And Peggy

Eliza's love

Christmas came and went by along with new year, two weeks after the Winter's ball. It was just a small celebration with mother, father, Angelica, Eliza, Hannah and Amelia the cook. I received a new yellow summer dress and matching slippers from mother and father, a diary from Eliza, a quill from Angelica and best of all, a kitten from Hannah and Amelia.
The poor thing was homeless and came begging for scraps, so Amelia fed it the fat off the meat and it kept coming back for more until Hannah suggested that it stay here permanently. Father says he was most reluctant to let it stay. I think I shall call her Tiger after the black stripes on her ginger fur.

Angelica and Eliza loved the matching embroidered purses that I made myself and mother and father adore the painting that I did of the two of them and insist on framing and hanging it up.

John had to go back to fighting for Christmas which I was most disappointed about. It would be simply horrible to be in a cold, dirty trench eating salty meat and a stale biscuit on Christmas Eve.
But I did send him a letter and some biscuits that I made myself (from Amelia's recipe of course) that will hopefully still be chewy by the time they reach him.
In return, he sent me a letter and a bejeweled hair clip. In his letter, he told me of some of the soldiers (on both sides) who put down their guns and refused to fight on Christmas Day. I am so proud that he was one of that number. He is now however, back to shooting. He also told me that Lafayette is in low spirits after my rejecting him. I still feel really guilty about that and told Laurens to send my love. Poor man. He has no one to write to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas break was over and we were now going back to lessons. I was writing a letter to the twins Penny and Eden when I was told the dreadful news. Hannah bustled in with a moping Angelica at her side and said cheerfully,
"Peggy dear, could you please run upstairs and grab your sister. It is at your father's instructions that we resume our lessons and thus, we will start with literature and the works of "The bard", William Shakespeare!"
I groan and trudge upstairs to get Eliza. I find her at her writing desk writing a letter, to Hamilton most likely.
She's been spending an awful lot of time up here since Christmas. She's been writing him letters nightly and Hannah has complained about the ink stains on her dress.

I knock softly on the door of our room and Eliza looks up, startled.
"Eliza, lessons are back on. Come down so that we can indulge in the works of Shakespeare!" I do a stunning impression of Hannah but Eliza doesn't even smile. She's turned back to her letter. I enter the room and perch my chin on top of her head so that I can read her letter.
It says;

"Dearest Alexander
Now that the snow is melting, we are surely going to start lessons. I know I shouldn't complain since there are soldiers struggling to breathe and stuck in those cold dirty trenches. I hope you received and enjoyed the socks that I knitted for you. Father is spending more and more time in the office which means we never see him. You said in your last letter that you might be coming home soon for a break. How soon?
I await you next letter.
Affectionately
Elizabeth Schuyler"

Next to her I can see a letter from Alexander. It's about two pages long. God, that man does write.
I walk over to the closet where Eliza is keeping a chest full of Alexander's letters. I plant it on top of the desk and snatch away Alex's letter to add it to the collection. Eliza pouts at me but folds up the letter that she is writing and seals the letter in the envelope before trudging reluctantly down the stairs.

We are reading a Midsummer Nights Dream by Shakespeare. Oh how I'd love to spontaneously run into the woods with my love! We are reading a chapter of the production a day.
================================
It was our sixth day of Shakespeare and I absolutely adore and can relate to Hermia. I was at a particularly gripping part of the play when,
Ding dong!
Both Eliza and I perk up. What if there's a letter from John or Alex?
But what is at the door is much better than a letter. Hannah waddles over to the door and I stare at my book but I'm straining my ears and can hear a muffled conversation. Eliza pretends to read but her eyes are darting towards the hall every few seconds. Angelica is bemused by our behaviour.
"Oh, hello young man. What can I do for you today?"
"I'm here to see miss Elizabeth Schuyler, thank you,"
"Of course, can I ask on what business?"
"I'm a friend of hers."
Eliza and I drop the books and creep silently through the hallway, curious to see the visitor.
"I didn't know you had friends," I whisper jokingly. Eliza gives me a dirty look and holds a finger to her lips.
"Shut up!"

"You name sir?" I hear from the hallway. But Eliza has recognised the voice of the man. She ducks past me and into the hallway where she gapes open mouthed at the silhouette of a man in a ponytail.

"Alexander?!"
........

Heylo, Cocolocosam here!
Sorry to leave this chapter at a cliffhanger. This chapter was of course "Helpless". Good chapter coming up. Also I think there was a mix up with chapters three and four. Chapter four was chapter three for a bit, so sorry if it caused confusion. You may have to re-read chapters three and four. I don't know. I'm new to this Wattpad stuff! Thank you for reading. Comment.
Cocolocosam 🐔🐓💝💗💖😊