friedrich told the younger girls all about the tadpoles they had found in the bullrushes and that they should go out each day to watch them grow and turn into frogs. Maria laughed and mocked them: "No more gifts, if you please, perhaps they could stay outside where they belong?".
The children all laughed but Kurt buckled over in mirth, and that moment she knew he was the one. Cute little cheeks, a gorgeous smile, how could one ever expect it from him? The little bugger!
After breakfast, Maria decided that she should finally get to work on some of the more traditional studies as outlined in the Captain's documents, with emphasis on the areas that the children thought they were lacking in. The children were engaged with their work since they knew that Fraulein Maria had promised they would do something fun again this afternoon when they were done.
While they were working on arithmetic, Maria was distracted by some hubbub in the foyer. She left the children for a moment and went out onto the landing. Gripping the railing, she peered down into the foyer and heard Franz talking with three men who had arrived. As she listened to their conversation she realized that they were here to remove her old curtains and install the new ones that Frau Schmidt had ordered. She scratched her head: hadn't she recalled Frau Schmidt telling her they would be coming next week?
Two of the men were speaking animatedly with each other in what she recognized as Swiss German, while the foreman, a thin man with a heavy French accent spoke to Franz. She heard Franz telling them that the curtains were not expected until next week and that Frau Schmidt would not be home until after lunch. Franz caught movement out of the corner of his eye and spotted Maria upstairs on the landing. Seeing an opportunity to offload the annoyance of the curtains onto someone else, he called up to her and asked her to show the men to her room so they could change the curtains. With an exasperated wave of his arms, he disappeared into the corridor. "Intolerable man!" Maria huffed as she watched him shuffle away.
Soon, the two men began the steep trek up the stairs with an enormous trunk. The foreman was following up the rear, staring wide eyed at the grandeur of the foyer. Maria smiled as she recalled feeling the same way only two days ago. As he scanned the landing, he spotted Maria from at her perch along the railing.
"Oh, Mademoiselle!" the foreman called from his position on the stairs. "May you please show us where les voiles are to be installés?" He wiggled his eyebrows up and down animatedly.
Maria nodded from her position at the top of the landing, and the thin man squeezed himself between the railing and one of the men carrying the trunk, and he approached Maria and extended his hand towards her. Maria, expecting that he simply wished to shake her hand, extended hers in return. However, instead of shaking it, the man stared intently into her eyes and lifted her wrist to his mouth where he grazed her knuckles with a kiss. Maria blushed like a tomato.
"Enchanté, mademoiselle. It is so lovely to meet the lady of house." He gently released her hand and then proceeded to kiss his own fingertips in delight and bow to her.
Maria laughed out loud at his directness and wondered how he could have imagined she was the Baroness. "Oh monsieur, I am only the governess, I am hardly the lady of the house! I suspect you were speaking earlier with Frau Schmidt our housekeeper. She would have arranged for the curtains to be purchased on behalf of the Captain. Unfortunately, she has gone into town this morning, but let me see if I can help you. My name is Maria, please follow me".
The little French man spoke to the men with the trunk, barking instructions, and they followed along, heaving it into the hallway outside her room. One stood up straight to wipe the perspiration from his brow, and the other, with a flick of the latches, opened the trunk to reveal the most gorgeous dark red velvet curtains Maria had ever seen. Maria was in awe that something so beautiful would be hanging in her room. She knelt down beside the trunk and picked up the fabric and ran it through her fingers, the crushed velvet tickling her fingertips.
Snapping out of her reverie, she remembered the original purpose of her visit with these workmen. "Excuse me, Monsieur…" she looked puzzled at him as she realized she didn't know his name. The little man focused on Maria's brilliant blue eyes as he basked in the glow of her attention. "Michel Bauer, proprietor of Bauer Millinery and Draperies" he said with another bow.
"Thank you, Herr Bauer." Maria nodded in realization. "Oh, I have been by your shop in town, you have such beautiful fabrics in the window". Herr Bauer grinned widely and nodded his head rapidly in agreement. He turned on his heel with some flair and entered her room and walked over to the window. He grasped the existing curtains between his fingers and looked up and down, then turned in the room to review the other windows. Maria followed him and asked: "Would you mind asking your men to please leave the existing curtains in a pile here? I would like to repurpose them. They hardly have any wear."
