"I highly doubt any of the guests will be in this room," he muttered, but loud enough for her to hear him.

            "It needs to be done anyway," she said. "Yes, none of the guests will be upstairs, but this room does need to be cleaned out."

            He knew better than to argue with her.  The small room next to the master bedroom had been the nursery for all seven of the children when they were infants.  Since Gretl had gone to share a room with Marta, the little room had been reduced to storage.  Maria was right in suggesting it be cleaned out; they would be in need of its initial use soon enough.

            He leaned over and laughed to himself as he picked up a small stuffed penguin.  Meeting her gaze, he threw it at her. "Friedrich's," he answered the question in her eyes.

            Joining his laughter, she swept some dust off of it. "Do you think we should give it back to him?"

            "Be my guest, if you want to mortify him," he answered and resumed his digging.

After a few moments of work, he straightened to wipe the sweat off of his face.  He was amazed at how many processions could be accumulated in just a few years.

            "It's getting stuffy in here," he commented and glanced at the window. "Do you think we'll scare all the bugs away if we open that?" He looked over at Maria and noticed that she was paler than she had been when he had thrown the penguin at her. Her face was glistening with perspiration, and she seemed to be breathing a little heavier.  "Maybe you should sit down for a while."

            She didn't need to hear the suggestion twice and found a box to perch herself upon. "I was wondering when you were going to open that window," she remarked.

            "You could have asked, my love," he said as he walked over to it. He studied the drapes.  "What kind of clothing can you make out of these?

            She made a face at him. "I'll make you a business suit if you keep on teasing me," she threatened.

            Laughing, he raised his hands up in surrender. "Point taken, Fräulein," he said and turned back to the window. "What day is this party again?"

            "Wednesday."

            "That's not a very convenient day of the week for a party, Maria," he said as he struggled to open the stubborn window.

            "It's not a gala, Georg," she laughed and bent over to throw various items in boxes while remaining seated.  "It's a birthday party for your daughter."

            "Did you order her gift?"

            "Shh!" she hissed, looking anxiously at the door.

            "They're outside," he said and silently cursed the unmoving pane.  "Did Louisa glue this shut?"

            "What makes you think Louisa did anything?" she asked, laughing.

            He gave her a knowing look and she laughed harder. "It wouldn't surprise me," he said.

            Georg gave the window a hard tug and it flew open, sending him backwards.

            "Are you alright?" she asked and rose to walk over to him.

            He waved his hand at her. "I'm fine," he assured and smiled at her. "Please, sit down.  Don't worry."

            She sighed and returned to her seat. "You could have broken your neck," she told him.

            "Anything to make you more comfortable," he said.

            She shook her head. "I love you too," she laughed. "Are you alright, really?"

            "I'll be better once this room is cleaned out," he answered, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He studied her. "How are you?"

            She nodded. "I'm fine now, thank you," she said. "I think I'll just sit here for the rest of the day and supervise."

            He glared at her. "Very funny," he said and shook his head. "So, as I was asking, did you order Marta's gift?"

            She nodded. "Yes, we have to pick it up tomorrow," she replied. "Do you know where the shop is exactly?"

            "I'm sure it won't be too difficult to find," came a response from behind a wall of boxes.  She stretched her neck to see where exactly he was. "Are any other children coming on Wednesday?"

            "She asked if a couple of her friends could come," Maria answered and wiped the dirt off of a book.

            "'A couple'?" he called out from behind the barrier.

            She shrugged. "That's what she said. I don't think many children will be there.  That's fine with me. I can barely handle our own children."

            "Maria," he asked, "can you tell me why we're having such a big party for Marta's birthday anyway?"

            "Georg!" she said, aghast. "Don't you think she deserves one?"

            "Of course she deserves it," he agreed quickly and appeared from behind the boxes. "I didn't mean it that way. But we've never really had a big party for any of the children before."

            "This isn't really a big party, darling," she reminded him. "It's mainly just the family.  Besides, there are several reasons why we're celebrating."

            "Oh yes?"

            "Yes.  For starters, it's the start of the summer, and it will be nice to celebrate the weather getting nicer.  Also, the children are done another year of school.  I think that's reason enough to have a party," she explained.

            "Not for us," he remarked. "Our vacation is over with them back home all day long."

            "I'm sure you'll survive, Captain," she said wryly and gave him a fixed stare. "And last, I think Marta in particular needs a special birthday party, since you were not there for her last one."

            He looked a little sheepish. "Yes, you're right," he admitted softly, feeling saddened by the memory. "I did miss her birthday last year."

            She smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, my love.  This year will be great for her."

            "We're certainly planning a day she'll love," he said.  "Did you order the cake?"

            "Frau Schmidt did, and all of the other food," Maria answered.

            There was a knock at the door.

            "Ah," Georg said as the housekeeper entered with two glasses of lemonade. "Speak of the sun, and we see its rays."

            "Hello, Captain, Baroness," Frau Schmidt said, smiling. "The room is starting to look better."

            "It's coming along," Georg agreed looking around. "It could use a good painting, though.  What color do you think, Maria? Pink or blue?"

            Maria sighed and rubbed her stomach.  "Oh, I don't know.  How about yellow? Why take chances?"

            "You have no sense of daring, Fräulein," he said.

            "I'm in this stuffy room, aren't I?" she retorted.  "What do you think, Frau Schmidt?"

            "I agree with you, Baroness," the older woman said, and the Captain scowled.

            "Of course you would," he said, feigning annoyance. He looked at the glasses in the housekeeper's hands. "Are those for us?"

            "For the Baroness, yes," she replied and handed Maria one.

            Giving her husband a triumphant smirk, she took the glass and smiled at Frau Schmidt. "Thank you!"

            "They're both for her?" Georg asked.

            "Well, you could say one is for her, and one is for the baby," the woman said and shrugged her shoulders. His scowl deepened.

            Finishing her drink, Maria laughed. "Oh, she's just teasing, Georg!" she said and shared a conspicuous wink with Frau Schmidt as Georg walked over to take his prize.

            "Thank you," he said and gulped the liquid down.

            "Are you going into town tomorrow, ma'am?" Frau Schmidt asked Maria.

            "Huh?" Maria said, snapping her attention away from the sight of her husband drinking.  "Oh, yes, we have to go up Marta's gift."

            Smiling to herself, the older woman reached to take the glass from Maria's hand and reached out for Georg's. "Your glass, Captain?"

            Handing it over, he reached down to squeeze Maria's shoulder.  "Are you ready to resume the job at hand, Baroness?"

            She stood as quickly as she could. "Aye, aye, Sir!" she saluted.

            Exiting quietly, Frau Schmidt smiled to herself as the laughter sounded from inside the room.

To be continued…