Drabble: Service
Um ... Happy International Women’s Day? *shrugs*
“I’m offering my services as washerwoman and seamstress, sir.”
General Washington looks her over. “I see. On whose behalf?”
Maggie draws herself up as tall as she can, and looks the man straight in the face. “I’m a free woman, sir,” she says, quietly but firmly. “I’m here on my own behalf.”
She must be one of a handful of people to ever see the great General Washington look flustered. He blinks, clears his throat, and looks down for a moment. “Very good then,” he stutters. “I will be pleased to accept your services.”
Maggie smiles sweetly. “Thank you, sir.”
~oo00oo~
Margaret Thomas is the woman that William ‘Billy’ Lee married! We don’t know much about her, but we do know that she was a free black woman from Philadelphia, that she at some point became a camp follower, that she took care of Washington’s clothes, and that she and William got married during the war. Washington was snide about their marriage in one letter and whined in another that he didn’t like Margaret, but he did apparently consent to let her follow her husband back to Mt. Vernon.
(I just think their romance is super cute: Billy, the most important slave in the entire army, and Maggie, a free black working woman. A southern country boy and a northern city girl. I’m likely to write a drabble or two about it!)
I’m aware that the nickname ‘Maggie’ is probably anachronistic, but all the white Margarets of the time appear to have been called ‘Peggy’ and I wanted to call this Margaret something different. Also, I have this treasured headcanon that the reason Washington didn’t like her was because he was some kind of a dick about her being a free woman and she was spicy about it, hence this drabble. I’m sure it isn’t historically grounded, but I like it anyway. Tee hee!
In case it wasn’t clear, by the way, that’s what Washington is asking her, ‘cause it wasn’t uncommon for less wealthy slaveowners to hire out their slaves for a little extra cash. Washington is assuming that Maggie’s labor is being hired out by somebody, and he has no idea how to react to the idea of a black woman working for herself (freE BlaCk WomAN? dOEs NoT cOmPUte).
I guess one could imagine this as a TURN fanfic, though it’s meant more as a historical fic. I really wish someone would write a historical fiction romance novel about them.
