Angelica had begun to get courted.
Eliza and Peggy first heard about it when she flew into their room, cheeks flushed from exertion and hair wild.
"Peggy, Eliza, you'll be shocked to hear this, but a Mr. John Church has written to me!" she had said.
Peggy stood up. "Really? That would be perfect! Especially with the ball coming up! Oh, just imagine, you could share your first dance with him..."
Eliza had simply closed her book and smiled up at Angelica. "It was bound to happen- you're very beautiful."
Angelica shook her head, and sat down on the bed, pulling Peggy with her. She reached over to Eliza and took her hand as well as Peggy's. "I do not know if I prefer to be courted or alone."
Angelica Schuyler was plenty brilliant, and what she lacked in looks was made up for in smarts. She had fluffy dark brown hair and smooth brown skin, but preferred to cover her skin in powder rather than go naturally.
She wore wigs rather than her real hair, so her appearance ended up slightly odd, as she had shiny silver curls and powdered-down dark skin.
But her intelligence was high, and for that reason, she preferred not to be courted— men liked dumbed-down women, and Angelica could not seem to hold her tongue around particularly dim men.
Peggy faked a gasp. "Really, Angelica? We didn't know."
Eliza said nothing, and kept listening to her older sister.
Angelica paid no notice to them. "But he matches me in smarts. I am not attracted to him at all, actually, and I see him as only a friend."
Peggy shrugged. "I don't see a problem with that. As long as you would have a successful marriage, and of course have plenty riches!"
Angelica smiled wearily. "Don't worry, he has something going for him money-wise."
Eliza chose this point to break in. "But Angelica, don't you see? If you don't love him, what's the point of marriage?"
Eliza Schuyler wasn't as witty as Angelica, but she was a truly kind soul, and she tried to extend her kindness to all. Needless to say, she did have standards that were rather high— she was a Schuyler sister, how could she not?
But Eliza was in general more forgiving than her sisters. She had long brown locks, but, like Angelica, wore her hair in a wig on fancy party nights. On those nights, Eliza powdered her face so thickly that it was impossible to see any color in her cheeks, but that was only on orders of her mother Catherine.
Otherwise, Eliza wore simple, modest gowns. She was not jealous of her sisters, who tended to shine more than her- rather, she was proud of them. She would rather be in the shadows, highlighting their best parts and maybe even be seen as a beautiful accessory, something to make the Schuyler sisters stand a little taller.
Angelica didn't answer, but Peggy did!
"For money and status, of course! Obviously, you must be able to at least tolerate each other, and it's amazing if you are able to have a true friendship or love, but the point of marriage is a successful partnership that you can hold for life. It's about achieving goals, not love," the youngest Schuyler sister said.
Peggy had been blessed with the beauty of a goddess, as if Aphrodite herself had come to Earth in the form of Angelica and Eliza's sister. On fancy nights, Peggy always wore the most fancy dresses, and the least amount of powder, because she simply didn't need it. Her cheeks shone with a bright highlight, and the only place she wore powder was her nose and the apple of her cheeks to hide any of her blush.
Of course, she spread tiny amounts of powder to cover her face just to make it whiter, but not much. Unlike her sisters, Peggy didn't need a wig, so she would put her hair up in an elaborate twist and allow the rest of her hair to trail out in a few curls.
Peggy was not as sharp-tongued as Angelica or as sweet as Eliza, but her beauty did not define her- she was very loyal as well, and she had been taught that that was what marriage was for. So of course, Peggy stood by it.
Angelica nodded, absorbing her sisters' opinions. "Thank you," she said.
Eliza could tell she needed time to think, so she stood up and left the room after telling them she was going to see her mother about a new dress- her old cotton one had gotten stained with grass mysteriously.
Peggy hugged Angelica. "Do tell us what you decide," she said. Angelica nodded in response. Peggy took that as her cue to leave, and dutifully swept out of the room to talk to Dot about the ball.
Angelica sighed and rested her head in her hands. Which was better— freedom or legacy?