"For the record, I blame you. She never would have done it if you hadn't given her the idea. She looks up to you, and you let her – and me – down."
The words circled in Angelica's head like a lion stalking its prey, preparing to devour her whole. Her father had never explicitly told her to go to her room – as a married mother of two, she was too old for that now – but the tone of dismissal had been clear. And the worst part was that he was right; if she hadn't encouraged Peggy to sneak out with her and Eliza to spy on the workers, perhaps she never would have thought to leave.
The only thing she had yet to determine was whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. If Peggy felt like she was caged by the life she had been born into, then Angelica was glad she'd given her the tools to escape – but until she heard from her sister directly, she had no way of knowing whether what she had escaped to was better or worse.
She groaned, the noise cutting through the silence of her childhood bedroom as surely as a roar. She had set sail for America as soon as she heard the news, but she had known even then that there was nothing that she could do. Peggy had made her decision, and there was no undoing it. Until she and Lafayette chose to make contact with her family, all Angelica could do was console their father and pray that no harm had befallen the pair.
A knock on the door drew her attention.
"Come in," she said. She hoped it wasn't her father. She knew he was only concerned, but she'd had enough of arguing for one night.
The door opened to reveal Eliza, who gave her a tired smile before rushing forward to embrace her. "I'm glad you're here," she said.
"Father's not." The lion pounced, bringing her crashing down. It was an odd feeling; she was used to being the one who stood tall, not the one who was the first to fall. "Am I a bad sister? Did I lead her down the wrong path?"
Eliza held her tighter. "You're an amazing sister. Peggy would say the same if she were here."
"Father doesn't think so."
Eliza sighed and released her, taking her hands and guiding them both to sit on the edge of the bed. "He says it's your fault, but I don't think he really believes that. He knew we used to sneak out, and he never put in more than a token effort of trying to stop us. I think he blames himself and is just taking it out on you because it's easier than admitting his own guilt."
The pressure in her chest loosened. It was only slight, but it was enough. While Angelica had always prided herself on being frank and fearless, Eliza had always known the right words to say in any given moment. "Did she say anything to you? About him, about where they're going, about anything?"
"Not directly." Eliza hesitated. "They met at my wedding, and it was clear they fancied one another, but she never said anything. I… I assumed it would pass. He was planning to return to France after the war, and I knew Father would never approve with their political situation as fraught as it is."
"So they eloped," she said, remembering the newspaper announcement that had started all of this in the first place.
"It appears so. Alexander says he didn't know anything about it, but he asked his friends and they admitted that they helped them organise the ceremony."
Angelica nodded, relieved. That had been her other concern. She knew she had no claim to Alexander's loyalty, but it still would have felt like a betrayal if he'd known and not told her. "What is Lafayette like? I met him briefly, but…"
"He's a good man. Witty. Charming. You'd like him." Eliza's eyes sparkled for a moment. "I daresay that if she'd told us about it, we both would have approved."
That was true. Angelica had given up her chance with Alexander for Eliza's happiness, and she would have done it ten times over if it meant that Peggy was happy as well. If Peggy had come to her for help eloping, she would have given it in a heartbeat.
"You're right," she said, and she felt the sense of ever-present danger and guilt fade as Eliza slew the lion of their father's words, setting her as free as Peggy. "In a way, I'm proud that she didn't. She did it by herself."
"She always has been a stubborn one," Eliza replied. "Speaking of stubborn ones, Philip asked when you're going to come over for a visit. I told him that you're busy and he has to be patient, but…"
"I'll be there first thing in the morning."
Eliza beamed. "I'll let him know. He will be so excited."
Angelica smiled back at her. And for the first time since she received the letter from her father with the paper clipping inside, it felt real.
A/N: Written for PV (What'd I Miss) for the Drabble Game Challenge with the prompts Angelica & Eliza and "For the record, I blame you."