Your Interest At Heart

Chapter 1

(A/n: I'm not a big sucker for romance, but for some reason I write things like this?? Just a fair warning, there won't be much 'lovey dovey' stuff in here. The only character that belongs to me is Bianca.)

"Bianca!" I heard my oldest sister, Angelica calling from downstairs. I was brushing out my (straight/long) light auburn colored hair at the time. I looked more like our mother than my sisters. I got her hair and eyes color from her, green eyes. (I have no idea what their mother looks like, so I just threw something together.)

"Coming!" I called back, leaving my bedroom and running down the stairs. Our father, Philip Schuyler, decided to color code us. Angelica was pink, Eliza was blue, Peggy was yellow, and I was green. As I went down the stairs, I lifted up some of the front bit of my dark green dress so I didn't trip on it. "Yes?"

My three sisters were standing at the front door.

"We're headed into town, if you want to come." Eliza told me. (I'm sorry I keep interrupting,, I'm not gonna include the bit from the song 'Schuyler Sisters' because it's not essential to this story. Just wanted to be clear! Have a lovely day.)

I nodded and slipped on my black shoes. It's August, so I wouldn't need a shawl. We then went to town, but instead of shopping at the market, we stopping in a crowd of people. In the middle was a ginger man on a stool holding a piece of writing. He was trying to silence the people around him, who were making fun of him.

"What's going on?" Peggy asked, peeking around people to sneak a look at him. "He's cute!"

"Dibs." I said automatically.

"Oh, please." Angelica rolled her brown eyes. "If anyone were to get a husband here, it'd be me."

Eliza had a long look at him as he hushed people. "Not my type."

"Agreed." Angelica nodded, crossing her arms. I sighed, grabbed Peggy's hand, and led her to the front of the crowd. The man had swoopy reddish hair, brown eyes, and a navy blue coat. He seemed to be a small bit taller than me, although he was scrawny. He finally got then to be quiet.

Before he started talking, I noticed a group of men watching him and laughing. They all had black hair, three of which were in ponytails. One had a face full of freckles, one had a smug looking face, one I recognized to be Marquis de Lafayette, and the other was wearing a hat.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" The man shouted with a pearly smile. He's british. "My name is Samuel Seabury, and I present 'Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress'."

Samuel Seabury. And a loyalist, evidently. He continued to speak, and the men made occasional jabs. Peggy was staring up at him.

"Dibs!" I whisper-shouted in her ear.

"I wasn't looking at him like that!" She objected. "I'm seeing if he's got any freckles!"

"Okay, okay." I laughed, glancing back up at Samuel. He and the smug man were trying to shove eachother off the stool, talking over eachother. Eventually, the black-haired man's friends dragged him away and he branched off on some other rant. Samuel scoffed disappointedly and picked up his heavy stool. Peggy went to go back to Angelica and Eliza.

"Samuel Seabury?" I asked. Maybe he needed cheering up. He glanced up.

"That's me." He said quickly. "You are?"

"Bianca. Bianca Schuyler." I introduced, slightly curtseying.

"You're a Schuyler Sister?" He asked, readjusting the stool.

"Second youngest, yes." I nodded. He was answering sort of dryly, but I was set on having a conversation with him.

"I've heard of you and your sisters." Samuel smiled. "Weren't you all just downtown?"

"We were a few days ago, yes." I told him.

"I saw you, I think." He placed down the stool. "Your sister was talking an Aaron Burr?"

"That's right." I nodded politely. I've gotten him in a conversation.

"Speaking of Burr, do you know them?" He motioned towards the group from before.

"That one is Marquis de Lafayette." I told him, pointing to Lafayette. "But I don't know any of the others."

"Ah, that's a shame." Samuel cracked a grin. "I was hoping you could tell that one to get stuffed for me."

"I will." I laughed, marching over to the group. Samuel followed close behind with a series of:
"Nononononono, I was kidding." And things like that. I stopped when I reached the one that was fighting with Samuel.

"What's your name?" I asked him sweetly. Samuel was several feet behind me, very red in the face.

"Alexander Hamilton." He responded, reaching for my hand to kiss. I allowed him to bring it up to his lips, but before they could connect, I yanked my hand away.

"Do me a small favour, if you will." I asked, brushing a strand of auburn hair out of my face.

"What would that be?" Alexander looked at his friends, who chuckled. I decided to make a game of it. I beckoned him to come closer so I could 'whisper' in his ear. He smelled of cologne. Hamilton leaned closer so I could tell him.

"Get stuffed." I said a little louder than average, but didn't yell. He yelped and jumped back. I then turned, linked arms with Samuel, and went back to the stool that was left on the ground. I'd completely forgotten about my sisters, who were watching intently from a distance.

As soon as we arrived, Samuel burst out in laughter, still very pink.

"You're welcome." I grinned triumphantly, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Alexander Hamilton and his friends storming over here. My sisters intercepted.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it." He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"It was well executed, if I do say so myself." I make eye contact with Peggy, who gave me a thumbs up. Angelica branched off from our sisters and made her way over.

"Angelica Schuyler." She curtseyed her pink dress, black curls bouncing as she came back up.

"Samuel Seabury." He nodded, freezing up again. I guess he isn't very good with people. My corset felt too tight suddenly.

"I see you've met my sister." She looked at him as though he was a child. He slightly shrunk under her unrelenting stare.

"I–I have." He gulped. Angelica is rather intimidating.

"Would you be willing to walk us home?" She asked.

Oh boy, this is gonna be good.

"Of– Of course!" He straightened his posture. "I'll just put my box somewhere out if the way, if that's alright."

"Go ahead." Angelica nodded. As soon as he left, she turned to me. "You've found a suitor!"

"What?" I shifted my weight to my other foot.

"Don't screw it up." She pointed a finger at me. Samuel scurried back and held out his arm for me to link. I hesitantly did so, and the three of us went back to Peggy and Eliza. As soon as we reached them, both curtseyed. Well, Eliza curtseyed and nudged Peggy to do the same.

"Elizabeth Schuyler. It's a pleasure to meet you." That was her line. She said it alot.

"Peggy Schuyler." My younger sister smiled widely, and threw me a wink. She was very conspicuous. Samuel chucked and looked at the floor.

"Samuel Seabury." He introduced himself.

"Will you be walking us home?" Eliza asked.

"Yes." Samuel nodded. By now Hamilton's group had left.