Herr Bauer cocked his head and gave her a puzzled look. "Ah, but mademoiselle, surely someone of your status would not want to keep these old things?". Maria smiled inwardly and rolled her eyes. This one did not listen at all and seemed to be under the impression that she was wealthy. Far from it, Maria signed to herself!
"As I said, Herr Bauer, I am the Von Trapp's governess, and I don't see any harm is saving these for some crafting projects, do you?"
Herr Bauer nodded enthusiastically, "Ah, oui, je comprend! Yes, we will leave them for you. Is there anything else I can do for you?" he said as he tipped his hat in her direction. He didn't know much about recycling curtains, but he did appreciate an attractive, young lady when he encountered one.
After a few more moments of animated conversation, and once Maria was certain the old curtains would be left behind, she shook Herr Bauer's hand, thanking him for his assistance, and informed him that she really had to get back to the children. Not wanting her to leave so soon, Herr Bauer tried to initiate further conversation with her and chatted about some of the new fabrics that were arriving in his shop this week. He even suggested that Maria should come by to see them, and perhaps she might like a new hat? Maria listened patiently and gave him a non-committal response suggesting that perhaps the next time she was in town she would stop by. She insisted that she had to get back to the children's lessons and left him feeling bereft when she smiled and thanked him again, turned on her heels and headed back to the school room. Maria stepped around the trunk and gave Herr Bauer a little wave before ducking down the hallway to return to the school room, leaving him to stand amongst the new red curtains with a look of longing in his eyes as the pretty governess left the hall.
When Maria returned to the school room, Gretl had asked her what took so long. Maria explained her plans for repurposing the old curtains and that they would use them in their lessons for tomorrow. The older children looked confused – what on Earth was Fraulein Maria up to now? Maria reminded the children that they were going to out and play after lunch if they finished their studies.
About an hour later, Frau Schmidt popped her head into the school room and smiled at the children working on their studies. Maria was sitting at the table between Marta and Gretl, and all three were focusing on their printing. The older children seemed to be engaged in some worksheets. Frau Schmidt tapped lightly on the door frame with her knuckles and eight pairs of eyes looked in her direction.
"Fraulein Maria, I am so sorry to hear you had to help Herr Bauer and his men. I don't know why Franz didn't show them upstairs himself. They weren't supposed to arrive until next week, but that little Frenchman still confuses his Dienstag with his Donnerstag despite having lived in Salzburg for the past 10 years!"
Maria and the children all laughed at her statement.
"No worries at all, Frau Schmidt, it was a pleasant experience to finally meet Herr Bauer. I have looked in his store window many times. Did you know that he has made wimples for the sisters for several years now? It is rather eccentric of him to mix hat making with curtains, but to each his own! He invited me in to view his fabrics and select a new hat. He certainly is persistent!"
Frau Schmidt smiled. "I do think you have made quite the impression on him, Fraulein Maria. He would not stop talking about you and how your new curtains suited your personality and the lovely colour of your cheeks!" Maria rolled her eyes and laughed. Liesl and Friedrich looked at each other and smiled, Liesl gave him a knowing wink as they recalled trips into town with their mother to buy new hats. The man was a notorious ladies' man and was always on the lookout for a new female companion to dote on.
ooOoo
That same day after lunch, Maria proposed that the children give her a "tour" of the grounds. Yesterday they had worked on sharing their favourite things, but today when Maria announced that they were going to go on a little adventure around the villa, all the children were intrigued. They looked up at Maria with their beaming faces from the table, and Kurt was gnawing on the end of his pencil in anticipation.
"Children, since I am still new here, I would like you all to introduce me to your favourite places around the villa after lunch. Each one of you should choose one place – obviously, it should be different form the ones your siblings select, unless you want to team up and present it together. You will take us all on a tour after lunch and then you will tell me all about the place you have selected and why it's your favourite".
The children looked at each other in awe. Two days in a row! Never before had a governess actually cared to know what they thought, let alone ask them what they enjoyed. Animated chatter filled the school room as everyone decided where they wanted to take Maria and who would get to choose if they had picked the same location. The discussions continued over lunch and Maria couldn't help but smile from her place at the table while the different spots were identified. She learned a lot about the villa just by hearing the children talk about the places they wanted to take her.
