Chapter 4

Over lunch Eve and I talked about her relationship with Hamilton.

“It was an on again off again thing. I wouldn’t see him for a year or longer and then he would get in contact with me and he and I would have a grand time together over a span of several months and then he would disappear from my life again. I realized much later that his visits were timed around the births of his eight children. Apparently he couldn’t take being celibate even for a couple of months and I guess his wife wasn’t into oral sex; too much of a lady I guess.”

We both had a good laugh over that one and I could feel my pants getting a little snug.

“What about the famous duel?” I asked

Eve turned suddenly quiet. I felt that I had touched upon a sore subject and was about to ask a different question, when she began to speak.

“Everyone back then thought they knew the reason for the duel and why Alex accepted Arron’s challenge. They all assumed that it was political in nature. That Alex had insulted and impugned Arron’s character during Arron’s failed attempt to become the Governor of New York. That Alex was opposed to Arron in both his bid for the presidency and during his run for Governor was true, but he never insulted him and would have issued a retraction of the never uttered insults were it not for the fact that somehow Arron found out about us during our last meetings in 1802 and threatened to expose the affair to the papers. Alex adored his wife and children and would never allow that to happen; so he accepted the duel and, as a penance for his betrayal of his wife, he purposely fired high over Arron’s head. I’ve always felt that I was the ultimate cause of Alex’s death. Our actions do have consequences.”

We eat the rest of our meal in silence.

Upon our return to the house we returned to our comfortable living room chairs and Eve continued her story.

“After his death, I buried my guilt in my work. I improved the living conditions of the girls I had working for me and redecorated the entire house. I made a pledge to myself that I would never become the other woman again. It was alright if a husband stopped in to my establishment from time to time for a little variety, that was the spice of life, but I would never again encourage an ongoing affair with a married man. It would be twenty years before I would meet a man and fall in love for the first time. It would happen late one Friday evening. I was in my office doing some paper work when I heard a booming voice coming from the parlor next door. I walked over to the spy hole I had put in so I could observe the customers without being seen; there in the middle of room towering over several of my best girls was this gorgeous hunk. He was at least six and half feet tall, with long blond hair tied in a ponytail and an arm around two of my girls. His laughter was infectious and I decided that I might have to pull rank and sample what he had to offer.

“Before I entered the parlor I took the time to read his mind. He was the Captain of a merchant ship, just in from the Caribbean with a short stopover in Charleston. He was looking for a good time and best of all he was single. I planted an image of me in his head which would make me unrecognizable to him later. I introduced myself and escorted him to my private bedchamber. Let me tell you, that night was a night neither of us would ever forget. He was a big man, well over eight inches in length and at least 2 inches wide. I would later discover that it was nearly seven inches in circumference. I could barely get my hand around it. It was a good thing that I was built as sturdily as I am because he pounded me all night long. I think he was amazed that I could handle him and keep coming back for more. Sometime around five in the morning we both collapsed on the bed from sheer exhaustion. Later that morning as I let him out of the house, I made sure to find out where he lived.

“I waited until Sunday afternoon to make my move. I had my driver drop me off along the East River near what is now Second Street. The water front was lined with fashionable two story houses with great views of the river traffic, just the place a sea going man would delight in. With my parasol over my shoulder to shield myself form the bright afternoon sun, I strolled first up the block and then down the block in front of his house. I have to admit that I used my power of mind reading to implant the desire to go for a stroll as I was approaching his house for the third time. I’m sure when he approached me he had no idea who I was and had no inclination to enter into conversation, until that is, I pretended to twist my ankle directly in front of him, falling into his muscular arms.”

‘Are you alright right dear? You didn’t hurt yourself did you?’

‘No, clumsy me, I just twisted my ankle and lost my balance. It’s a good thing you were there to catch me or otherwise I might have fallen.’

“I made an attempt to resume my walk but flinched with the pain.”

‘Please let me help you up to the house, you can rest there.’

“And before I could do anything to stop him, he stooped over and swept me into his arms. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting me to weigh as much as I did, but he was a gentleman and never said a word.”

