In 1791, when Maria Reynolds was 23, she went to Alexander Hamilton's house in Philadelphia. She said her husband had left and she wanted to go back to New York, where she was from. He offered to lend her money so she could go. Instead, the two of them began a sexual relationship. Later, Maria Reynolds' husband, James Reynolds, blackmailed Alexander Hamilton: He told Hamilton to give him money or else he would tell Hamilton's wife that he had slept with Maria. Hamilton paid James Reynolds and continued to visit Maria Reynolds.