While Alice and Cora kept busy in the new garden dropping seeds into the soil, gathering dirt into mounds and hills for various vegetables and fruits, and placing small sticks with labels carved into them at the end of each row, Nathaniel and Uncas quietly carried the tub from the barn to the cabin.

"You've outdone me this time," whispered Nathaniel. "I wish I had known you were planning to purchase this."

"It can be from both of us to both of them. No reason to have two."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, but tonight, it will be for Alice."

Nathaniel looked at his brother with graditude and relief.

"What is with these special sheets?"

"The man said you need them to protect your skin from the heat of the metal. They are to be draped over the tub before filling it."

"So, then why copper instead of wood?"

"Alice says copper retains heat better. The water remains warm longer."

"It's a good thing your wife told us about the beds she ordered to be delivered before we finished the doorways. If we had not widened them before finishing, this thing would never fit."

Nathaniel overcompensated a bit with his left arm and the vessel began to tilt as if capsizing. Uncas lunged to correct the angle and it went swinging precariously in the opposite direction. They would be lucky if they managed to get it all the way to the cabin without making noise to alert Alice and Cora.

They regained a measure of balance and managed to get it inside without dropping it. They placed it on the floor in front of Alice and Uncas's modest fireplace.

"How much water do you think we will need to fill it?" Uncas asked. "I fear once she gets in she will displace most of the water and the tub will overflow."

"Tell her that and you'll be sleeping in the wigwam tonight. Maybe fill it half way. If we each carry in a couple of large buckets, that should do."

"We can heat the water in pots in the bedroom fires, so Alice does not see them when she is cooking. If we can find a way to distract her later on, I can fill the tub this evening before bed."

Uncas looked on at his gift with anticipation for Alice's reaction. He knew how much she missed having a soaking tub, though he could not relate, as he was unaccustomed to the concept of bathing indoors with heated water. He also looked forward to watching her as she lay in it, naked and relaxed, her eyes closed in bliss.

"You know she is going to want you to join her?"

"Me? In one of these pretentious contraptions? No, I will be too busy watching her enjoy it. What a sight that will be to behold," Uncas said breathlessly.

Uncas could not believe how indescribably good it felt to be enveloped in the warm water. This is what Alice had been missing for so long? No wonder she continued to yearn for this one luxury throughout her eight months on the frontier.

Her reaction when he led her into the bedroom with one hand over her eyes, shut the door, and then revealed his gift to her, had been more than he hoped for. He had gone to great extents to sneak such a large amount of water in without her knowing, stealing pots to fill with water and heat over the fire, and setting up a small table by the tub with candles and a vase overflowing with wild flowers. Daffodils, purple orchids and primrose had already started to bloom in the meadows and woods.

As he slowly walked her in, he lowered his hand to reveal the dark room, barely lit by the light of the fire, with shadows cast about each wall. The light from the fire reflected off of the copper tub, and Alice squealed in delight. She turned to plant a rather sultry kiss on Uncas's lips that suggested she wanted more than a bath. Alice admired the flowers Uncas had carefully curated, which were made visible by the flickering candle flames on the small table they shared. She thought she could detect a faint floral aroma mixed with the ever present smokiness of the fire. The sweet smell of the flowers brought about a longing in her. The smoky smell of the fire assured her she was home. The room was warm, thanks to Uncas's diligence in always lighting the fire long before bed to ensure the heat built within the logs. It was more humid than usual, as steam rose from the tub. It was more inviting than Alice could bear.

"Well," said Alice with her lips barely parted from Uncas's, "Now that we have solved the mystery of my disappearing pots, I think I would like to relax. Perhaps, I could take a bath."

"I think I can assist you with that," Uncas managed to say, weakened by desire and now less in control of the situation than he had planned.

Alice slowly grazed his tongue with hers to ensure she had sufficiently unhinged him and the look of lust in his eyes told her she had.

Uncas got down on his knees as if in deference to a mistress, and began to unlace her boots. He pulled them off and then began to work her leggings down, slowly revealing her long, slender limbs, with little hairs that resembled barely visible peach fuzz. Mary had warned that her legs would swell near the end, but no such change had taken place yet. He stood up and reached around her from behind to begin unpinning her dress, placing delicate kisses on the back of her neck while he let her top fall to the floor. He intended to leave her as flustered as he was at present.

No such luck. The wiles of a woman could not be matched by those of a man. She untied her gown and let it drop to the floor, then let her shift drop as well. She pressed the back of her naked body against him, placed his hands around her and on her newly ample breasts, which Uncas had developed a weakness for, and then bent her head back to kiss him.

"That's not fair," he said into her mouth.

Alice let out a devilish laugh.

"I shall need assistance getting into the tub."

He took one hand and guided her to the edge, then took the other hand to help her balance as she stepped into the warm water. He watched the water level slowly rise as he helped her lower herself down, and quietly pleaded that he had estimated the correct amount of water.

'Please do not overflow. Please do not overflow.'

To his relief, the water level came to rest at a safe distance from the top. To his great satisfaction, it was just low enough that her nipples peaked out above the surface. Yes, he could definitely spend a satisfying evening watching her bathe. He kneeled beside the tub, soaked a rag in the water, and began to trickle water over her shoulders and the back of her neck. She moaned in satisfaction and began to let her hands wander about her body. He became captivated as her hands roamed from her hips to her belly and then to her bare breasts. He began to follow behind her hands, trickling water behind their trail. It did not take long for him to decide that it was his own hands that were best suited for this job. He took over and she quickly dropper her arms back into the water while he massaged every part of her body.

