Chapter Text
Alexander was in the courtyard with a cup of tea and a pastry, watching the birds with a blank face. He did look up as Lafayette joined him, though he didn’t greet him or even give him a nod.
“You still haven’t found a potential husband.” It wasn’t a question, though Lafayette did give Alex a few seconds to say something to the contrary; he didn’t. “It doesn’t matter; I’ve found you the perfect husband!”
Alex gave him a look of absolute horror, while Lafayette simply grinned. He couldn’t be serious! Alex didn’t want to be wed to some stuck-up man that would expect him to be a pretty little housewife in a dress.
In theory he knew having a husband was necessary; George and Martha couldn’t provide for him forever. He still loathed the mere thought of being married, no matter how practical it was. He barely managed to choke out an “Excuse me” as Lafayette just grinned as if he was talking about something like a puppy, not quite possibly the worst thing in Alex’s life.
“A husband, Alexander, someone to marry you. I knew you hadn’t managed to find anyone yet, so I decided I’d help you out and find a husband for you!” Lafayette continued before Alexander had the chance to protest. “His name’s John Laurens; he’s sweet. I’m sure you’ll love him. Eventually you could even have kids-”
Alex cut him off. “Lafayette! I won’t have any man’s kids! Especially not a stranger’s!”
Lafayette tried to stutter out a response, but Alex was already storming off. He stalked towards the house, Lafayette trailing helplessly behind him. He went right past Martha, ignoring the concerned look she gave him. When he got to his room, he slammed the door behind him and curled up on his bed with a frustrated sniffle.
He stayed curled up in his room for the rest of the day, not coming out for lunch or dinner. Martha did open the door just enough to leave a dinner plate on the shelf next to the door. He didn’t acknowledge her, though he did eventually eat the food.
The next morning he reluctantly got up; he pulled his clothes on, tightly wrapping strips of fabric around his chest. He tied them behind his back as best as he could.
There was no point in sulking until he would inevitably be wed and forced to be a housewife by a horrible man. Maybe he could convince George to cancel the engagement? He groaned, rubbing his face.
The second he saw George and Martha’s faces, he knew it would be a lost cause. Martha looked over at him with pity. “I know you don’t want to get married, sweetheart, but it’s for the best; we have to know you’ll be cared for when we’re gone.”
George nodded. “I will meet him and his father first to see if he’s truly horrible, but I trust Lafayette’s judgment.” He offered Alex a bowl of oatmeal.
Alex took it with a grimace. He had been so sure he would’ve had at least one of them on his side, but obviously that wasn’t the case. “Can I at least meet him before we’re to be wed?” Then he would know what to expect, how bad his life would be.
“His father is a very traditional man; you’ll have to wait until the day of the wedding.” George gave Alex an apologetic look. “I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait.”
Alex quietly grabbed a spoon and sat at the table, slowly eating his breakfast. After he finished eating, he carried his bowl to be cleaned.
“And, Alex, I want to teach you a bit about cooking this evening!” Martha called out behind him, getting only a noncommittal grunt in response.
Then he hurried off to the library; he doubted his husband would allow him to read, so he’d better do it while he had the chance.
He grabbed all of the books that he could find on law, especially marriage law; surely he could find a loophole. ‘The wife cannot enter into contracts without the husband’s consent…’ useless unless he married an idiot that would just sign anything. Nothing useful in any of the books. Was there truly no way to get out of this horrid arrangement?
He reluctantly glanced at the largest law book. He hated that damn book. It’s not that it was dull; he loved dull, or even how repetitive it was, but what he couldn’t get over was how self-absorbed it was. He wanted information on law, not that man’s overinflated ego, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Hours later he slammed the book down with an angry groan; he put up with all of that man’s ego for nothing, not anything even the slightest bit new. When he glanced at the window, he remembered that Martha had wanted to teach him to cook. She didn’t say it, but he knew it was so he could please a man, or rather, his husband.
After a rather lengthy internal debate, he decided not to let Martha down; a quick lesson couldn’t hurt. He reluctantly got up, reshelving all of the books as he left the library.
After what felt like hours of suffering, Alex had a somewhat edible-looking loaf of bread in front of him, though it paled in comparison to Martha’s perfect loaf.
“That’s a nice first attempt; I’m sure my first time in the kitchen didn’t go as well.” She was almost definitely lying. Alex had almost forgotten the eggs, dropped the dough on the floor (Martha said it would probably be fine after the oven), it looked more like a misshapen blob, and to top it off, his loaf hadn’t risen at all!
Alex could’ve died when he had to watch George, Martha, and Lafayette eat his bread with dinner and pretend to like it. Maybe he could poison his husband and make it seem like an accident? Not worth the risk; besides, he’d probably just have to remarry anyway.
The table was quiet all throughout dinner, with a few glances thrown towards Alex. A peaceful meal with him around was usually a miracle, and clearly his silence was concerning them, or at the very least, off-putting.
Then, as the four of them finished eating, George sighed, “Alex, I met with John’s father, and we scheduled the wedding,” he paused with a grimace; “we scheduled it for Saturday on his request.”
Saturday? This Saturday? The Saturday that was in two days?!
“Our normal tailor isn’t available, so I made an appointment for you with his apprentice tomorrow morning. Henry, well, he’s not the type of man who would be very happy if he saw his son’s “bride” in menswear, so you will be in a dress, as he would consider proper.”
Alex didn’t feel his face change, but he knew it did by the look Lafayette was giving him. “Okay.” His voice was cold as he stood and left.
He let out a tired sigh as he threw himself face-first onto his bed, not bothering to get into nightclothes before falling into a restless sleep.