Here you go! The actual beginning to the story! Enjoy!
~Courteney
August 1800
Of course Theodosia had heard of Philip Hamilton. She had practically grown up with the boy. So it was no surprise when his name appeared once again on the front page of the New York Journal. "Scandal!" it read, "Rake Philip Hamilton Seen on Broadway with Mystery Woman!" Theo rolled her eyes. He just couldn't seem to sit still for one minute; there was a different girl hanging on his arm every other week. Last week it had been Elizabeth Grant. Two months ago he and Catherine Detty were practically inseparable. Plainly speaking, Philip was a sleaze – a regular Casanova. She wondered what young tart had caught his eye this week. Perhaps it was Charlotte Peterson; Theodosia had noticed them smiling at each other quite often during Eliza Hamilton's dinner party.
She noticed a lot about Philip throughout the years. Ever since she could walk, her parents would arrange for her to have play dates with him. And every time their fathers would meet to discuss politics, the two children would be left alone to play, sometimes for hours. For a while, they had been friends. Theodosia would help Philip with his French and he would show her how to relax while playing the piano – he said it sounded better when the player was relaxed. In their childhood, the two had been best friends. There had been a time when they knew everything about each other. Then when Philip was nine, he went off to a boarding school in New Jersey and she saw him less and less. When she saw him that Christmas, a month after he left for school, the influence of other the other boys was clear. Instead of sitting down to talk or play with her like he always had, Philip opted to chase Theodosia around the parlor with a decapitated rabbit's head he had found in the yard. It was after that that they started to drift apart. While he was at boarding school, she saw him around the holidays but his rambunctious attitude often annoyed Theodosia, so she stayed away from him, playing instead with his younger sister Angelica.
Just three years or so ago, Philip came back to live at home to attend Kings College and then graduated a few months back. Since he had come home, Theodosia had visited him a few times, but his new rakish attitude was not one that she was akin to. So, instead, she limited her visits to the younger Angelica Hamilton. She saw Philip at balls or dinners, but they never talked anymore, nor did he ever ask her to dance. Instead, he chased the heels of promiscuous young harpies who often had no problem giving him a quick toss around in a coat closet.
Sure, she was sad to have lost a close childhood friend, but Theodosia had many more friends who didn't delight in making a walking scandal out of themselves. She glanced back down at the newspaper in her hands detailing Philip's latest adventure. Annoyed, she tossed the paper down without reading the rest of the article; she'd seen far too many about the boy in the past three years.
"Angry at the newspaper, are we?" her father asked, peering at her over his morning cup of coffee.
"Oh no, not angry," she laughed, "Just nothing of substance this morning." She took a sip of her tea before elaborating. "Another Philip Hamilton scandal." She said the name of her former friend with an undeniable sneer.
"Another one?" Her father hardly sounded surprised. "You would think that after three years, his adventures wouldn't be so scandalous anymore." He took a second to finish writing whatever missive he was working on before handing it to a nearby butler. "What is it this time?"
Theodosia picked the paper back up and turned it so that the front page was facing her father. "A 'mystery woman' on Broadway." She said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
His father would kill him when he saw the morning paper. After Philip's latest drunken exploit at Angelica's birthday, his father "forbade" scandals. So of course he would be furious when he saw the front headlines. In short, Philip was a dead man. He had left his house hours ago out of fear of punishment and had been walking the streets of New York trying to make himself as discreet as possible. He had woken up around 8, dressed, and went downstairs where he saw the maids gossiping over a newspaper bearing his name. He had promptly snatched it from their hands and scanned the article which recounted his midnight rendezvous with Sarah Phillips the night before. He thought he had been careful that night, but the newspaper would indicate otherwise.
As he walked down the street, he could tell everybody was talking about him. Ladies talked behind fans and their own hands and men would nod in his direction before suggestively nudging their friends. It was already past noon and half the city was out and about running errands or making visits. There was nowhere he could hide. But he had absolutely no intention of going home to his no doubt seething father. He knew the lecture by heart already: "This is not what we do, Philip. A man's reputation is his honor. You would do well to keep yours unblemished and intact."
Philip sighed and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. He'd walked up town twice already and he was starting to get bored. He searched the crowd for a friendly face, but, much to his dismay, he found nobody. Perhaps it was time to head home. After all, the longer he avoided his father, the angrier he imagined he'd become. He'd only seen his father truly angry a few times, and many times that anger was directed toward his comrade and enemy, Aaron Burr. However, one time Alexander had caught Angelica kissing a young man at a New Year's ball – that made him truly angry – the house was full of yelling for at least a week. The thought of having to bear his father's wrath for a whole week seemed almost unbearable. Philip shuddered and decided to head home, turning around and running straight in a young woman who yelped as his body collided into hers. He looked down to help the woman up of the ground and smiled a childish smile upon seeing his old friend.
"Theodosia Burr," he drawled, "I didn't expect to see you here." He lifted up her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.
