1776

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐒 a complicated, exhilarating thing. It can be beautiful, like rich, vibrant colors filling a dull sky on a rather boring day. It can be a euphoria, it can be blissful. It can last from your "I do's" to when God claims your soul into the heavens, or in an unfortunate situation it can last much shorter. Love is strengthened over time, and if one pins down their other perfectly, then it shall create a bond like no other.

I watched the looming trees blow with the breeze, the snow that tops them lays on the branches as if they were topped with powdered sugar. The wind occasionally picks up, whipping the pines in a dancing rhythm.

The snow that sprinkled the tree suddenly disappears, moving with the powerful gust onto a different tree. The snow falls easily and is falling faster than it was yesterday, reminding us that winter is on its way, although not many are looking forward to it. Sucking me from my thoughts, Mamma pounds on my door.

"Elizabeth!" She lets out a low hiss. "Our guests are arriving. Please welcome them with Margarita in the parlor." I let out a low sigh, standing up to smooth my periwinkle dress. Not wanting to keep our guests waiting, I hurry downstairs--careful not to trip on my shoes. I carefully slip next to Peggy, trying to be as discreet as possible so that Mamma doesn't notice. Fortunately she was nowhere to be seen, yet.

"And where were you this entire time?" She demanded lowly. I shrug.

"Upstairs. I don't want to be in the same room as these lobsterbacks a second longer than I have to." I spat. Peggy chuckles in a fashion that leads me to believe she knows something I do not.

"Oh Elizabeth! Haven't you heard? Tonight we are dining with no redcoats, we're dining with His Excellency himself, General Washington and two of his aides!"

That certainly got my attention, for I stumbled back and began to regret not powdering my hair. Peggy looks incredibly handsome, and I feel almost as if we were supposed to be dressed up as if we were to attend a ball.

She has a light green dress on with golden lining on the bodice, complimenting her pale complexion quite nicely. She has her rich, dark hair up and powdered, with a feather stuck in for good measure.

I, on the opposite side of the stick, could be compared as a housemaid. My dark, curly hair was down and I tied a thin, black ribbon around my neck. Noticing a bit of leftover lace on a nearby seat, I swoop it up and tie it loosely around my waist. Peggy rolls her eyes at my low efforts and unties the lace.

"Put it like...this." She wraps it so the crooks of my arms are holding the lace. Smiling, I turn back to my sister.

"Thank you, Margarita, although it seems I should have also touched up my face a bit more." I put a touch of powder and paint on this morning, though nothing compared to how Peggy decorated her face. She dismisses me with a wave of her hand.

"You have a naturally clean complexion, Eliza. You don't need to touch up your face." She compliments. Mamma rushes in a haze, looking as equally handsome as my younger sister. Even in her mid forties, Mamma was just as beautiful as she was when she was my age.

"Eliza, did it seem to slip your mind that we happen to be accompanying His Excellency tonight?" She asks coldly, eyeing me up and down. I purse my lips.

"It could never have slipped her mind if she wasn't informed about it." Peggy says nonchalantly, taking my side. "She was never told that we were to be in the presence of General Washington and the Colonels."

Mamma looks incredulously at Peggy. "I-" She is cut off by the sounds of a horses rapidly approaching. Mamma's eyes widen quickly, and she stalks off to find Papa. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding in, dreading the looks I shall get when the soldiers catch sight of me.

One of our servants opens the door, and the two aides step into the parlor, taking notice of the grand and expensive details. I hear Peggy snort beside me.

"I doubt they have ever seen such handsome furnishings in their lives." She tittered lowly. "Do you have any idea who the fellows are?"

"Not a clue." I admit, nodding towards the two aides. They nod back politely before Mamma and Papa swoop in confidently in to greet the pair.

"I believe the one on the right is Colonel Alexander Hamilton." She points to the shorter aide of the two, who had a slightly skinny build and fiery red hair. I scoff slightly.

"That's the Colonel Hamilton I've been hearing about? Why he can't be much older than 16!" It was now my turn to jest the two men.

"Oh hush now." Peggy chides beside me, "He's not much older than you, Eliza." I make a grunt in disbelief, Peggy eying me warily.

"That's not very ladylike, Elizabeth." She says pompously.

"Oh hush now." I mimic her, signaling the end to our conversation.

It's not long before His Excellency joins us in the parlor, taking no notice of our grandeur. He shrugs off his coat and hands it to one of our servants. Papa greets him with a confident flair, showing no sight of intimidation if he felt it. The two men immediately become engrossed in War strategies and politics that, even though I was curious to hear, I had no business to know. If Papa wanted to tell me later, he would.

Peggy and I stride side by side towards the dining hall, conversing in Dutch. We discuss in a lowly manner in hopes of hearing the two aides' conversation behind us. Unfortunately for us, the two men end up conversing in whispers, letting nobody hear their conversation.

"Maybe the other man is Colonel Laurens?" I say to my younger sister, daring to sneak a glance back at the aides.

