You Know My Name, Not My Story

Something Old XXXII: Matching

Philip's POV

It's been 3 months since we announced everything to our parents.

It was almost the New Year's Eve.

We've celebrated Christmas as one family since now, both my family and Alice's family consider each other as families.

There hasn't been a major discussion about marriage or anything.

Just small talks about when we get married.

But our families were not pushing us as much as we thought they would.

Thank God.

We were going to celebrate the new year at the William's Mansion since we celebrated Christmas at my place.

But there is just one small problem.

Alice was very down since her roommate, Charles, back in college who became her best friend there wrote her a letter in which he announced that he will be off to a civil war near his home town by the order of his father who is apparently a General.

I was always jealous of him since he is literally living with her and I've always been scared that he'll steal her from me even though he was really nice and honourable when we met for the first time.

I think Alice was worried he'll never come back, I know how she is very sensitive about life and death matters because she lost the dearest to her at a small age.

Alice's POV

The exact moment I received the letter from Charles, I was actually pretty excited.

I missed him a lot because he was my closest friend back in Harvard and he always supported me unlike many others.

I thought it was some sort of New Year's wishes and I was really happy about it.

Even though I saw him last week before taking the train to New York, his presence means a lot to me.

But it's nothing compared to my love to Philip of course, don't think about me being a...you know what...anyways!

I opened the letter and I was devastated when I read it all.

I stopped a few times because my eyes were tearing up.

Here's what it said.

"My dear, little, Alice,

How are you? I hope you're perfectly fine and so are your family and Mr Philip Hamilton.

Merry Christmas and happy early new year, I wish you the best in life for this year so as for the next years until the end.

I have rather an unpleasant new to announce you and I couldn't get myself to tell you this before you left to New York. You seemed so happy to see your dearests.

My father, as you know, is the General Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina and he recently sent me a letter to join him in his army back in our home-state to fight in a civil war.

I cannot refuse this, I have lots of pride to be Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and I will fight for my nation.

Yet, I know not everyone survive after a war and I can't be sure that I'll come back alive.

But for my family, for my beloved lover Mary and for you, I promise, I'll be back.

Have a great life for me if I don't make it back.

But I promise you. I'll be back.

Charles C Pinckney."

I was sobbing.