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runawayforthesummer · 8 years ago

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Chapter 14: A Disease, An Affliction

Back home, Eliza eats a scone and thinks about Hamilton.

Seeing Colonel Hamilton [ok, see, this is why the “Alex” thing bugged me. And why is she now going formal? ] again had produced the oddest thrill, and one she couldn’t help but ruminate on. But she was determined to push all thoughts of him from her mind, even as she could still pictures his strained forearm and the muscle underneath, as well as his bright blue eyes staring into hers.

Why are you so confused? You already agreed to a date with him.

Eliza’s thoughts turn back to the riveting subject of inoculation.

When her father had informed the family that they were to be inoculated, she read all about the procedure and knew as much about it as anyone outside of the scientific community.

I’M SURE.

But Aunt Gertrude, for all her singular feminine independence, had a view of the female intellect that was in some way dimmer than the most chauvinist male’s…

WHY DOES MELISSA DE LA CRUZ HATE WOMEN SO MUCH?!

Aunt Gertrude, who is awesome, thinks women suck? W H Y. Why is Eliza allowed to be the only woke one? And in 17fucking80.

I hate this book so much.

Aunt Gertrude describes medicine like love and Eliza, of course, laughs in her face.

“I am not sure if you make medicine sound more exciting than it is, or love more dull,” Eliza said, smiling. “But I should think that the biological processes by which immunity is stimulated and the more ephemeral alchemy of love are much related.”

I cannot believe how much this book makes me hate her.

Congratulations world, you win.

“Have you ever seen a germ?” Aunt Gertrude asked without waiting for Eliza’s reply. “Neither have I, yet I have no doubt they exist, because I have seen their effects on the body. Likewise I have never ‘seen’ love, yet I have witnessed again and again its transformative effect on human beings.”

“But a germ is a real thing,” Eliza, who had, in fact, seen drawing of them protested.

I honest to God hope Ham leaves her at the alter.

“A physical thing, I mean. Whereas, love—love is a feeling.”

Remember when Ham described their children as the pledges of their love?

STFU, Eliza.

Anyway, Gertrude’s point is that their inoculation process is like scratching an itch rather than going deep. Which, uh, ok, this whole conversation is dumb, though Eliza, smart as she is, finally catches on.

Now Eliza understood what her aunt was referring to…She had seen the soldiers staggering in and out of the unpainted house on Whitelawn Street in Morristown, whose occupants numbered five single women. Aunt Gertrude explained that the women were war widows, but Eliza noted nothing mournful in their countenances.

Can you stop judging everything and everyone for five seconds?

Anyway, Gertrude goes on that she thinks you need to put some thought and care into who you fall in love with.

Eliza, who before was all about facts and fuck yo feelings is outraged that someone in 1780 thinks of marriage in a different way than our 21st century girl.

“Oughtn’t love appear of its own accord and on its own terms? Isn’t anything else not love, but mere manipulation of certain social conventions?”

“Men are already manipulating them, Eliza. We women must formulate our own strategies or risk our entire future happiness on a man’s emotional intelligence.”

There’s no fucking way someone in 1780 says “emotional intelligence.” This book is so stupid!!!!!!!

This conversation ends with Gertrude telling Eliza shall inoculate the other officers at Washington’s headquarters the next day.

Before they can finish going over everything there are two surprise visitors!

And standing in the doorway were none other than Angelica and Peggy themselves.

“Eliza!”

“Angelica”

“And Peggy, too!”

………we get it.

Apparently the girls were bored at home, never mind that Angelica had a husband and two children but whatever.

There’s also a letter from her mother.

In it, Catharine tells her daughter more financial information than she probably ever would.

Indeed we have had a glimpse of what it must feel like to be poor and struggling.

I want this demon family to die.

Angelica and Peggy were sent here because, Catharine claims, they can no longer afford to feed them. GOOD GOD. But Angelica and Peggy with “total resolve” are in it to win it and want to help with the war effort.

And then they describe a servant in Gertrude’s home without using her name.

#alex & eliza a love story #melissa de la cruz #live blogging

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