"Son of Henry Laurens? There's a chance." says Peggy. "We're going to have make their acquaintance, after all."

"Perhaps." In all honesty, I didn't feel like being the one to speak to fellows first. We sit down, Colonel Hamilton at my left and Mamma at my right. His Excellency sat where Papa usually sits, at the head of the table, while Papa sits at the other end.

We begin to dine as the servants bring out an assortment of bread, cooked meat, fine cheeses, and fresh vegetables as well as wines and juices. I feel myself grow hungrier at the sight of the fresh foods, and my mouth waters at the taste of the roasted beef and lightly salted mashed potatoes. I watch as the aides hungrily down their plates hastily, they feast like a hound dog would on its prey. Although I watched in horror and amusement then, it wasn't until much later that I realized that the meal they had then was most likely their most hearty meal in awhile.

"I prepare a toast, to General Washington and his two aides, Colonel Hamilton and Colonel Laurens. May this war end soon!" Papa stood up, his wine glass in his extended hand. We cheered heartily to the toast and downed our wine goblets. There was a cheery air amidst the room, laughter and jests surrounded all of us as we smiled and ate like kings.

Later that night, Mamma suggested I put on a musical piece that I had been working on to distract from my bare attire. I accepted and graciously played a slow, peaceful ballad. My fingers danced on the piano as the music flowed from the pianoforte.

The notes and chords graced the room stunningly, and I fell into a haunting trance. My hands unconsciously played the piano gorgeously, and I felt my soul tie and connect with the music. The ballad came to a close, and I stepped up to take my bow and praise. I curtsied politely, then took my leave and sat back down near the window. A certain aide was also seated by the window.

We hadn't spoken a word before this very moment. Peggy and Colonel Laurens were currently deep in conversation, while Papa and His Excellency were engrossed in politics. Mamma was currently tending to my younger siblings upstairs, leaving Colonel Hamilton and I all alone.

"That was a wonderful pianoforte." He compliments. I turn towards him and smile.

"Thank you, Colonel Hamilton." I accept the praise. His eyebrows raise.

"It means a great deal to me that you know my name before introductions, Miss Schuyler." He looks impressed, an even smile--no, smirk--dances on his lips.

"You are a guest in our household, Colonel. It would be utterly rude of me to not know your name." I reply as calmly as I can. Inside, I squirm uncomfortably. He nods slowly.

"I suppose so." The colonel replies. I turn my head to the window, signaling the end of the conversation, although tiny part of my mind doesn't want to end the conversation quite yet. It seems that he thought the same.

"I cherish being able to stay here, somewhere other than a place burdened and bruised by war." His eyes spark a wistful gleam as if to express how he is already tired of the war. I soften my expression a bit.

"Oh, how I wish it wasn't burdened by war, but it seems as though the whole country is bruised by this interminable period of suffering." I reply sympathetically, not wanting to sound pontified.

"The General expresses his regret about the accusations that have been brought up regarding your father." He tells me, spotting a glance at the General who sits across the room from us. He lowers his voice in secrecy. "Congress shan't be allowed to mess with military affairs poisoned by politics. Nor does he believe that General Gates is a worthy successor."

"He isn't, Colonel. General Gates knows nothing of loyalty. He has only acquired the success that my father worked so hard to put in place for our country.

He has no regard for honor or liberty in the slightest, and yet he is still praised as a hero after the Battle of Saratoga. A title, if I may add, that he does not deserve at all." I reply angrily. I had lost all of my little respect for General Gates, and I didn't mind expressing my distaste for him.

"You speak with passion, Miss Schuyler." He says. A respectful tone stands out to me in his words.

"I am in fact a Schuyler, Colonel. I know the cost of liberty." I say, pride swelling in my chest and a proud, confident smile playing on my lips as I say my last name.

His eyebrows raise. "Those are a brave choice of words for a woman."

"A brave choice of words based on experience, Colonel." I say. "The only action in this war doesn't just happen on the battlefield. When all others fled Saratoga and the incoming British, my mother bravely went forward to our property. She set fire to acres and acres of crops, just to stop the British from feasting on our hard-earned crops and plants. Yet, General Burgoyne and his officers seized control of our house. They drank my father's wine and ravaged my mother's fine jewelry, burning down the house before they later surrendered to General Gates."

I had been saddened to hear about the destruction of our house. It seems we spent more time there than we did here in Albany, and I still have nothing but the fondest memories of my sisters, brothers, and I laughing and playing around in the fields.

I missed the way the sun shined on the crops in the morning, and the clear, illuminated dew clinged onto the grass. I had loved the way the flowers waltzed in the wind, not a care in the world. I ached to be able to experience it again. The lush, green fields, the dark sunsets--all of it.

He doesn't respond, and I feared that I had carried on too much. I foolishly realized how pompous and entitled that I had seemed, for many more homes got burnt down in the war. Many more families lost their homes, and had no second home, unlike us.