After lunch, the children took Maria all over the grounds. Before they went outside, however, Brigitta wanted to show Maria the library and Marta chose the attic. Even though Maria had spent some time in the library the night before, she was still awestruck with the room. By day it evoked a different mood compared to last night when she saw it by desk lamp light. At night it was cozy and comforting, but by day it was bright and exciting. Since the Captain had a formidable collection of everything from children's books to history to science, and some of the greatest works of fiction ever written, she knew she could easily lose herself in science books and atlases by day, and in the poems of Rilke and sonnets of Shakespeare at night.
Brigitta pointed out some of her favourite books and Maria made a mental note of some volumes she would like to read before the summer was out. As the children filed out the library, Maria couldn't help but run her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelf that held the secret memory box. As she traced the outline of the box again, a tingling sensation ran up her arm as she recalled the wonderful things that she had learned the night before.
After leaving the library, Marta led everyone up the stairs and into the attic. Maria had to help her push open the big wooden door that led to another series of stairs that wound their way to the uppermost level of the house. Once they all had arrived, Marta proudly showed Maria an old trunk in one corner and she opened the lid and began to dig around inside. The item she was looking for must have been buried because Marta had practically disappeared into its depths. Louisa and Liesl were whispering together about all the things that were stored in that box and it seemed the trunk was overflowing with some of the late Baroness' things.
After she had found what she was looking for, and she proudly clutched a pewter picture frame in her hand. Marta dusted off the front of her jumper and declared with a frown: "Here it is! Even though Father doesn't like us to be up here! He would be angry if he knew we were touching Mama's things".
Maria's eyebrows disappeared into her fringe as she looked in shock at all the children's faces. Their previous excitement with the afternoon's activities had all but evaporated. She looked to Liesl and Friedrich who both shook their heads, confirming what Marta had said. The older children were trying to fight back that tears that had begun to fill their eyes, and Louisa in particular, looked like a dam about ready to burst.
"But why?" was all Maria could muster. She could not understand why the Captain would deny his own children memories of their mother. She wanted to comfort all the children and while she awkwardly studied the oldest five's faces, the smallest two held a look of indifference that melted into concern at the expressions of their older siblings. At that moment, she took a few shaky footsteps towards the three eldest and opened her arms. They all gawped at her, but eventually crashed into her arms, some of them with silent sobs. The remaining four were also gathered into Maria's embrace as they approached. She rubbed their backs and tousled their hair, finally crouching down on her haunches to look at the smallest ones directly in the eyes.
"Children. Do you remember yesterday what I told you about the Reverend Mother being angry with me? Remember how I said that if she was angry, it didn't mean that she doesn't love me?" The children all nodded their assent. "While I have only been here for 2 days, something important has become crystal clear to me." The children's expressions showed everything from fascination to doubt, but Maria, recalling the photograph that she had safely tucked away in her belongings continued her explanation. "Even though your father might have trouble showing it, I can tell that he loves you all very much, and it is also clear to me how much he loved your mother. I dare say that he is still heartbroken and doesn't know the way forward". Liesl's lower lip tightened and began to tremble and Friedrich put his arm around her and pulled her towards him. Louisa looked down and began to fiddle with the hem of her dress. The youngest four seriously studied their older siblings, having some idea of the things Maria was talking about, but not completely understanding.
"You must not ever give up on your father. Ever. From what I understand, he is trying to push away everything that reminds him of her…your mother, I mean. While I understand this behaviour is very hurtful to you all, I think it is important that you consider what this says about him and how deeply he loves. His love for her did not cease when she passed. All seven of you are an extension of that love. In his own way of grieving, he has chosen to bottle up his emotions inside. With some time and some thoughtful reflection on his part, I pray this will get easier for everyone. I hope that the Baroness will have a positive influence on him and will allow him to set this love free again. Keep loving him and don't give up. I know it's hard to understand. Grief is so very complicated." She reached down and ran a finger along Brigitta's cheek and cupped Louisa's jaw in her hand. Marta and Gretl each had a hold of Maria's leg.
Louisa was fighting back tears, but her expression was very angry. "How would you know anything about Father. About Mother? About how we all feel?". Maria was taken aback at the caustic tone of her voice, but continued, allowing herself a sad smile. Fighting back her own emotions which she felt were threatening to overwhelm her, she sat down on the trunk and encouraged the children to take a seat.
