Elsa

Elsa stood by Georg as all the guests arrived, greeting each one with a graceful smile. She kept glancing at him. He was standing right beside her, but he seemed to be a million miles away. She saw him uneasily studying Herr Zeller as he entered his villa. She knew his feelings about the Nazi regime, but she desperately hoped that tonight would not end with them arguing and coming to blows with one another. She didn't bother herself with politics and her stance was similar to Max's, though she was more careful not to discuss it with Georg. She cared too much about him to make it an issue between the two of them. The couple of times the subject was broached she quickly backed off and dropped the topic like a hot potato. It generally wasn't a topic that women discussed with men anyways.

As the receiving line slowly dissipated Elsa was cornered by an older couple who began to engage her in a rather lengthy conversation. Not wanting to be rude she stayed and talked with them as Georg excused himself, saying that he should go and mingle with the guests. She slowly raised her eyebrow at him hoping that he could read her mind to rescue her, but he seemed oblivious to her expressions and preoccupied. She felt a twinge of annoyance with him for leaving her there. If I had been Maria, she thought, 'no, I can't allow myself to go there. She turned back to the older couple as he slowly strolled away, heading for the ballroom. He seemed all to eager to depart from her and she couldn't help but wonder what his game was since he had already told her earlier how uncomfortable he was at big fancy parties with people he rarely had contact with, but felt obligated to invite. She marveled at his statement because it seemed to be such a contrast from the Georg she had met in Vienna. He was different here in his own home, different with the children that he had barely talked about at the various parties they had attended and who she barely knew the names of because he never mentioned them and she had never bothered to ask. When she first met them she had to stifle a laugh as they climbed out of the lake soaking wet after the boat had tipped over from the excitement of seeing that their father had returned. After he scolded them and sent them all inside he kept his governess behind to talk with her. She saw the wave of anger wash over his face and decided to quickly excuse herself. She could hear him start to chastise her as she climbed the steps into the villa and then to her surprise she heard the feminine voice of Maria rise back at him. She never would have dared to raise her voice at him like that, but there was something different about the governess that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Georg had told her that she was a postulant from the nearby abbey, but had neglected to tell her how young and vibrant she was and beautiful, she thought. She had suddenly felt a little uneasy, but couldn't pinpoint why. She had shaken it off as the children had entered the parlor and began singing for her. She looked up when she heard a rich male voice join the children's. That she decided, was the moment she had first seen a change in him. She saw him look at the door where Maria had just ducked out of sight and he headed for her to give what she assumed was an apology for his behavior.

She smiled and nodded at the couple standing in front of her, politely answering back to them when needed, but her mind kept wandering back to Georg and the differences she had witnessed in his behavior over the past few weeks. It was like she barely knew him now and her mind shifted from Georg to the governess that seemed to be occupying Georg's thoughts of late. A few nights after Georg and Maria's reconciliation of sorts the kids put on a puppet show. Fraulein was fantastic and her energy permeated the room and delighted not only the children, but seemingly Georg as well. As the show ended Georg approached her to compliment her efforts, but there was something else in the way he looked at her for those brief few moments that stirred something in Elsa. His attention had suddenly been drawn away from her and she saw him realize that perhaps his gaze had lingered on his governess just a bit too long. She had let her frustration out with a quick witted comment that she couldn't help but let slip. Georg had a funny look on his face, but refrained from commenting. She felt that same stirring again as she watched him say yes to her pleading eyes for a song and she couldn't help but wonder if he would have done the same for her had she asked. She pushed it out of her head trying to tell herself that he was doing it for his children, but then he started singing and as he sat down his gaze once again turned to his governess with a slight smile gracing his lips. She looked up to see Maria return his smile and melt into the wall with a dreamy look on her face. She knew that even though this woman might not realize it, that the governess was falling to the charms of Georg Ritter Von Trapp. She looked at Georg trying desperately to gain eye contact with him, but as the song ended he once again looked to Maria with a much more intense gaze this time and then shrugged his shoulders at her and smiled. Her heart felt a light panic about it and she quickly decided to step in to gain his attention once more, suggesting that they have this party where she had now been stuck at with an older couple for the past 7 minutes. They finally let her go to join the others on the dance floor and Elsa sighed as a sense of relief flooded over her that she had finally been freed to go and find Georg.