"There was a cat." I began, not able to stop myself. "He was missing an eye. I named him Ginger for his smooth, ginger fur. He wasn't in the sharpest condition, but he was the sweetest cat, nevertheless. A servant told me that one of the officers had thought a nuisance of the cat, and that he threw him into the river to drown. Later when Burgoyne and his other officers had came to stay with us as 'prisoners of war', I couldn't help but wonder which one of those men threw Ginger in the river." I stopped there, looking down so the Colonel didn't see my red eyes. I had gone too far. But the Colonel didn't laugh or make any sign of being humored.

"We all lose things close to us in war." He replies soothingly.

"You lose soldiers and men who have risked their lives for a better world. I sob over a cat, Colonel."

"But that cat's not all you trouble over, now is it?" He says, refreshingly straightforward. I'm startled at the intensity of his words, and can't help but wonder what he's going to say next.

"Colonel, I do not under-" He cuts me off.

"Miss Schuyler, I believe you happen to understand more than anyone else." He says, staring directly at me. "This war has turned our lives upside down. Our old plans for the future are now gone, reduced to ashes. But with it, this new country we claim as our own will be the most extravagant, brilliant country God has ever created."

I hadn't ever heard the war be spoken of like this. There was an excitement in his tone, an excitement which spread to me. Other officers would speak of military tactics and maneuvers, but none of them would ever speak like this. He spoke about our future glory and dreams so passionately, it was evident why the General had brought him here and how he had enchanted our parents.

I stare at him, speechless. He looks pleased with himself, as if he had just won a heated argument. We lock eyes for a moment before looking away from each other, staring at other things that had suddenly caught our attention. In that moment, I noticed how violet his blue eyes happened to be when the light hit them. The swirl was enough for any lady to get lost in them.

"Well, sir. I believe it is time for Colonel Laurens and Colonel Hamilton to get back to camp. We wouldn't want them staying up past their bedtime." General Washington announces, rising from the loveseat. He said these words in a strict tone, but there was a small smile that tugged on his lips as well. I could not help but chuckle at Colonel Hamilton's reaction to this, which was turning as red as the ripe tomatoes that we had just hours earlier.

Papa stood up with the General, guiding him towards the door. Laurens arose as well, straightening his navy jacket. He extended a hand to Peggy, who graciously took it with cheeks the tint of rose. The Colonel bowed over, giving her knuckles a soft kiss before they both strode to the entrance of the house.

"Well, Miss Schuyler," Colonel Hamilton begins, also arising. I feel the need to rise with him, the difference in our height noticeably apparent.

He looks down to me, casting a charming glance and extending a calloused hand out to me. I instantly reached out and grasped it with my pale, dainty hand.

As we sauntered to the door, he whispered a rather unseemly jest in my ear, causing a hot blush to creep up onto my face. I saw a hint of a smirk dance on his lips as we continued to walk, step in step.

The blush didn't go away as we neared Papa and the other guests, and in the back of my mind I already knew that Peggy was doubtless to tease me about it when we were in private.

But at this moment, I could not care less. All that mattered was how strange I felt. What was this peculiar fondness I felt budding in my breast? As I hadn't felt this way since Major André had stayed with us for a certain amount of time.

I tried to bury the thought deep in my mind, for to my knowledge, this was the last time I would see the Colonel. Still, there was a twinge of ache in my heart when I came to the realization that we were to part.

In the short amount of time we spent together, I had gathered a newfound respect for the Colonel. Our conversation had changed my view on our war, and his well-spoken manner was still on my mind.

Both Colonel Laurens and Colonel Hamilton placed a gentle kiss to my knuckles and said their farewells, both looking crestfallen at the fact that they had to leave our wonder-filled mansion.

Papa and Mamma followed the Generals and the Colonels out to their horses, eagerly making conversation between them. They were out there for what seemed like millennia, leaving Margarita, our servants, and I to wait awkwardly in the foyer.

Peggy inches closer to me, a spark of mischief evident on her pale, handsome face.

"Seems like you've taken a fancy to Colonel Hamilton." She smirks, nudging me slightly in the ribs.

"Hold your tongue, Peggy. You seemed to be interested in Laurens." I say, glancing satisfactorily at her reddening face.

"At least I wasn't blushing like a schoolgirl throughout our entire conversation."

"Peggy!" I roll my eyes, swatting her away. But I cannot help and glance out the window, watching them ride away into the night.

———

I hate myself :^)

creative liberties have been taken here, for example Eliza never met Laurens. I just wanted that good old Janthony content that I've been desperately craving. that's probably my biggest gripe with this but oh well, gotta cater to the readers somehow, amirite fellow authors?

this chapter was heavily influenced by I, Eliza Hamilton. just wanted to make that clear, cause I was really struggling with how they met. this chapter took over three months to write, so I hope you enjoyed. thanks to the lovely Musicals_4_Life for proofreading this for me. I love you all. have a lovely day/night. <3