"Children, when I was not quite Marta's age, I lost my mother in the Influenza epidemic. My father cared for her while she was ill and I do remember how hard he tried to keep life normal for me. When she died, he was devastated. He didn't know how to move forward. At first, he denied it had happened. When I asked where mother was, he said she was away and would be back soon. Other days he was very angry with me when I asked. I tried so hard to understand. When he was angry, I was afraid and I didn't want to interact with him." The children looked at each other in surprise.
"Some nights I would come out of my room and I would see him at the kitchen table, illuminated only by the light of the oil lamp. He was crying and he held a picture of my him and mother together. He held his head in his hands and he shook as he cried. Sometimes I could comfort him, other times he got angry and sent me back to my room. I didn't understand, his emotions changed all the time. What frustrated me the most was that there was no one to tell me why."
Wringing her hands in her lap. Maria wiped away a stray tear and took a deep breath. "My father was taken not too long after my mother passed away, coincidentally from the same illness my mother had. After that, it was determined that I should be placed in the care of my uncle…". At this point, Maria could not continue in her tale.
"Children, what I am trying to say is I understand what your father is going through. He is grieving, but he still loves deeply. He just doesn't know how to deal with his feelings. I saw it happen with my own father and I learned a lot – dare I say, I had to grow up early, much the way you all have." At that moment she nodded towards Liesl and Friedrich in particular."
Scanning all their faces she noted Louisa had given up her on her anger and hot, silent tears fell down her cheeks. The younger children, although their memories of their mother were hazy, understood that losing a loved one was very sad and the realization that Fraulein Maria had once been in their shoes was something that even they could appreciate. They all joined in a collective embrace once more. Maria looked down on them all. Although Maria was entirely frustrated with the Captain's behaviour, she put on a brave face and charged forward. "Please don't give up on him, children. Your love will help him in the long run. Please also know it is ok to not understand. No one grieves the same way. With love and support, some day it will turn to acceptance…"
At that moment, Maria looked at all the long faces and decided it was time to try to cheer up and move on with their tour. She clapped her hands together and reminded the children that there were still five more sights at the Villa that she needed to be introduced to. With that exclamation, Marta tugged on the hem of Maria's dress. "Fraulein Maria! I want to show you what I was looking for before". She still had the little frame clutched in her hand and she excitedly passed it to Maria. "Do you remember at breakfast yesterday I was telling you about Uncle Max and Father's wedding? This is a picture of him and Father when Mama and Father got married". With that she held out her little hand and passed a lovely, framed sepia image.
There in the photograph was the man who she saw in the image last night building the gazebo with the Captain, but instead of looking like a construction worker, he was dressed in a full tuxedo with cummerbund, corsage and bow-tie. The grin below that moustache, however, was the same. Beside him was the Captain, smiling widely with his arm around Uncle Max's shoulder. The Captain was holding a bouquet of roses, lilies and edelweiss. Maria could not help but smile down at their glowing faces. She could not rationalize the contrast between this Captain, the one captured in an image, and the one she had just met. It only clarified further for her that the real Captain was locked inside somewhere, and someone just had to open the door to his heart and let him out again.
She lifted her eyes from the photograph and saw 7 pairs of eyes looking at her. Louisa, still puffy-eyed from her outburst, wore a crooked smile. Kurt grinned the same grin the Captain had sported in the image. Her heart warmed at the sight of them all. She could tell that they all loved their father so much. "Marta, this is a lovely picture! Thank you for showing Uncle Max to me! I will know him right away when he comes to the villa". Maria winked at the children and squatted down on her haunches to pull Marta and Gretl into an embrace. "Maybe later on, after your brothers and sisters have shown me their favourite places, we can come back and look at this again , and maybe some others? I do love photographs". Marta took the photo from Maria and placed it back in the box and gently closed the lid.
"Who's next, children?" Maria exclaimed! "Where to?"
Gretl let out a little squeal and tugged on Louisa's arm. With that, the children turned on their heels and proceeded to carefully tread down the attic steps.
Liesl turned to Maria as she took her first step. "Thank you, Fraulein, for telling us about your parents, it helps us to feel that we are not alone. I know how hard it is to talk about your family. At least we still have our father. You are very brave and I know I will try to be brave and still be loving like you". Maria didn't know what to say, so instead of saying anything, she pulled Liesl into her arms and gave her a comforting hug. Liesl did not need a governess, but it seemed she was more than happy to have a friend.
