Hamilton / Lams Oneshots

The Dress (Jeggy) [Historical AU]

Requested by afriendlyferret

My hand stood still in mid air, I looked at the canvas and then shifted my eyes from the field in front of me, up to the hawk circling in the sky, and then back to the canvas. I was careful and with much attention to reality, painting mostly landscapes or animals. Maybe it had started when I was just 5 years old, when my mother and I used to sit in the garden and watch the birds while she drank tea. Of course, back then I liked jumping off my mother's lap and running to the water fountain, making the birds fly up and away when I got all too bored of sitting still. My mother would laugh and jokingly scold me for my impatience, and I'd just do it all over again.

Now that my mother was in the ground, I didn't chase the birds anymore, instead putting them down on paper or canvas so that I could keep the picture forever. I placed a few trees, mimicking the treeline just beyond the field, which I knew grew along the path that came up to our house. The path was gravel, it always made a crunch when the wheels of a carriage went overtop it as the carriage drove down the path. Back when my father was alive, he was gone since just a couple of years, quite many carriages had driven up to our house, wether it be family friends or business men or politicians.

Now, the house was home to my wife and I, and our little daughter Anne. Anne had just turned two years old, she was already tormenting my poor Peggy with her temper. Peggy always laughed, and when she was all too annoyed by the little boo she gave Anne to me for looking after. Apparently this was one of those times, because behind me I heard the door open with a light squeak. I stood up, putting my paintbrush down and facing my wife. On her dress was spilled what looked to be syrup, in her arms was little Anne who looked very pleased with herself.

"Jack, why did we have a daughter, sometimes I really wonder", she sighed, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, don't laugh at me!" "Of course, dear, I'm sorry", I apologized, and took the baby from her. "From what I can tell she had food?", I asked. Peggy shook her head. "She had half of it, the other half she spread across the kitchen. She'll be just like you, Jack, she's already starting with the painting!" "Well, I've never heard of syrup being used as paint, but I suppose I could give it a try...", I muttered, earning a light smack on the shoulder. I gave Peggy a playful glare, and that earned me another smack. "Peggy, please, I didn't even do anything!", I pleaded, grinning. She just rolled her eyes at me.

"Oh, don't complain and instead gather up your supplies, it's starting to rain." Indeed, I hadn't noticed the light drops falling from the sky. I gave Anne back to Peggy and picked up my canvas and brushes before bringing them inside. By the time I had all the supplies in, it was pouring from the sky, and Peggy was putting Anne to sleep. I went to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess that the baby had, as Peggy accurately had described, spread across the kitchen liberally. After wiping up even the last drop of syrup, I walked into our bedroom. Peggy was struggling with her dress, and so I carefully helped her open the strings on the back. "Damn these dresses...", she muttered, her face was red from trying to bend her arm around and reach the openings. "Sssh, well, well, dear...", I soothed, "you know that you can't change them by yourself, so just call me, alright?"

She nodded and I rid her of the several layers of fabric which the dress consisted of. I heard her sigh in relief, and so i soothingly rubbed her back through her silk underdress. Even without seeing it, the tone in her voice told me that she was smiling. "I love you", she whispered. "I love you too, dearest", I whispered and lovingly kissed into her hair, wrapping my arms around her and feeling her body relax in the embrace. "Anne's put to bed and asleep", Peggy informed me, perhaps to distract from her blushing face. I chuckled quietly at the attempt and nuzzled against the back on her neck. "By the lack of noise going on, I assumed she was." She giggled, I felt my heart swell at the sound.

We stood like this for a while, until I felt Peggy sigh again. "I should put on a new dress", she whispered, but I just gently rubbed her waist. "Don't bother, my dear. It's just us after all, and I know how much you hate your stays." She seemed surprised, and I kissed her shoulder. "What, you think I'd make you wear that around the house? I have sisters, I've heard quite enough to know how uncomfortable dresses are. Leave it be, darling, you're wearing quite enough for winding down. Hell, some day what you're wearing right now might be considered modest." She giggled, and I took it as my cue to scoop her up. She let out an adorable squeak and held onto me tightly as I carried her down the stairs and into the living room.

I gently set her down on the couch and wrapped her in a blanket, on her face was a huge smile. I softly pecked her nose. "You're adorable", I whispered. She pouted and I quickly took the chance to trap her in a kiss, knowing it would spare me of her sassy comment. I was pulled down next to her, and wrapped my arms around her again. She broke away and smiled up at me, I smiled back, mesmerized by the glow in her eyes. Ah, I know it sounds cheesy, let me be, alright?

Just as I was about to kiss her again, I heard the distant sound from my childhood of carriage wheels hitting the gravel down on the pathway below. I gave her a confused look. "Who could that be...?", I asked. Her face also showed confusion, but quickly was replaced by a guilty, shy smile. "Ah, now I remember why I wanted to change... I invited my sisters on a spontaneous visit..." We stared at eachother for a second, then broke out in laughter. We went running up the stairs again to get her dressed, giggling like immature schoolboys the whole way up. It was one of the upsides to marrying Peggy Schuyler, you never quite knew what the day would bring.