Taking Liberties by Mina Vaughn

Author:Mina Vaughn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Published: 2014-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

Alexander steeled himself and rapped upon the door. Long moments later, it was opened by a stern looking maid with a dour face and a white cap that, no matter how crisp, looked frumpy on her head.

“I’m here to see Miss Elizabeth,” Alexander announced.

The housekeeper glared at him disapprovingly. “Who may I tell her is calling?”

“Alexander Hamilton,” he replied, his gaze cool and direct enough for her to instantly comprehend he was not a man to disregard. She nodded once, curtly, and directed him through the large door and into a large, open entry hall.

His conversation with Elizabeth at their first meeting prepared him for a lively household—there were, after all, fifteen Schuyler children—but the activity within the smallish mansion surprised him. It was less neat than he imagined; there were books left on tables, and chairs were not perfectly arranged. Clearly, people frequently came, pulled up a chair to chat, and went away. In the background, Alexander heard indistinct noises too numerous to isolate. It was the sound of nearly two dozen people going about their lives.

“You’ll wait here,” the maid instructed as she gestured at the door to a parlor. “I will inform Miss Elizabeth you are here to see her.” She left him to explore the large receiving room as she fetched the party requested.

The room’s focal point was the grand pianoforte in the corner. He knew the Schuylers were well off, but he had no idea they were that wealthy. The walls boasted a few portraits of pleasant-looking young people, no doubt some of the Schuyler children, as they bore a resemblance to the Major General.

Elizabeth’s breath caught as she entered and spied Alexander perusing the artwork. He was simply beautiful. She hated the term—he was a man after all—but God, he was beautiful. Smooth, flawless skin, dark auburn hair, eyes so blue they were at once piercing and warm. Her silly friends had mentioned his impressive looks and demeanor in giggling conversation, but they had no idea how striking a figure he cut in person.

“Mister Hamilton?”

Alexander turned slowly on his heel and met Elizabeth’s eyes as she glided across the room to clasp his hands. He’d briefly wondered if seeing her here in the daylight and in simple clothing would diminish the intensity of his feelings. It did not. “Elizabeth, you are breathtaking,” he intoned.

She smiled up at him. “I’m so pleased you called. Our parting last week was…abrupt.” Elizabeth blushed as the circumstances of their parting—and their meeting—flooded her mind. She glanced away, embarrassed.

“Look at me.” Her eyes again met his, their hands still clasped. “I could not stay away. I had to know you were not a heady dream following too much wine. I had to see you, perhaps touch you, to believe you are real,” Alexander murmured in a low voice.

“Not here,” she warned. “I want you to touch me, and I want to touch you, but this is neither the place nor the time. We have no privacy here.” She paused, her eyes searching his face for an alternative.

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