Once outdoors, Louisa took them out to the landing on the lake and formally introduced Maria to the Hippocampi that graced the lakeshore: Franz and Gustav. Louisa was quick to explain that Franz was not named after their grumpy butler. Instead, both seahorses were named after the Captain's favourite composers: Franz Liszt and Gustav Mahler. Maria recalled how she had looked into the eyes of Gustav earlier that morning, thinking about the Captain, Poseidon, and his chariot darting across the sea. Suddenly, the picture that she had begun to paint of the Captain dazzled with colour. She recalled the passage in his written notes about the music of the locals of Sebenico touching his heart, and she came to the sudden realization that the plan she had formulated earlier that morning was certainly on the right track. What she had said earlier about how deeply he loved she had truly just transposed from her own experiences with loss. However, she was beginning to think she was beginning to understand him a bit more even though he was far away from the villa.
The Library, the attic, the music... How strange that Frau Schmidt had said just the other day that the Captain had closed off music and laughter. It was obvious he adored wonderful music, whether it was the local people in the port villages where he had sailed, Austrian folk tunes, or the great works of Liszt, Mahler, Mozart, and Beethoven. There was so much beautiful music in Austria, and it seemed the Captain was not immune to its charms. Although Maria could not say with any scientific certainty, she did know that the people she had met in her life who cited Liszt and Mahler as their favourite composers were deeply passionate and introspective people.
After leaving Gustav and Franz behind, Friedrich took them all to the stables. Maria was quite familiar with horses having lived on a small farm and she had already met the tawny mare and her filly yesterday morning. Friedrich explained that the mare was named Adelaide and her little filly was named Empress. Further out in the field, Friedrich proudly recited the names of the horses he could see: Annabelle, Hedy, Rainer and Smooch.
Maria clicked her tongue and Adelaide moseyed over again; in many ways, it was like reuniting with an old friend. Maria turned to face the children and Adelaide set her long neck on Maria's shoulder, scratching the side of her head against Maria's. The children laughed and Friedrich made a comment that Maria must be special because Adelaide was usually the grumpiest horse that their father owned. Remembering that she had an apple in her pocket she had tucked away during breakfast, she pulled it out and smiled at the children. Using an age-old technique, she grasped the top of the apple with eight strong fingers while forcing up the bottom with her thumbs. After struggling for a moment, she repositioned her grip, bit her lower lip while focusing, and "crack", the apple shattered in two. Friedrich and Kurt looked at her in awe, like they had just seen a miracle. Marta and Gretl laughed at the faces she had made. She passed half the apple to Louisa and the other half to Brigitta and they happily shared the pieces with Adelaide and Empress.
Maria gave Adelaide and Empress a quick rub between their ears and promised to come to visit again soon. With that, the children began to turn in the direction of the boat house, Kurt's chosen destination. Kurt was in the lead, bellowing at his siblings to march in a straight line, shoulders back. The girls squawked out their dissatisfaction with his orders and they all took off running haphazardly towards the lake. Friedrich held back and then closed in on Maria and quietly asked her if she could please show him how to break an apple like that. Maria smiled widely at him and said it would be her pleasure.
The boat house was certainly a sight for Maria's eyes. It had captured her imagination early yesterday morning but she didn't have much time to spend here. Today, she was able to take the time to inspect the dory in the boathouse, and as she approached the little boat and in the shadows, she could make out the boat's name: Louisa which was painted in bold red letters on the bow. Louisa quickly came up behind and puffed out her chest and informed Maria that the boat was named after her since the Captain had bought it the summer she was born. Their other little row boat, the SM-U5 which was hanging in the rafters, had been a four-man boat, and Louisa's arrival necessitated a larger vessel for family outings. Sadly, the boat had not been freed from its moorings since the Baroness had passed away. Kurt dug his elbow into Louisa's ribs, chiding her on the fact that she was presenting his special place and she had already had a turn. Maria gave them a gentle glower to encourage them to get along.
The boathouse was also home to a family set of bicycles and fishing rods, all lined neatly in the corner. Maria clapped her hands together and declared that they would most certainly be using these items in their studies. The children all laughed and could not quite believe their luck. Governess #12 was a gift from heaven, both literally and figuratively!
