Never Satisfied
Eliza hadn't stopped grinning since the handsome young soldier had kissed her hand and asked if he could write her. The entire carriage ride home she sat there with a silly smile on her face, staring out the window with sparkling eyes. Now, Angelica stood behind Eliza in her bedroom, helping her remove the pins from her hair. The grin was still there.
"You really like him, don't you?" Angelica remarked.
Eliza let out a small giggle, "I do. I'm being stupid, aren't I? I barely know him!"
"You aren't being stupid."
Angelica had been the first to spot him. Dressed in his uniform with eyes full of passion and hope, he had certainly caught her eye. Just as she was about to make her way to him, she turned and saw Eliza's face. She followed her sister's eyes to the same handsome soldier, and she inwardly cursed. The look in her little sister's eyes, it was just…helpless. He had enraptured her as well. Much to her dismay, Angelica knew what she had to do. She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and worked her way through the people to the man. She didn't dare look back at Eliza for fear of seeing betrayal and heartbreak on her face. Luckily, the man turned toward her just as she was walking up, keeping her from having to initiate the conversation.
A coy smile fell onto his lips, "You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied."
Angelica laughed inwardly at his bold first statement. She decided to play innocent.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean. You forget yourself," she responded, quirking an eyebrow at him.
"You're like me. I'm never satisfied," he offers.
She cocked her head to the side, "Is that right?"
He nods his head, his eyes sparkling, "I have never been satisfied."
She blows a bit of air out of her nose and shakes her head before extending a hand to him.
"My name is Angelica Schuyler," she offers while curtseying.
Her heart thudded a little harder in her chest as he bowed and pressed his lips gently to the back of her hand.
"Alexander Hamilton."
"Where's your family from?"
Alexander lets out a small laugh, "Unimportant. But, there are a million things I haven't done. Just you wait, I'll do them all one day."
Heavens, she liked him. She liked him a lot. But then she made the mistake of turning around, reminding her of why she even came over here in the first place. Her sister. Angelica swallowed her pride and held her arm out.
"Shall you walk with me?"
Alexander took her arm, but looked down at her with a question in his eyes, "Where are you taking me?"
"I'm about to change your life."
Alexander laughed, "Then by all means, please lead the way."
Angelica's heart sunk with every step she took toward her sister. Eliza had turned her back toward them, so as they reached her, Angelica tapped her on the shoulder. Eliza turned around and her eyes got as big as saucers. After several beats of silence, Angelica cleared her throat, begging Eliza to say something.
Finally, she curtsied, "Elizabeth Schuyler. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Alexander's arm dropped from Angelica's, reaching out to take Eliza's hand and kiss it.
"The pleasure is mine. Schuyler?" he asked, looking between the two ladies.
"My sister," Angelica offered.
Before Alexander could say anything, Eliza jumped in again, "Thank you…for all your service."
That charming smile appeared again on his face, "If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it. May I have the next dance?"
With a blush and a nod from Eliza, they are off, spinning around the room. And Angelica is left standing there. That was the beginning of it. Now here she was listening to her sister talk of him, pretending to not be jealous. In reality, she was happy for her sister. But it didn't take the sting out.
"You aren't being stupid," she repeated, "Besides, he seemed as enchanted with you as you are with him."
Eliza spun around to look up at her sister, "Do you really think so?"
"He asked to write you, didn't he? That counts for something," Angelica pressed a kiss to the top of her little sister's head, "Sleep, 'Liza. It's been a long day."
The next morning when she heard a squeal, Angelica could have guessed what it was about. Within seconds, Eliza was standing in Angelica's room, holding out an envelope with ornate handwriting on the outside.
"He's written already!" she exclaimed.
Angelica smiled at her sister's enthusiasm, "Then what are you doing standing here? Go! Read it and write him back!"
In a flurry of skirts, Eliza was gone and Angelica didn't have to smile anymore. The minute she saw the letter in her sister's hands with her name emblazoned on the front, her heart had broken. He was right. She was never going to be satisfied.