"Father, can I ring the doorbell?" Gretl asked.

Despite her daughter's enthusiasm – for she did think of Georg's children as her own - Maria could barely focus on what the girl was saying.

She didn't think she'd ever been this anxious in her life. Not when she fell in love with her Captain, or when they were engaged, or the day they were married. Not the day they had to flee their homeland. Possibly not even her childhood, where she was fighting daily just to stay safe from her uncle's abuse.

Nothing could have prepared her for what was waiting on the other side of those doors.

Whitehead Manor.

It was a large brick mansion with sprawling grounds. The entire estate made the von Trapp villa seem tiny by comparison.

Georg thought staying with his in-laws in England was the best course of action for the next few weeks or so. It would be a stable place, a welcome change from what they'd been doing since they fled Austria, living day-to-day in small hotels they stumbled upon or being taken in for a night or two by a kind local they came across. There had even been a couple of times where their only option was to stay in an empty barn.

Stay in England was a good option on their journey that would hopefully end in America. It was safe, comfortable, and the children would be able to see their grandparents.

Or in Gretl's case, meet them.

But it was also Agathe's home. Georg belonged here. The children belonged here.

She did not.

It was only the afternoon. Maria wished it was later. If it had been closer to the evening, or night time, they might've been able to go straight to bed.

Giving her more time, prolonging the inevitable, wasn't necessarily a good thing; she knew that. She'd have to deal with Lord and Lady Whitehead at some point, but in this moment, she wanted it to be later. Tomorrow.

"Yes," Georg answered Gretl's question. "But you only need to do it once."

Gretl nodded, smiled, and pressed a finger to the bell at the side of the door.

Maria grew more anxious.

The children murmured to each other, excited, and Georg held her hand tightly as they heard footsteps from inside.


When the butler opened the door Maria was startled to see how many people there were waiting for them in the foyer. What appeared to be the entire staff of the household were lined up waiting for them; and straight ahead front and centre, were Lord and Lady Whitehead.

Georg's in-laws.

The children's grandparents.

Agathe's parents.

Georg had told her time and time again that she did not have to live in his late wife's shadow. That she was not replacing her.

And yet staring at the woman in front of her, Maria felt incredibly uncomfortable. It was clear that in this woman's eyes, she had definitely replaced Agathe.

"Gromi!" Gretl squealed happily.

Lady Whitehead looked pale as a ghost as the five-year-old raced up to her and threw her arms around her grandmother's knees. And she barely tried to disguise her disgust as she pried Gretl away. The other children – even Liesl – stood stock-still, unsure what to do next.

"Children," Georg said, trying to be gentle while still being stern and authoritative. "Your grandmother doesn't like hugs."

The children all scrambled to the side, lining up opposite the staff, just as they had the day Maria first met them. It made her heart drop a little. Georg had needed to use his 'Captain' voice. This was the children's grandmother. How could she behave so coldly towards them?

"Captain." she said.

"Lady Whitehead," Georg replied. His voice was clearly forced, and Maria guessed he probably didn't have the best relationship with his mother-in-law. That made her feel slightly better.

"May I present my wife," he continued. "Maria."

He was speaking English – but he was paying her just as much attention as he was Lady Whitehead, ensuring she knew what was happening.

Well, she was as ready as she'd ever be.

Ever since Georg had mentioned even the possibility of spending time in England, Maria had tried to learn at least a little English. But with their lives being as they were, there wasn't enough time to do much of that. Georg had made sure she knew how to greet the Whiteheads, but she didn't know if she would be able to converse with them beyond this exchange.

"Nice…to…meet…you," she said slowly, trying her hardest to pronounce the words correctly. She wasn't sure if she succeeded.

"Welcome," Lady Whitehead didn't smile. She sounded anything but welcoming.

Lord Whitehead, however, was smiling kindly. "Pleasure to meet you," he said to her in German. He smiled at Georg and gave him a fatherly pat on the arm. "Georg."

"John."

It was the first bit of true kindness Maria had seen since she had walked inside, and she couldn't help but smile.

Lady Whitehead shot a sideways glance at her husband.

"Maybe you should all see your rooms now," suggested Lady Whitehead, switching her language to German. "And then we can all see each other again nearer to dinnertime."

Even though Maria knew the woman wasn't suggesting this for her guests' convenience, she was still grateful in a way. She needed a moment to collect herself.


Maria and Georg were led across the manor to their room by a young maid called Betty, while she had seen the children ushered off in the opposite direction by the maid Lady Whitehead referred to as Margaret.

"Why are the children staying so far away?" she asked her husband once they were alone. "Isn't this the guest wing?"

"One of many," Georg replied. "The children are staying over there because they're children, and children stay in the nursery."

"Nursery?" Maria asked, incredulous. "Liesl's almost seventeen." Given the way the woman seemed to run her household – and it was clear that she was the one in charge, rather than her husband – Maria would've thought Lady Whitehead would see her oldest grandchild for the young woman she was, desperately planning her introduction into society, as was the case in this social class.

"Liesl may have her own separate room," Georg mused. "Possibly Friedrich too. But Lady Whitehead would never have them stay in another part of the house."

She hadn't failed to notice that Georg stilled called his mother-in-law 'Lady Whitehead'. He had called Lord Whitehead 'John', but she didn't even know Lady Whitehead's name.

A knock on the door stopped Maria from replying. It opened, revealing Betty, who looked at her meekly and curtseyed.

"Lady Whitehead told me to make sure you knew the proper protocol for dinner," she said simply. "There will be clothes in the wardrobe."

Then she left.


Maria was so flustered that she had to wait a moment before asking Georg to translate what the maid had just said. She had felt awkward, embarrassed even about being completely helpless in this new country with its foreign language. But around her husband, that all disappeared.

And despite everything, the idea of being able to wear a new dress made her incredibly happy.

Until she opened the wardrobe.

"They're practically ball gowns," she gasped, sifting gently through the many dresses hanging inside. "Tonight will just be dinner with the family, won't it?"

"I'm sorry darling," Georg nodded sadly. "But she will insist on it."

She knew Georg would tell her if she could get away with dressed more casually, and it was clear that he didn't want to make her do this.

But he wasn't about to lie to her, and she wouldn't have wanted him to anyway.

So she simply nodded, and pulled out a dress at random.


Maria hadn't felt so pretty in a long time, but at the same time, had never felt so uncomfortable. Georg had assured her she looked beautiful, but this time that hadn't been enough to ease her worries.

The lemon-yellow dress was long with a full skirt and straps so slim that Maria felt as though they would snap if she so much as moved the wrong way. Despite the fact that wearing a necklace again made her feel pretty, this one, dripping with diamonds felt gaudy and wrong compared to her simple cross or the locket from her childhood.

Thankfully Georg had told her she would be able to get away with not wearing one of the fur stoles also inside the wardrobe, no doubt meant to be part of the outfit.

A short while later there was a knock on the door and Betty entered once again. She had been sent to escort them to dinner.

"What about the children?" Maria asked her.

"They're being taken care of," the maid answered simply; almost robotically.

Maria looked at Georg who smiled sadly. She did not even know whether she'd see them. Given everything she had already observed about Lady Whitehead, she wouldn't be surprised if Georg's mother-in-law decided it was inappropriate for children to dine with the adults.

She took a deep breath and did her best to ready herself for a dinner that would surely be far harder than that of her first night at the von Trapp villa.


Yes, everyone, I'm back! I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to post something. I just didn't have a specific story I was invested in writing for a long time. I cannot say I will never have a hiatus like this one again, but I want you to know I'm not going anywhere. There will always be more TSOM from me.

I hope you are all stay safe. I love you all.