Chapter Text
The carriage was rolling on an uneven street, and Martha was watching the passing landscape of the country she would be living in from now on. It had been over two years since their separation, so she decided to surprise her husband and pay him a visit. He must have been longing for her like she had been missing him. At the very thought of seeing her dear Jack, her heart was fluttering madly.
That was the first time he was to see their little daughter - the poor man had to leave to fight for his country before she was born. Martha was looking forward to seeing her beloved husband with their little sunshine, now sleeping calmly next to her.
When the carriage finally stopped, she took Frances in her arms and got out with her head high. She quickly ordered a passing servant to bring her bags inside and rushed to the house, wading in the snow.
As soon as she stepped in, she passed Frances to a servant girl, asked where she could find Mr Henry Laurens and set off to her father-in-law’s office.
The house was pretty, and she could stay there for now, but later, Jack would buy them their own, maybe somewhere in the city centre, close to a theatre. And they would have to for sure have some prettier wallpaper.
Henry Laurens was where she was supposed to find him and stood up when he saw her. “Mrs Manning.”
“Manning Laurens,” she grinned. “It is good to meet you, sir. I suppose this be you whom your lovely son inherited after. I must tell you, sir, John is the most amazing young man and my heart loves him dearly like no woman has ever loved before.”
“It is good to hear, my daughter.”
Martha beamed. Those words felt good and right. “I am to stay with him for now, as no man should be separated from the other part of his soul. I do not fear the inconveniences of the encampment. Even the crowd you now so patiently host in your house, sir, is no unbearable burden.”
Mr Laurens send her a small smile, then excused himself. She then decided it was the right time to finally go, find her husband in the terrible pot of boiling people.
She got still sleepy Frances from the servant and started to walk around hastily, looking for John. She found him conversing in a low voice over a piece of paper with another uniformed man. That must have been secret information they exchanged, leaned close to one another, but no information was secret from a man’s wife, so she didn’t hesitate to approach them.
“Jacky!” she squealed.
John looked up, surprised, and must have been too shocked and overwhelmed to respond in a similar manner. Instead, he just stared at her, with his eyes wide. “Martha?”
The other man also was peering at her, squinting. She quickly looked him up and down. He was much shorter than her Jack, his head reaching to Jack’s chin. His hair was fiery red, unpowdered, and his eyes were deep blue, giving an interesting combination. He should be easy to differentiate.
“Martha Laurens, John’s wife.” She reached out her hand and smiled at him.
“Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, an aide de camp to General Washington.” He spoke emotionlessly, professionally, and shook her hand, to her huge surprise. A man of unusual manners , she noted.
She would have time to get to know Jack’s friends later. Now, it was time for her husband only, him and their family, so she looked behind herself, at Frances standing, sleepy, behind her. “Fanny, come here, please.”
The girl tiptoed to her and grabbed her skirt, clutching her little palms on the wool so as not to fall down, and her tiny legs were still unsure after the long nap.
“Fanny, go, greet your daddy,” Martha encouraged her and watched John’s gaze meet Frances.
She sympathised with her husband; he hadn't got to see her grow. That was a miracle he had not witnessed, but there were no more moments he was to miss from now on. He shall be there when she learns to read, write, till she falls in love for the first time, then gives birth to her children, making him a grandfather.
Frances toddled over to her father, who did not react at first, only after a prolonged moment of silence spoke, “Hello, Frances.”
He then proceeded to look up again and got back to his soldierly posture. “Where are you staying?”
“With you, of course, darling,” Martha giggled. "You deserve it.”
The other man, Hamilton, grunted. “I shall inform you, Mrs, I have been sharing quarters with Colonel Laurens.”
“You should have said so, sir! I will immediately tell the servants to move your luggage to a single room. You should not have been forced to share. This is unbelievable. The General must be greatly busy to allow for his aides to suffer such discomfort.”
Hamilton looked at her, hollow as always, and she felt his sight scrutinise her. Martha nearly blushed and noted to tell Jack later he did not have to worry, as she had promised to be faithful and would not fall for the flirtations of the other officer.
“I shall excuse you, we have a war to win,” he said shortly, and Martha watched him leave and disappear behind a corner.
She turned to her husband. “Jacky…” she whispered dreamily, staring at his handsome face.
“Have you eaten dinner yet? If not, go ask it. I shall leave, duty calls.” He gave her a caring look, then woefully turned around and followed the steps of his friend.
Martha sighed, both with pride and disappointment. Her dearest husband was a brave soldier, but she would like him to have more time for her. She only kept hoping that would happen after the war.
Luckily, the house kept her interested for the rest of the day. It lacked a hand of the lady of the house. Fortunately, she now was there to keep it right.
The first thing that should be done was to change the curtains, awfully not matching with any of the furniture. Martha noted it down and continued the stroll around the house. New cushions to order, paintings to clean properly, and the mess the soldiers had made to tidy up. The servants should be having a busy week.
To destress herself after that, she sat at the piano, then read a bit. Soon enough, she was asked for dinner with Henry, over which they discussed Frances’ upbringing. Martha laughed a lot when the girl, very happy to see him, played with her grandfather and hoped to see similar scenes with John a while later.
The game tired Frances and soon a bath for her was prepared, then they visited the bedroom. Someone had brought there a smaller bed for her, and ten minutes of lulling in fresh sheets and under a quilt later the little girl was sleeping peacefully under the tender watch of her mother.
Martha was slightly disappointed Jack wouldn’t have a possibility to play with Fanny, but the calm she emanated with made up for it.
In the meanwhile, waiting for her husband, she changed into a nightshirt. There was little space, with lots of luggage of both she and John, and papers scattered over the desk. She only peeked at the drafts lying around.
She put herself to bed and waited for him to retire very long, and started to pity him for being forced to overwork himself. He needed a wife to take care of him and make sure his health and strength were full.
When Jack finally appeared, he looked gloomy from work. He hid in a dark corner and slowly pulled off his coat, hung it on a chair, then quietly stepped to the bed and slid down, laying on his side, with his back facing her.
That was a miserable sight, and Martha started to get how exhausting the war was. She longed for keeping him closer, and while travelling, had been shyly imagining suggesting to him that Frances might not complain about having a brother or sister. On the ship, she would lie in the night, rethinking the heard words that husbands could be… prone to get intimate after a long separation, and she slowly liked that possibility. But Jack seemed to be much too tired.
She snuggled close to his back, still with the waistcoat on so it would be faster to be ready in the morning, thinking about ways to ease him. “Jacky, love, do you need anything?”
There was a deep inhale from him. “No, Martha, I don’t need anything.”
“You can tell me everything, I’m your wife, love.”
John was silent for a long while and Martha started to worry about him. “No, Ma- Patsy, thank you, I am fine.”
“If you ever need me, I’m here,” she whispered and hugged him tighter, smiling to herself.