"I do live here." She said cuttingly, pulling her hand away. She never once met his gaze but instead invested a great deal of time in brushing invisible dirt off her skirts.
"I suppose you are right." He frowned a bit at her edgy tone. Philip remembered being a fond friend of hers, but she apparently seemed to remember things differently. "Well I do apologize for running you down."
Theodosia finally looked up at him, her eyes neither kind nor angry. Instead, a mischievous glint he recognized from childhood twinkled in both eyes. "Well, Philip, I must admit I am surprised. I didn't think you fell upon women unless it was midnight on Broadway." She gave a sarcastic curtsy and promptly turned away. With a flick of her hand, she added, "Do have a good day."
Philip was left speechless in the middle of the street. He hadn't had a real conversation with Theodosia in at least eight years and he was certainly surprised at how this one had turned out. He let out a long breath. Apparently everybody read the morning paper today.
Everybody including his father had read the morning paper. As soon as Philip walked in the door, Angelica was there to greet him with a taunt.
"Philip, Papa is so angry with you." She poked his nose and laughed. "I've no idea what you've done but it must have been very scandalous." She whispered the last word in a sultry voice.
"Shut up, will you, Angie." Philip gritted, pushing her shoulder.
"Come back to me alive!" she called playfully as he made his way begrudgingly up the stairs towards his father's study.
Philip had made the trip up to his father's study many times; each visit always ended the same way. Philip would be sent to apologize to his mother and siblings and he would be confined to his room for one whole day. It had become such a routine procedure that when Philip was seven, he discovered a way out of his room that nobody knew about. But something told him that this punishment would be different. He just didn't know how different. After his father's very own scandal three years prior, he took affairs with women very seriously. The last time Philip was caught with a girl, his father exploded, saying, "Scandals like these can undo a man! These things ruin lives, Philip. Don't behave like I did. I did not raise you to be weak!" From then on, he had made sure to be very careful and discreet while sneaking around with a girl, but he must have missed something this time.
The door to his father's library was always able to instill fear into Philip. The door itself wasn't anything special, just a plain slab of wood, but it was the knowledge of what lay beyond the door that made Philip's heart quicken. As children, he and his siblings were never allowed to enter the room. The only times they were let inside were when Alexander needed to give a lecture or punishment. The fearful stigma of the room stuck with Philip into adulthood, and as he stood in front of the door, he found himself unable to knock.
"Philip Hamilton," his mother's soft but stern voice interrupted the silence, "I suggest you go in there." She nodded towards the door.
"Mama," Philip moved towards her, "Please, I-"
"Oh, no," Eliza's hand shot up to stop him, "You'll find no solace out here in the hallway, Philip. I'm none too happy with you. I did not raise you to treat women that way – as fun little adventures in the night."
"Mama, you're right. I'm sorry, but please-" he made another move towards his mother. If he could just get out of this one meeting with his father, he would be golden.
"Go, Philip." She pointed to the door.
"Yes, Mama." Philip obliged, hanging his head before knocking on the door.
He knocked on the door quickly, as though knocking quickly enough would cause his father to not hear him knocking. He had no such luck though, as a second later his father's decisive voice could be heard from behind the door saying, "Come in". Philip sighed and mustered up all the courage he could and put on a charming face – it always seemed to work for his father.
"Pop," he greeted jovially, with his most debonair smile. "How are you?"
"Sit down Philip." Alexander said, devoid of emotion. He didn't even look up from his documents when Philip entered.
"Yes, Pop." Philip said quickly, his smile fading as he sank into the seat on the other side of the desk. A couple minutes of silence passed as his father finished looking over whatever documents he had been reading. When he finally finished, he tapped the papers against the desk and set them off to the side before taking off his glasses to look at Philip.
"Well," he began, folding his hands underneath his chin, "Since you slipped out of the house so early this morning to avoid punishment, you've given me the perfect opportunity to come up the perfect punishment." Alexander smiled a bit.
"Dad," Philip laughed, mostly out of nervousness, "Come on. You were nineteen once. You've said it before. Hell, I even heard from Mr. Burr that you were quite the rake in your day! Cut me some slack, and I promise I won't do it again." He leaned back in his chair, not sure he had convinced his father even the slightest bit.
"Oh, now don't try that with me, Philip." His father sounded angry but Philip could detect the slight glint of amusement in his eyes. "The difference between you and me is that, when I was nineteen, I was fresh off a boat from the Caribbean and I had no reputation to uphold. Lucky for you, I built a reputation for you and you would do me well to uphold it." He laughed before adding, "You're doing a piss-poor job, son."
Philip opened his mouth to launch a retort back but thought better of himself. After years of experience, he could tell his father was set in a decision.
"What is it then, Pop? What would you have me do?" He imagined all the terrible scenarios his father could come up with. Once when Angelica had gotten herself into trouble, she had to copy down forty pages of one their father's law books by hand with no breaks, except to relieve herself.
"Well, as I said, you gave me plenty of time to settle on this idea, and I believe to be quite the spectacular idea." His father gave a large genuine smile, honestly pleased with himself, before continuing. "Actually, upon further reflection, it's not much of a punishment at all."
