Becoming a Founding "Father"- Historical Hamilton

Chapter Thirty-Three: The First Night

Hamilton's mother was legally not allowed to marry. [Hamilton's mother's husband] sought an official divorce, and in his petition, he painted Rachel(Hamilton's mother) in the worst possible terms: She had left her family and "given herself up to whoring with everyone" and that she would take his estate and "give it to her whore-children." The divorce settlement decreed that he could remarry but that Rachel could not, meaning that her sons would be illegitimate in the eyes of society.

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"Okay, so this is the final draft- 'Cold in my professions, warm in my Friendships, I wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that 'till you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you. Indeed, my friend, it was not well done."  Alexander takes a deep breath."You know the opinion I entertain of mankind, and how much it is my desire to preserve myself free from particular attachments, and to keep my happiness independent on the caprice of others. You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent. But as you have done it and as we are generally indulgent to those we love, I shall not scruple to pardon the fraud you have committed, on condition that for my sake, if not for your own, you will always continue to merit the partiality, which you have so artfully instilled into me'. What do you think?"

I hum. "That's an awfully long and flowery way of saying I love you."

Alexander gives me a look. "'Tis supposed to sound exaggerated, Soul. If he doesn't hear my sarcasm dripping from this, then I'll travel to South Carolina myself and beat him myself."

"Well, the historians will just think that you are proclaiming your never-ending love to him," I answer, and Alexander scoffs, crossing his arms.

"I do love him, yet John knows me well enough to look over the flattery. No historian shall be interested in my endeavors with John Laurens- as far as they're concerned, we are simply brothers in arms, as I am with you and many others." 

"Really?" I take the letter from his grasp and find a line of words that would disprove him. "'In drawing my picture, you will no doubt be civil to your friend; mind you do justice to the length of my nose and don't forget, that I-" I pause, looking at him with a disappointed look, "-have not spared you of pictures'. Are you sure there's nothing interesting about this? Nothing at all?"

"Alright, I made a penis joke- so what?" He said. "It's not as if anyone other than John shall lay their eyes on this anyway. And I'm quite sure you've seen my dick once or twice, so that can be excused."

"As much as I hate that reality, at least I know there's not much to look at," I tease, hiding my trauma with a smile. The few nights where I accidentally turned back a moment before he was fully dressed shall haunt my nightmares forever.

"Oi!"

"Alright, what else did you write?" I interrupt him, and he sighs. 

"Well, another jab- 'I anticipate by sympathy the pleasure you must feel from the sweet converse of your dearer self'-his wife-'in the inclosed letters. I hope they may be recent. They were brought out of New York by General Thompson delivered to him there by a Mrs. Moore not long from England, soi-disante parente de Madame votre épouse. She speaks of a daughter of yours'-" He abruptly cuts himself off when his voice cracks.

"You don't have to read more of it if you don't want to," I quickly rush to say when I see a pained look flash across his face. He nods and puts the letter down. 

"In the closing paragraph all I did was reassure him that my feelings remain the same, despite his..." He grimaces. "... His endeavors, and all I wish for is an explanation."