Liesl took the group to the gazebo and Maria assumed it had more to do with her rendezvous with Rolfe the other night, but was pleasantly surprised to hear the story of how the Captain, Uncle Max, and a handful of their navy friends had built it as an anniversary gift for their mother the year Liesl was born. The image of the Captain and Uncle Max with their hammers came to mind as did the Baroness sitting there enjoying her tea and a book.
Gretl was last, again, and she took Maria's hand and led her off to a secluded corner of the property, a stone's throw from the gazebo. It was the most beautiful rose garden Maria had seen outside of the abbey walls. The bees hummed in the mid-afternoon sun and the scent of all the blooms was so overwhelming. There was a decent sized fountain in the middle, about half the size as the one in the Mirabel Gardens, but equally as exquisite. The sound of the water tinkled in the afternoon breeze and Maria looked down in the water to see a school of Koi swimming about.
Gretl looked up to Maria and said "This was Mother's garden. She would not let the gardener touch it. She even combined different roses so that she would make new and pretty colours!". Friedrich explained that his mother had, through her own work, created a cultivar of rose that was almost identical to the famous Soleil d'Or that was cultivated by Antoine Ducher in the Netherlands about 30 years ago. It was a beautiful yellow flower, and Maria leaned over it and inhaled its heady scent. Maria smiled widely at how proud the children were of their mother, even little Gretl who probably did not remember her well and likely relied on the older children's' memories.
There were so many beautiful locations and wonderful memories at the villa. Not only could Maria imagine herself losing herself in the Captain's library, but also dangling her toes in the lake on the landing next to Franz and Gustav, or sitting in a sunny spot in the gazebo where the view of the Untersberg was second-to-none. Now she would make it a regular part of her day to stop and smell the roses and visit with Adelaide and Empress.
At each stop they had visited that afternoon, Maria was taken with the wistful looks on the children's faces. All of them spoke fondly of activities they remembered at each place, often recounting stories of adventures with their mother and the Captain. Louisa had told her how she loved to wade in the lake at the landing looking for tadpoles while her mother watched on while reading. Kurt and Friedrich recalled lazy Sundays fishing with their Father. Gretl didn't remember much about her mother, but she did know that she loved roses.
Maria took a deep breath and surveyed the grounds of the villa, her eyes finally landing on her mountain. She briefly studied the way the shadows were falling on the side of the massif, and she knew it had to be getting late in the afternoon. Sticking her hand in her pocket, she retrieved her watch and flipped open the cover. "Oh children! We really must hustle back to the villa and clean up! Dinner will be ready in less than 30 minutes". With that she eyed all the children with a sly grin and announced: "Race you to the villa!". She took off in the direction of the house with all the children laughing and running behind her.
ooOoo
That night after the children had gone to bed, Maria wandered outside through the terrace doors and out onto the landing. Gustav and Franz's profiles were sketched out in shadow as the full moon rose over the lake. The water was so calm and the slight ripples it made reflected the moonlight across the sky. The Untersberg stood before her, its hulking profile reminding her of home. In two days, the villa was already starting to feel like home, but she was sure it was not the physical space, but the love and trust the children had put in her in such a short period of time.
Looking to the east, she wondered what the Captain was up to right now. Was he looking at these same stars? Did he wonder what she and the children were up to? She walked along the edge of the lake towards the gazebo. It, too, glowed in an ethereal blue, a "completely new colour harmony" just like the Captain had described in Sebenico. This new existence at the villa was so full of life and colour, and she could not understand how the Captain could be away from it so often. Well, she did understand why he had to leave, but she knew if he only took a different perspective; if he had looked at the grounds as a treasure trove of memories as the children had today, he would finally be a happier man. She prayed that the Baroness would have the influence to help the Captain make positive changes. Truly, this family deserved to be happy again and Maria felt blessed to have been chosen to help them find each other once more.
Sorry this was SO LONG :) (Mind you, I personally love long chapters (so, not sorry!))...I struggled mightily with this chapter. I don't know why - I think because I have some chapters written after this one already, so I became impatient with it. It might also be the children thing again - I also had trouble writing about them in an earlier chapter. Maybe I will come back to it later and give it a bit of an overhaul, but for now, this is it! Thanks for continuing to read along.