So, what brought you here so early? Couldn't wait to escape the latest battleax, I mean, governess?" Max Dettweiler flounced onto the terrace, the morning paper under his arm despite the fact it was nearly noon. He tossed it onto the table before sitting down.
"Ah, Max, you know me too well. Though I must say this one does not appear to be a battleax. Quite the opposite, really. I'm not convinced she will be able to deal with my children's antics." Georg remembered how she'd allowed them to run roughshod throughout her bedroom the night before, all of them in their nightclothes, while she sang at the top of her lungs.
"And yet here you are, leaving them all behind to get on without you. Where did you find this one?" Max took the cup that Hanne offered him, and poured himself some coffee.
"Nonnberg Abbey, if you must know," Georg replied in a clipped voice. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about the twelfth governess, and hoped to discourage Max's questions.
"A nun? A NUN? Georg, are you serious?" Max laughed heartily, reaching for a pastry.
"Quite serious. Though she isn't a nun yet, she'll take her final vows after she returns to the Abbey in September." Again the question of why she'd decided to be a nun flickered in his brain.
"I do hope she'll last that long, and your children don't scare her off before then."
Both men looked toward the house and stood up, as a beautiful blonde in a cream silk dress stepped out into the sunshine. Elsa joined them, sidling up to Georg, who took her hand and kissed it."Georg, darling, what a pleasant surprise! I do hope there is a wonderful reason you're here early, perhaps you couldn't stand to be away from me?"
"Of course, what better reason could there be, darling?" Georg smiled in response.
The three sat down, and Elsa began rattling off the itinerary for the day. "First, we'll be making a visit to the coutourier to see about the dresses he is finishing for me. Then we'll be joining the Wetterlings for tea. Tonight is a cocktail reception at the Musikvereinshaus before the final orchestra performance of the season. Does that sound all right with you, darling?"
"Whatever you wish, Elsa. Max, will you be joining us for all of this, ah, charming activity?"
"But of course, Georg. That is my official task, now, to be chaperoning the two of you and make sure no mischief goes on." He smiled at Georg behind his coffee cup, then gave a wink to Elsa. "We wouldn't want to ruin any reputations, would we?"
"I would suppose not. Though with all of the the social engagements Elsa schedules, we're hardly alone for more than thirty seconds at a stretch", Georg retorted, with a mild irritation present in his voice.
"Oh, darling, if it is too much I can change some arrangements. But I so adore having you accompany me." She certainly was charming.
Georg turned and patted her hand. "No, no, no. I wouldn't hear of it, my dear." While it was indeed too much, having more downtime was never a good idea for him. Being distracted by parties and people he didn't really care for was far preferable to dwelling on thoughts of what he'd loved and lost.
The next several days passed in a blur. Most of the time Georg spent soaking himself in champagne at Elsa's society soirees, trying desperately to look as if he were paying attention to the gossip she thrived on, and which he could barely tolerate. It all bored him terribly, and he stepped out onto the balcony at the home of their latest hosts, whose names he couldn't even remember.
The city air was still, and quite warm for so late in the evening. He was grateful to see no other guests, he craved some peace and quiet. It was unusual for him to feel that way when in Vienna, he mostly visited for the distraction of the constant flurry of activity, which kept his darker moods at bay. Thinking opened up the wounds of his heart. Vienna, and in particular Elsa, was an escape from that. He cared for Elsa, in fact held a deep affection for her. She had, in a way, saved him from himself. It wasn't the all-consuming love he'd shared with Agathe, but he didn't expect that. He was older, if not wiser, and he'd learned what he'd shared with his wife came once in a lifetime. No, Elsa was lovely, witty, and he enjoyed her company. They could settle into married life and be content. All that was needed now was to introduce her to the children.
The idea made him vaguely uneasy. He'd been in Vienna for five days, and Elsa had not mentioned his children once. In her telegram confirming his visit to the city, she'd insisted he bring her back to Salzburg, so they could all become properly acquainted. He agreed but they had yet to make his family the topic of conversation.
Georg knew she was unable to have her own children, and he wondered how she felt about becoming stepmother to his seven. He was sure the children would take to Elsa; she was a charming woman, and they were in need of a mother, as much as he needed a wife. She would certainly be able to help raise the girls into the proper young women they would become. He pushed away the unsettled feeling, and decided it would all work out fine. Perhaps they could find a quiet moment to talk about it tomorrow.
Of greater concern was that he'd still not heard from either Franz or Frau Schmidt since he'd left the villa. By now, they surely should have had some sort of incident to report to him. He'd never before gone more than two days without hearing that Louisa had used bugs or other creepy crawlies to provoke the ire of whatever governess was there; of Brigitta hiding until the whole staff was out looking for her; or Liesl sneaking off to meet that telegram boy. Several times, it had been to report the current governess had walked out, and his presence was required in Salzburg to search for another candidate for the job. Since this governess could not actually quit, he should be happy for the respite until he returned to introduce Elsa to the children.
This time, though, he was just as curious about what the young governess was up to. If Fraulein Maria had broken several of the household rules within hours of her arrival, what was she doing with him gone? When last he'd seen her, she was standing in front of him in just her nightgown, shooting daggers at him with those captivating blue eyes. With the vision of the lovely fraulein lingering in his head, he turned and walked back into the house.