She glanced into the ballroom, but didn't see his presence anywhere. Now where could he have gone, she thought. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw movement from the outdoor terrace. She knew the children were out there watching, having been told to stay out of the ballroom during the party, but they had been given permission to watch from the doors. Perhaps he had gone out to check on them. She crossed the ballroom being careful not to get in the way of those dancing the Laendler Waltz, a courtship dance that often ended in a kiss from ones dance partner. I should be dancing this with Georg, she thought, but she still hadn't spotted him anywhere until she reached the doors to the terrace and she suddenly felt her heart stop. There in the middle of the terrace was Georg and his governess dancing together. The stirring of emotions overwhelmed her with a vengeance and she now recognized it as a pang of jealousy. As she watched them twirl around there bodies getting closer to one another her breath got caught in her throat and the thought occurred to her for the first time that these two were falling in love with each other. She watched them as there gazes intensified and she couldn't help but wonder if he would kiss her at the end like the dance called for. She almost turned away not wanting to see, but found herself watching as Maria slowly backed away from him probably fearing the fiery emotions that they had obviously just been feeling for one another. She looked pale except for the rush of red slowly creeping onto her cheeks. Georg just stood there stunned into a speechless state. His daughter spoke first pointing out Fraulein's red face and he smiled endearingly at Maria. It was the first time she realized that he was most definitely in love with his governess. She broke through their thoughts and said out loud, "Why that was beautifully done. What a lovely couple you make." It was meant to embarrass him and she could see by the look on his face that it had worked. Georg's head quickly snapped away from Maria, a guilty expression on his face and he rapidly changed the subject by suggesting it was time for the children to say goodnight. As they all scurried off he grabbed her arm and led her back inside, trying to get away from what just happened, but she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

"All that needless worrying Georg and you thought you wouldn't find a friend a the party." She saw him glance back knowing that he was still thinking about her and it hurt deep down inside of her. She heard him make an effort again to change the subject.

"A bit chilly out tonight isn't it?"

"Oh I don't know, it seemed a bit warm to me." She could see his sheepish, nervous, I got caught grin out of the corner of her eye and then he turned to her and smiled with the nod of his head. The conversation ended there as the voice of the one they were speaking of inadvertently announced that the children wished to say goodnight to everyone. Georg grabbed her hand and hurriedly rushed them to the front of the crowd. She noticed Maria had taken up a position of trying to hide, be it not so well, behind a pillar, but was still in the line of sight of Georg. The children sang beautifully and she had the sense that even though Georg was standing right beside her, his mind was still outside on the terrace. She could tell that he was making every effort possible to not look at Maria, but as the song came to the end of Gretl's part he broke that resolve and gave a quick glance and smile in her direction, but her focus was on the children and he looked back up at them as they headed off to bed and everyone else waved goodbye. They were out of sight and she turned to Georg, but his attention and eyes were now fully on Maria and she was starring back at him, both of them looked as if they were trying to convey something to the other, but didn't know what. Georg's faced showed signs of shock and concern and almost a pleading look of understanding to Maria while Maria's face was masked with confusion and unanswered questions. They both looked like they were trying to figure out what had just happened, but Elsa knew what had happened, they had just connected on a level that she and Georg had never done before. She didn't want to lose him and suddenly started desperately searching her brain for a way to save her relationship with him. She saw Max step forward and grab Maria, What is he up to, she thought. He then told Maria that she must stay as his dinner guest. Elsa's face dropped, how could he do that to her, surely he had noticed the interaction between the two as well.

Her question was answered when Max turned to him and said, "this is business." She knew he was going to try to use Maria to get Georg to let the children sing in public. She silently cursed him for putting her in this position. She didn't want Maria at the dinner taking up more of Georg's thoughts and she was fuming when Georg didn't deny the request. He was feigning indifference towards Maria, but she knew it was an act for her benefit. She turned to Georg to say something, but he was already engaged in another conversation. Then a thought began to emerge in her head and she quickly turned on her heels and headed up the stairs towards Maria's room. She wasn't quite sure what she would say, but she wanted to make it known to Maria that Georg belonged to her and was off limits.

She knocked on the door to Maria's room and was granted access. Maria looked confused and nervous.

She asked if she could help her and their conversation took a turn towards Maria not knowing what to wear. Here was her chance to let Maria know, she opened her mouth and told Maria to wear the dress she had worn when the Captain couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Maria dropped her head and she knew her words had hit her. She went on to tell her how she was in love with him and how he thought he was in love with her too, but that he would get over it, making sound like a short lived infatuation. In the end it was Maria who had decided to leave on her own accord. Elsa felt a small shock of guilt. The realization that this woman probably had never experienced any of these feelings before hit her hard like a brick wall and she noticed that Maria looked genuinely scared, petrified by the thought of them. Not knowing what to do she turned to leave when Maria refused help from her, promising not to mention any of this to the Captain. She didn't know what to think, but she had to get out of Maria's room and she walked back down the stairs wondering if what she had just done was the right thing to do. The soft pain stabbing her gut was short lived when she joined Max and informed him that she would be the one to influence Georg. She joined Georg on the dance floor quickly forgetting about Maria knowing that she had won this small battle and feeling triumphant that the one person standing in her way of marrying Georg was gone. Now his focus would be all on her once again...or so she thought.