Dear Sir,

It is my great pleasure to inform you that upon requesting the hand of Miss Francis Harville in marriage I have been accepted. Miss Harville is yet to name the day that will make me the happiest of men, however be assured that you shall hear from either of us the moment that she announces the date with which my fate shall be sealed.

Please pass on this news to Mama and congratulate her on achieving yet another sensible, modest and kind hearted daughter-by-law.

Your loving son,

James Benwick etc

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Dear Son,

How surprised we were by the contents of your last letter and we do indeed congratulate you on your good fortune. We wish Miss Harville every happiness and look forward to making her acquaintance.

However, let me caution you (with all of the good will and love that a Father holds for his Son) regarding this development in your relationship. It is the duty of a wife to leave her family and to place her wellbeing solely into the care of her husband. How do you intend to care for her as a husband should while you are at Sea? I am sure that you would not wish her to be present aboard a ship and yet as a Lieutenant surely you are not in a position to set her up in a home as yet? We would welcome our new daughter into our family and happily offer her a home for while you are at war. However, we are sure that it is not what a new bride would wish for herself and so wait to hear from you regarding our offer.

It is most important that you reflect upon and answer these questions, not for yourself but for your future bride and her family. The most loving act that a man can do for his family is to place their needs before his own.

Your Mother encloses a letter for Miss Harville and we both look forward to your speedy replies.

I am, as always,

Your Father

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Father,

Please forgive my less than speedy reply. I confess I was not prepared for your admonition, which was justified and timely in many respects!

Before I continue please allow me to assure you that my engagement to Miss Harville still stands, with each passing day we are more devoted than ever to our continued happiness and success.

You were correct in assuming that I will not have my wife aboard a vessel of war. I have seen too much injury and disease to ever place my beloved in such a position. Unsurprisingly, this has caused some consternation on Fanny's behalf. She is a skilled nurse and feels the calling to serve our fellow man most keenly.

We both thank you for your generous offer of providing a home for Fanny whilst I am on commission. Fanny has fond memories of her childhood in Hampshire and we both agree that once we settle upon a home it should be in or near the counties of our respective childhoods. I am not a frivolous man and thanks to your sound teaching, have been forward thinking enough to lay a certain sum aside from the little prize money I have been awarded to date. You are right though, it is not yet enough to establish a home to the standard that my Fanny deserves.

For now Fanny has elected to stay in Portsmouth. You know my dear friend Harville will be on commission with myself aboard the Laconia. His wife Margaret has expressed a desire for Fanny to stay on with her. With two children and the expectation of a third she will be grateful for the support Fanny can provide her. Both Fanny and Margaret have devoted much time to the care of the hospice here and will continue to do so in our absence. In turn, Dr _ has offered to act on their behalf in any matters they deem necessary.

All that is required now is to organise a license so that we may be married from Portsmouth before I am deployed. You may expect to wait upon our arrival as Lt and Mrs Benwick as soon as I return.

Yours & c.