Philip exhaled, relieved. Perhaps there would be no punishment after all.
"But," his father continued, smiling, "It was a brilliantly symbolic idea, so I think it'll do."
Philip immediately sucked in the breath he had just exhaled in relief. Damn.
"I give half the credit of this idea to your mother – a brilliant woman, she is. What I want from you is a good reputation, naturally. And the way I want you to do that is this: you must come to every social function that I, your mother, or your sister attends and you are, under no circumstances, to be seen with a girl of ill repute. No sneaking off with anyone or whispering in any ladies ears. But, you must dance and hold conversation. With respectable young ladies. Should I hear of any other behavior, there will be severe consequences."
"Wait, that's it?" Philip asking in disbelief. "Just stay away from women of 'ill repute'? Well, damn, Pop," he laughed, "I can do that." He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, a large smile on his face.
"You think that now, Philip, but, like you said, I was nineteen once. I know as well as you do that an easy chase and a closet rendezvous is always fun. And don't forget, I have people all around readily willing to report back to me regarding your behavior."
"Damn, Pop, I know. I won't let you down."
"Well I should hope so, Philip. Your first test is tonight. Margaret Wildes' annual autumn ball - we'll all be attending."
All Theodosia could think about was how tight her corset was. She had gone out with her friend Heidi about a month ago to special order the ball gown and when it was delivered to her house, she discovered she needed to tie her corset a little tighter than necessary. She immediately regretted her decision. Naturally, the theme for Mrs. Wildes' ball was "autumn colors". However, Theodosia was never a fan of warmer colors; her closet was a collage of blues and purples and blacks. When she visited the seamstress, a deep burgundy silk had immediately caught her eye. She ordered the dress with a square collar and half sleeves, with lace ruffling around the sleeves. She had instantly fallen in love with the creation. Until she put it on.
"You'll be able to breathe once you start dancing, Theo." Her friend peeped up next to her, breathless. The beautiful daughter of a wealthy trader, Heidi Miller was always the highlight of every dance and dinner party. Young men were swept away her long golden hair and striking green eyes, not to mention her rather gracious bosom that Theodosia never failed to tease her about. It didn't hurt that Heidi was a renowned flirt, either.
"Or I'll be less able to breath. Like you." She poked Heidi in the ribs, causing her to hunch forward.
"Oh don't be so sour, Theo. It'll loosen up your dress and your corset." Heidi was cut short when a young man whom Theodosia didn't recognize approached her and asked for a dance. She seemed noticeably tired, but Heidi accepted the offer anyway, quickly twirling back on to the dance floor.
The heat from the ballroom was giving Theodosia a headache, so she made her way towards the table holding a large bowl of lemonade. On her way there, she noticed the Hamilton family's grand entrance out of the corner of her eye. They made no spectacle out of entering, but everybody always turned to watch when they walked in the room. Alexander and Eliza always made a striking pair, always walking in arm-in-arm. The two eldest children, Philip and Angelica, always followed close behind, often dressed better than half the crowd. Whenever Philip made his way to the stairs, he would begin smiling and nodding at ladies scattered around the dance floor.
Theodosia had turned away to drink her lemonade when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with Philip Hamilton, wearing a hellish and rakish smile.
"Theodosia Burr," he practically purred, mimicking his tone from earlier in the day, "I had hoped to see you here." His eyes were charming and kind, and Theodosia found herself thinking back to the time when they had been friends.
"My father is a prominent public figure, just like yours, Philip. I do attend almost every social function." She hid behind her glass of lemonade, wishing to put anything and everything between her and Philip Hamilton.
"Funny, I suppose I've never seen you at one. No surprise there, seeing the way you hug the walls like an old maid. With a face like yours, I'm surprised you're not dancing with every man in New York." He winked and flashed a crooked smile, and Theodosia could tell this was anything but a compliment.
"Philip, you disgust me." She knocked back the rest of her lemonade, slamming her empty glass on the table behind her. She had every intention to walk away but was stopped by the sound of Philip's voice.
"Ah, so you've discussed me? Teddy, I'm honored." He placed his hand on his chest in a dramatic and sarcastic attempt to act flattered.
"I'm glad, Philip." Theodosia said, turning to walk away.
"Dance with me, Theodosia!" he shouted, just as the music ended. Half the ballroom turned to look in their direction and Theodosia winced. God damn that boy. He had shouted his request in the middle of the ballroom, making it almost impossible for Theodosia to turn down his offer in a socially proper manner.
"I'd be delighted to take the next dance with you, Philip." She said through gritted teeth, taking a cautious glance back towards the crowd. Oh, hell, she thought, setting her jaw.
Philip smiled broadly at her, indicating that he knew exactly what he was doing. He bowed dramatically, holding out her hand for her to take. With a nauseous smile, Theodosia took a step toward him, letting him sweep her on to the dance floor.\
Let me know what you guys think!
~Courteney