Dear, Hamilton

Balance of Power

It takes fifteen minutes to reach the town and when I do, the whole town is buzzing about the pamphlet. The Reynolds Pamphlet, I hear them call it.

I tug my hat farther down to help hide my face more, but people still recognize me, and I hear their whispers despite their best efforts to be discrete.

The poor woman.

Betrayed by her own husband.

I've heard she's part of the Schuyler family. How scandalous.

I'm relieved when I finally reach the post office, and I swing myself off my horse and tie it up on the wooden post just outside the door before striding inside. The smell of paper and ink greets me as I step inside, my shoes clicking against the worn wooden floors.

It's surprisingly busy in here, but I soon find out why; There's a stack of copies of the Reynolds Pamphlet for sale. I quickly skirt that crowd and head towards the back where the publisher sits at what seems to be the front desk. I clear my throat as I near the desk, and his eyes slide up and widen as he recognizes me. 

"Mrs. Hamilton," he says in a hushed, but a surprised voice.

"Hi," I say, ignoring the elephant in the room. "I'm looking for past newspapers. Do you have any left?"

The publisher stares at me for a moment in shock before he recovers himself and replies gruffly, "I have a couple of copies. They usually cost money, but I'll let you have them for free since-" He trails off, as if unsure how to finish his sentence, but I can already guess where he was headed with it.

"Thank you," I say, saving him from finishing his thought aloud, and he smiles with relief.

"I'll be right back, Mrs. Hamilton," he tells me before striding to the back. I wait patiently by his desk, casting anxious glances every now and then to the crowd surrounding the pamphlets. Finally, he returns with a stack of papers, and he hands them to me. "There you go."

"Thanks again," I tell him gratefully, and he nods.

"Have a nice day," he calls out after me as I weave my way through the store. 

When I get outside, I quickly shove the papers into the pouch strapped to the horse's saddle before swinging myself up onto my horse. I ride back to The Pastures, but instead of going back inside the house, I linger near the oak trees where Hamilton and I had sat so long ago when I was hiding to avoid a confrontation with Peggy after discovering she had eloped. 

I find the exact oak tree we'd sat against, and I tie up my horse before sitting down and plopping the newspapers onto my lap. I stare at the stack before diving in.

Headline after headline hit me like a slap to the face, among them:

WASHINGTON DELIVERS FAREWELL ADDRESS, FOCUSING ON A UNION BETWEEN PARTIES.

VICE PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS V. FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE THOMAS JEFFERSON: WHO WILL WIN THE PRESIDENCY?

PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS INAUGURATED AS THE SECOND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

SENATOR JAMES MONROE CHARGES FORMER SECRETARY-TREASURER ALEXANDER HAMILTON WITH EMBEZZLING GOVERNMENT FUNDS!

This last headline hits me the most. What had caused Monroe to accuse Hamilton of such a treasonous charge? Does Monroe hate Hamilton that much? 

I flip to the article and read it, my eyes scanning the paper fervently. In the end, I discover three things:

1. James Reynolds, Maria Reynold's husband, told a reporter lies about how Hamilton was embezzling government funds. The reporter then decided to write an article in the newspaper about Hamilton's "treasonous" actions, leading to Hamilton's confession of the affair to the public to clear his name.