Maria's Note

I think it must have been pretty brief, as Maria didn't want to wait long enough for the Captain to come and find her. Also,I think she was in such a turmoil that she wouldn't know what to say, and in making it brief, almost terse, it would have put him off coming to see her.

It would still have been fascinating to know, though...and yes, it has been discussed somewere, but it's now buried in the depths of this board. Will post a link if I find it.

That definitely seems like something she'd write.

I have been thinking about this, and it dawned on me that we always seem to assume that Maria left the villa in a mood of fright/disappointment and shame. But maybe it wasn't so? Maybe she left in a fit of pique and annoyance that the Baroness had walked in to her room unannounced just when she was changing and looking forward to dinner with the Captain? If so, then maybe the note went as follows:

Dear Captain,

That woman Elsa is impossible! Walking into my room when I am in my undies - I won't hear another word from her, because it has got me thinking about other things. Fond as I am of you, I really don't think you are the right family for me. You're much too noisy and independent and I need someone who needs me desperately (like the nuns - Lord knows they are getting so old). At least they don't need my money desperately - just as well, because I haven't got any!
I have enjoyed every moment we've had together, I do thank you for that. Now, if you'll forgive me, I've packed my little bag and will return to the Abbey where I belong. Good luck with the Baroness, and if it doesn't work out, she could always try being a nun.
Auf Wiedersehen, Captain. Love, Maria x

One can see the Captain's eyes widen in surprise, then his face relaxing into a smile as the Baroness creeps up behind him, touching his hand and kissing him on the cheek. He puts the note in his pocket, and turns back to the party with his partner and tries his best to forget it. But all week Maria's words burn in his mind. It's when he hears almost the exact same words once again a week later on the balcony, this time coming from Elsa, that he begins to think it's a really bad record - twice in a week for a handsome chap like him! He must up his game.

So with her final 'Auf Wiedersehen, Darling', his eyes slide over to the gazebo, and he trundles off there in pursuit of the final part of Maria's note....the x.

Well, this isn't about the note, but more about her exit right after she puts the note down.


I love that last thing Maria does before she walks out the door is to glance up at the door to the children's room.  I wonder if she's thinking about how much she'll miss them, or about how this decision for her to leave is best for them, or both maybe. It's kind of heartbreaking though. 

Maria’s/JA’s looks are so wonderful in the movie. She does a similar thing when she is wandering by the lake as Georg watches her. She stops at the top stair where he stood when she came home, and where He and Elsa stand when she says she will only stay until a new governess can be found. I only noticed it recently but it’s if she can clearly see Him, and when she leaves for the abbey she can see the children in her stare.

Absolutely!!!!!!!

Yes, I suppose if she wrote that he was a cheating toad, then he had to think up something pretty quick!

It just occurred to me that, during their romance, he doesn't actually say anything about it (that we hear) - it is all just actions like mirroring body language, dancing the Laendler, long soulful stares down the hall. So she can't really accuse him of anything wrong (like lying), because it was effectively all done in silence.

Maybe that is why their romance is so dreamy, because it just seems to happen entirely naturally and spontaneously.

Do you think this note gave him any real information at all? or was it just a formality?

I agree, she probably did not mention anything about heartbreak, because she didn't even know if he really felt that way about her. Though, she had to know he would wonder what happened to make her leave in the middle of the party without saying goodbye to the children. Did she say that she was confused? Or that she was afraid that she was hurting the family in the long run? Or was it in her best interest to just say she missed the abbey and leave it at that? 

What if he and Elsa said goodbye to their last guests, and as the butler finally shut the front door, Elsa spotted the envelope propped upon the table?

Georg would have had to open it in front of Elsa and explain it without showing any emotion...

Lots of possibilities, but one reason I like the idea of Georg finding it, is that whatever it said and however he responded, he can be in total control of the narrative about what it said and how he responds. The very final, flat way he says, "she did in her note" and then the casual, almost lighthearted way he elaborates on it, could simply all be his inventions.

I never considered the possibility that Elsa did the proposing. It really makes so much sense. You really have to twist yourself in knots to construct a credible G proposal.

This would be a great contest - in 100 words or less, compose the proposal of marriage between E&G.

When Maria didn’t show up for dinner, would someone be sent to check on her?
It is possible that whoever this was (Frau Schmidt?) told Georg that Maria was gone before the note was even discovered. Then he would have to hear the news in front of everyone and decide if he was dashing out of the room to look for her/look for a note/confirm that this info was true, or just sit and pretend everything was fine. I’m assuming FS because it would probably be most appropriate to send a lady rather than a man up to the governess’s bedroom, and Georg would probably want to send someone who would be discreet if Maria was freaking out or something rather than just some random maid. Though, if it were FS, she would probably look for a note if the room was empty. She would also, hopefully, ask to speak to Georg in private instead of laying the news on him as he sat down for dinner with everyone.

Why didn't she leave her note in her bedroom? Good question! It would seem more logical to leave it there. Leaving it in plain sight, was she hoping someone would find it right away and the captain would dash off into the night after her, and then they could talk privately about where they stood with each other (which happens often in my daydream fanfic scenarios)?