‘Here please sit here, I’ll get you some cool water; by the way my name is Samuel Weston.’

“I spent the rest of the afternoon on his front porch. We talked and got to know each other. He told me he was a ship’s captain. His father had started an import company before the war and had left him the business after he returned to England. He couldn’t stand being cooped up in an office, so he hired a manager to run the business and took over one of the company’s ships. He was the Captain of the ship Ocean Voyager which sailed from New York to San Francisco; makings stops in Charleston and Kinston, Jamaica, before reaching San Francisco. Manufactured goods from the northern colonies, along with goods imported from Europe would be loaded on board in New York and delivered to Charleston, Kingston and San Francisco. Goods would be loaded and unloaded at each port along the trip. The trip itself would take close to nine months and then the ship would return by the same route with goods from the Far East; picking up raw materials and goods for delivery to New York.

“I saw him regularly for about a month. He would pick me up at my home near Trinity Church and take me on picnics, to shows, and out for dinner. He was a true gentleman; but all I wanted was for him to screw my brains out again. Finally he asked me to marry him. We were married in a short ceremony at the church and then settled into married life. The honeymoon lasted about two weeks. We spent most of that time in bed. I think he was a little taken aback that I could take all he was giving me and kept coming back for more. After a particularly lively love making session, Samuel announced that he would be heading back out to sea at the end of the week. He told me that he had arranged for Mary, our cook and house keeper, to move in with me. I tried to protest but he insisted that he didn’t want me to be living here alone. I think he was planning on Mary keeping an eye on me in his absence.

“At the end of the week, Mary and I stood at the pier as the Ocean Voyager sailed out of New York harbor. During the carriage ride back to the house I promised Mary that I would be a good wife to the Capitan and that I would give her no trouble. ‘I don’t care what you do, ‘ she said. ‘Just be careful. I don’t know what’s in that mind of his. How can he just leave his beautiful young wife alone for a year and a half and expect her to be here waiting for him when he returns.’

“I did my best to be a good obedient wife. That lasted about a week. During that time Mary was my constant companion. She taught me to cook some of the Captain’s favorite meals. But I could stand being the lady of the house for only so long. One evening as we sat chatting over a cup of tea, I announced that I was going crazy and that starting the next day I was going to be going back to work. I had expected some protesting or at least a series of questions from Mary; instead she said.

‘I was wondering how long it was going to take before you dropped this façade of being a lady.’

“I was too stunned to reply.”

‘On my nights off I spend some time with a friend of mine who likes the tavern over which your establishment lies. I’ve seen you on more than a couple of occasions coming into the tavern. Believe me you’re a hard person to forget. I asked our waitress one night who you were. She told me that you were the madam of the house upstairs.’

“You won’t tell Samuel will you? I’m pretty sure he would not want his wife working in a whore house.” ‘Of course I won’t tell. Besides who am I to judge you. I did a lot of things that I’m not too proud of before the Captain saved me.’

“Saved you?”

‘Yes, about five years ago I was living on the streets of Kingston. My parents had brought me there from our home in Ireland two years before. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we were making a go of it, then they both got deathly sick and died. At the age of sixteen I was left to fend for myself. I won’t go into any details but suffice it to say that I spent many a night in a stranger’s bed in exchange for some food to eat and a place to sleep.’

“You poor dear that must have been awful.”

‘It was so bad that I contemplated taking my own life. It was at that time that I literally ran into the Captain as I was running from a baker from whom I had stolen a loaf of bread. The Captain came between the baker and me and before I knew it he was reaching into his pocket for a couple of coins to pay for the bread. When the baker left, the Captain turned to look at me. He handed me a gold coin, turned and began to walk away.

‘Sir, Please I have no place to go, can you take me with you? I can cook and sow, and clean your house?’ ‘He turned, looked at me again and much to my surprise he extended his hand to me. I was even more surprised when he led me to his ship. I thought he was going to take me to his home on the island; instead he took me aboard and made room for me in his cabin. He brought me here and I’ve been his cook and housekeeper ever since. I owe him my life. All I ask from you is that you be careful and don’t ever hurt him.’