Chapter Text
“My father will be home soon.”
Thea’s words brought Philip out of the haze of sleep and back to full consciousness. Her warm breath tickled his cheek. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her and nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing in the smell of her flowery perfume.
When she shivered in his arms, he pulled the blanket up over her bare shoulder, doing his best to keep out the chill of the evening. She turned her head to face him, her dark eyes sparkling fondly in the dim candlelight of her bedroom.
“Can’t I stay?” Philip whispered, brushing his nose against Thea’s. “I promise not to make another peep tonight, and I’ll sneak out before he calls on you for breakfast.”
Thea giggled and tilted her face up to press a kiss on the tip of Philip’s nose.
“You’d be much better off leaving before he gets home. My father never fails to come check on me before he retires for the evening.”
The idea of Mr. Burr coming to bid his daughter a goodnight, every night, tugged at Philip’s heartstrings. For all the things Philip thought he knew about the “dangerous politician,” he never would have expected to hear that he was a doting father.
“Let me savor this moment, then,” Philip begged, moving to situate his body on top of hers, not for the first time that evening. “Gift me this sweet memory of you to keep me warm when I retire to my cold and lonely bed later tonight.”
He dipped his head down to nip at her exposed collarbone, and she giggled again. The sound of her laughter was perhaps the sweetest sound Philip had ever heard. He looked down at her with an impish grin splitting his face, and somewhere downstairs, the grandfather clock tolled midnight.
“My dear Theodosia,” Philip cooed softly, pressing a kiss to her jaw, her neck, the space between her breasts, murmuring praises into her skin as he continued to descend down her body.
“Oh, Phil,” she breathed, melting under his ministrations. She tangled her fingers in his unruly curls and tugged lightly, smiling coyly as he disappeared under the covers.
She shuddered again, but this time it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
Philip pressed another kiss near her navel, then teased his teeth along her skin. He was expecting another giggle, or at the very least a contented sigh… but instead, Thea froze under him.
“Thea?” he asked shyly. He looked up at her through his lashes, worried he’d somehow upset her.
“Shh!” she hissed, “Listen.”
They were silent and unmoving for a tense beat before Philip’s worst fear was confirmed — the sound of the front door thudding closed downstairs.
“Shit!”
Thea pushed Philip off of her, and he was quick to comply, leaping off her bed and landing on light feet, nearly dragging the bedsheets off with him. Thea fought to keep them around herself.
His shirt and waistcoat were draped over the foot of the bed, and he grabbed for them frantically before snatching his breeches and shoes off the floor. His stockings, unfortunately, were nowhere to be found.
“My nightgown,” Thea pleaded in a desperate whisper, covering her naked body with the untucked bedsheets while pointing to the rumpled garment on the floor. Philip grabbed it and flung it at her, simultaneously trying to shimmy back into his breeches. He struggled to fasten them closed, his fingers fumbling for a torturously long moment, before he abandoned the attempt altogether. He hiked them up as far as he could on his hips and hoped they’d stay while he executed an escape, then stuffed his bare feet into his shoes as quietly as he was able.
Mr. Burr’s footsteps were quickly ascending the stairs, and Philip frantically glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the window at Thea’s bedside. She watched on with a frightened curiosity as he pried the window open and slipped outside, pausing only a moment to blow her a parting kiss before he was gone.
The drop from the second story window to the alleyway was a bit further than Philip had anticipated, so for a painfully tense few moments, he clung to the windowsill and weighed his options. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard Thea’s bedroom door creak open.
“Theodosia?” Mr. Burr’s voice floated out the window and Philip held his breath as he listened for Thea’s reply. Her response was too low for Philip to make out.
“Sorry to wake you, dearest,” Mr. Burr answered quietly, and Philip exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. His Thea was nothing if not an excellent actress.
He glanced to his left, ready to continue his escape. He was pleasantly surprised to note that the awning over the front porch was nearly within reach, so long as he swung his legs and timed the jump right…
The awning creaked noisily under his weight when he landed and Philip held his breath as he crouched atop it, listening. When he was sufficiently convinced his cover hadn’t been blown, he crawled to the edge and carefully lowered himself down onto the porch. The few feet drop down was much less daunting than the full story down from Thea’s window had been.
Smoothing down his waistcoat and hiking up his breeches once more, he finally made his way down the front steps of the Burr’s townhouse to the main road, illuminated only by the streetlights in the late hour.
A chilling shiver ran through Philip’s body as he quickened his pace, heading in the direction of home, and he rubbed his hands over his arms in an attempt to warm himself. It hadn’t been nearly as brisk out when he left home after dinner to meet Thea at Fraunces Tavern, though that had been hours ago.
“No wonder it’s so cold in here,” Philip could just barely make our Mr. Burr’s voice coming from the second floor of their home, “Your window is wide open!”