October 1777

It was a cold night, and she was huddled close to the fire in the cabin she was residing in. Clutching a letter in her hand, she had read and re-read the words half a dozen times.

To My Dearest Tessa,

I write to inform you of some infinitely good news, and to ask for your counsel as I so often do. I have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, as well as being asked by General Washington to serve as his aid-de-camp. As you know, I have turned down similar positions prior, and I seek your advice about how I should proceed.

I know that I have no right to ask such things of you. But even though you say you no longer reciprocate my feelings, it is my ardent wish that we continue our correspondence, even if it is without romantic intentions. I value our relationship, and you yourself, far too highly to be able to simply never speak again. All I desire now is your friendship.

With great fondness,

Alexander Hamilton

With their courtship ended, Tessa had not heard a word from her former suitor. She suspected it had been the result of his burned feelings towards her, but apparently rejection had done nothing to diminish his want of her. Which left her conflicted.

No doubt his mentioning of his promotion was an effort of his to prove his suitability. But despite all of his suspicions, status was still not the reason for her reluctance to continue their relationship. Instead, her reservations were wrought from his ambition and work ethic. They were admirable traits, but she feared their future impact if they were to wed. Alexander would never be satisfied, and she fretted over whether or not she would be enough to keep his attention. She didn't want to spend her life concerned about her ranking on her husband's priorities.

But neither was she ready to completely quit him. It would be a lie to claim she felt nothing for him, and she just hoped that time, distance and platonic correspondence would suppress such emotions.

A rapping at the door caused her to jump from shock, folding up the letter and placing it back on the bedside table. Grabbing her shawl, she wrapped it around her before opening the door.

"Major," she greeted, "What are doing here?"

"Ah, Washington asked me to deliver this to you," he explained, handing her a letter, "It details our victory at Saratoga, he wishes for you to print it."

"Of course, I will send it first thing tomorrow morning." She said, "It's frightfully cold out, would you like to come in?" She offered, and upon seeing the confliction on his face, added, "Just to warm up, I'm sure it can't be too warm in your tent."

"No, it really isn't," he agreed, stepping inside, "Though, I do admit, I find your overt pleasantness to me to be unusual." He said, "You usually aren't so courteous towards me."

"I am afraid I am unsure how to take that remark." She replied, frowning as she crossed her arms, "Was it intended as an insult, or a rather backhanded compliment?"

"A compliment." He said, his eyebrows raised at her frankness. She wondered why he was so surprised. They were in private, so there were no standards to be upheld. She could be honest, "I find your honesty to be refreshing, and your wit, admirable."

Her eyes flicked over him, appearing to be sizing him up, as she mulled over his words. It clearly unnerved him. Which was the exact point.

"You've, never pursued a woman romantically have you?" She asked, though there was little questioning in her tone

"And why do you assume that?"

"Because, men usually compliment a woman on her beauty, and other frivolities," Tessa said, "There hasn't really been an abundance of men who can match my scathing humour with their own, the fact that you can keep up is very impressive."

"Is that a compliment?" He asked, clearly enjoying their conversation as much as she was

"I'll let you ponder that." She shrugged, stepping closer to him, "But you haven't answered my question."

"No. I have not courted a woman with any seriousness." Benjamin replied, "Have you?"

"Generally woman aren't the ones who do the courting." Tessa said, "It might hurt men's sensibilities if we were aggressive in our pursuit of a marriage."

"You didn't answer my question."

All her bravado was lost in that moment, faced with the very real prospect of being forced to examine her own past. He seemed to sense that something was wrong, and was about to retract the statement. But she would not be made to seem so vulnerable.

"Yes. Once." She confirmed, "Is that an issue for you?"

"And why would that be an issue for me?"

"Well, you know men," she shrugged, "They don't like competition."

Immediately she regretted her words, especially when she watched realization cross his face, as the implications of her words sunk in. She had placed him on the same level as someone she had very seriously considered marrying. Now she was stuck, not wishing to offhandedly dismiss the comment for fear it would drive him away, but neither wishing to confirm for fear it would bring him too close too quickly.

All of this worrying had prevented her from noticing the fact that he had been inching closer. Now they stood almost chest to chest. Her eyes staring up into his.

In one quick movement, his hands came up to cup her face, bringing his face down to hers. Grabbing out his shirt, she deepened the kiss, causing it to become more desperate. Whatever he had planned, she doubted it involved backing her up against the wall, his lips moving down to her neck.

He seemed to realize this, and pulled away.

"I'm sorry, that," he stammered, "That wasn't proper."

"Not in the slightest." Tessa agreed, "But neither is being in my room, alone, at nighttime." She pointed out, "And right now, propriety can be damned."

But for the second time that night, her confidence waned, when she remembered the letter laying only a few feet away from her. Her mother had always counseled her to hold caution as her friend, and right now she needed to remember such lessons. Things with Benjamin could not progress further until she had completely figured him out, and evaluated every possibility.

"But it does need to be respected." She said, "Which is why you should probably go." She advised, not completely out of her own volition, "Wouldn't want to cause a scandal."

"Of course." He nodded, doing a decent job of masking his disappointment

Stepping away, he hesitated, before pressing a kiss to her forehead. It was chaste, and in complete contrast with the kiss they had just shared. But perhaps that was why it left such a lasting impression.

Once he had gone, she picked up the letter, still unsure about how to proceed. Her interactions with the Major only increased her confusion. It would most likely be considered wrong to write to a former suitor whilst being courted by another, but Benjamin had made no such statement of his intentions. Perhaps if he had, she would feel more inclined to completely cut herself off from her former beloved.

But as it were, he had done no such thing. Therefore, she felt no guilt in penning a short, and extremely platonic, reply. At least, that was what she told herself.

Dear Alexander,

I know that it is your boundless ambition which is making your question accepting this position. And so, I counsel you to stop looking for future opportunities, and focus on what is in front of you. Glory is not all there is to life, and there is no doubt in my mind that you will rise in any position in which you are placed.

Sincerly,

Teresa

Only after she'd sent the letter off to be taken by courier the next morning, did she realize that him taking the position would mean they would be seeing each other more often.