Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser Page A

never forget true grace.”
    “You flatter me.”
    “Of course. And I intend to add to my list of flatteries as the night wears on.”
    His blush was delightful.
    *****
    As one of the guests of honour, I did not handle the hostess duties alone. Mother was there, as were my little sisters, Elizabeth and Mary. And Nancy came with her husband, Burwell Bassett, along with my brothers, William and Bartholomew. The siblings of George who were able to attend, traveled a distance to be with us: his half-brother Austin and his wife, John Augustine and Hannah, and his dear sister Betty and her husband, Fielding Lewis.
    Beyond family, friends from both parts of Virginia were in attendance, making the day merry. Days, most likely, for everyone was invited to stay over and continue the festivities. Every corner of White House was taken, as well as places in the outbuildings for the men. No one would be turned away from our hospitality.
    Yet being the center of attention was exhausting. I took a moment in the foyer to lean against the wall. I closed my eyes and let the sounds of music, laughter, and conversation swell and parry.
    One voice broke through from the other side of the wall. “Washington got the better deal of it. All this land and money. I hear he is ambitious. Taking over what Daniel started will set him for life.”
    “Taking over everything that was Daniel’s.”
    They snickered.
    If I had not been so weary, I would have created a pointed comeback, but as it was, I left the wit behind and rounded the corner, placing myself directly in front of the two men—acquaintances from Williamsburg.
    “In your discussion regarding what my husband takes , I believe you need to remember what he has given to these colonies in which we live. Did you know while fighting the French and Indians he was so courageous and heroic the Indians stopped firing upon him because they believed he could not fall? They feared him and thought he was protected by spirits and could not be killed by mere humans.”
    One man swallowed with obvious difficulty. “I didn’t know that.”
    The other gentleman shook his head.
    “I thought not.” I sighed. “So . . . I think it would be wise to note that a gentleman as extraordinary as my husband, a man impervious to bullet and death, whose life is obviously blessed by Providence, will surely not be broken by the opinions of ignorant men who have most likely never faced anything more dangerous than saddle sores or the threat of a stray ember from their evening fire.” I smiled sweetly. “May I get you more cake, sirs?”
    They wisely declined.
    *****
    “I am sorry your mother was not here.”
    George didn’t answer. Was he asleep?
    I rose up enough to see his face. “Did you not hear? I am sorry your mother was not with us.”
    “I heard you.”
    Ah.
    I settled in against his shoulder and changed the subject. “I think we should move to Mount Vernon.”
    It was his turn to move in order to see my face in the moonlight. “But you were not sure. You love your home here. Your family is close. The soil is of better quality, you are nearer a port for trade, your estate is far more vast than mine, you—”
    “I wish to move to your home.”
    “When did you make this decision?”
    I was not certain. In fact, I had not wholly made the decision until I heard myself say the words. Yet . . . I remembered the rude comments of the two men at the reception regarding how George was marrying me for my wealth. That he would benefit—for now legally, everything I owned was his—was inconsequential. Any man who would marry me would benefit. It was a fact I could not change. But that didn’t mean others should think he offered me nothing. Beyond the man he was, he had a plantation where we could live. Yet beyond even that, he offered me a dream. His dream would become my dream. As I had helped Daniel fulfill his hopes of a vast plantation, I would help George fulfill his. I could not ask him to merely