"Uncas, when are you getting in?"

"I wasn't planning on-"

"Uncas, get in the tub."

"I would need to remove some water, so I don't cause it to overflow."

"I see a bucket over there."

"Uncas realized that Alice had decided she would be in control for once. He would appease her, he thought with a cocky expression on his face that did not go unnoticed by her. He followed her instructions and filled the bucket with bathwater."

"Now, undress. Slowly. You can start with your shirt."

"Uncas did not argue, and lifted his shirt over his head."

He found it endearing that her voice was still so sweet even when she was trying to be commanding.

She stared at him boldly.

"Now your leggings," she requested as she leaned her head back languorously.

He did as ordered and stood before her in just his breechcloth as she let her eyes travel from head to toe.

"And, the rest."

He let his breechcloth fall and Alice saw the state she had worked him into.

"Now come stand by me."

Uncas walked to her. She pulled him closer and took him into her mouth. He gasped and hung his head back. He ran his hands through her hair. She had experimented and learned many ways to pleasure this part of him with her mouth and hands since their marriage, but he was not expecting it in this moment, and it did not take long before his legs were shaking and threatening to give out. He shuttered as he released himself into her mouth and then dropped to his knees, leaning his body on the tub and resting his head on her shoulder.

'Okay,' he admitted to himself. 'Now, she really is the one in control.'

She tilted her head so she could speak into his ear.

"Thank you for the tub. Now get in."

She leaned forward so he could step in behind her. Legs still shaking, he carefully placed his feet in the water, lowered himself down, and extended his legs beside hers. He wrapped his arms around her, one around her belly, the other around her chest so he could take advantage of his situation by firmly taking hold of one breast. The sensation of the warm water was more relaxing than he could have imagined. He leaned his head back and Alice leaned back against him. They both closed their eyes in bliss. The water remained warm for some time and allowed them to take full advantage of their compromising situation. Their hands roamed, their fingers entangled, and their feet playfully rubbed against each others'. No part of their bodies went untouched or neglected.

After some measure of time luxuriating with one another the water began to cool.

"Are you ready to get out?" Uncas asked.

Alice nodded with a measure of reluctance and sat forward so Uncas could stand and step out. He helped her out and toweled her dry before he dried himself. They walked hand in hand to bed and Uncas hoped the second part of his plan would go over as well as the first. As they lay together in bed, Uncas began to trail soft kisses down the length of Alice's body until he reached the center that had always given him so much pleasure. He slowly traced kisses toward Alice's inner most thigh, but before he could reach his intended destination, she stopped him uneasily.

"Uncas, I have told you. It is unclean."

"Alice, you just took a bath. You can't use that as an excuse anymore. You are all out of excuses."

She looked at him skeptically, and bit her lip, as she realized he had her at a disadvantage.

"Did you plan this?"

He took a deep breath from between her legs, and stated, "Yes, and you smell amazing. Now, will you reward me for my efforts by allowing me to taste you?"

Alice eyed him self consciously.

"Alice, I'm sure you will taste as good as you smell, and you will make me a very happy husband."

Alice layed back down, still finding it difficult to believe he wanted this. But there was no better time to try than after a bath. She gave him a timid nod of approval.

He tried not to let his excitement overcome him as he lowered his head down between her legs and for the first time in his life ran his tongue between the folds of a woman's sex. He moaned in pleasure, and thought he could become drunk by the taste. Alice began to relax when she realized Uncas seemed to enjoy what he was doing. The more relaxed she became, the more she was able to appreciate the new sensations that Uncas was creating for her. She knew he had never done this either and was experimenting in much the same way she had when she first began to pleasure him like this. But he did a very good job of listening to her responses to the different things he tried. He slowly came to realize where and how she liked to be licked, kissed and gently sucked on. In time, her breathing became more rapid, and Uncas realized he was close to reaching his ultimate goal, which he had not been certain would be possible. Alice's body began to shake and Uncas felt as his face became drenched in warmth. He licked up every last drop that he could before using a bedsheet to wipe off his face. When he climbed back up to see his wife, she had a euphoric look on her face.

The tub had been a success in more ways than one.

The pounding on the cabin door woke all from a deep sleep. Uncas, his body entangled with his wife's, shot up before anyone else and he instinctively dressed as quickly as possible. His father would not knock. Who could it be? Whoever it was, he could not be found alone with Alice in the room they now shared. He grabbed his musket and quietly stepped out into the main room. He put his ear to the door, and as if in answer the pounding came again. Nathaniel joined him from his own room. Once both were properly armed, Nathaniel opened the door cautiously. A highly decorated redcoat stood before him, with another forty or so redcoats behind him.

"I'm Captain Edward Tyrrell of a company of the 44th Regiment of Foot. Another company follows shortly behind. We travel Northeast from Pennsylvania and we will be quartering here for the foreseeable future. This cabin will do nicely for our officers. Who lives here, now?"

"I live in the cabin with my wife and her sister. My name is Nathaniel Poe. My adoptive father and brother live in the wigwam outside. They are Mohican."

"Why is the Indian inside the cabin if he lives in the wigwam?"

"I fell asleep... after repairing... a shelf," Uncas said scratching his chin.

"You all have a half hour to remove yourselves and your belongings. I'm sure the wigwam will do well for the three of you," he said flippantly to Nathaniel. "The Indians can make do outdoors."

Nathaniel nodded knowing he had no choice. There was no law for or against this; only a decree declaring it permissable. When he shut the door, Cora and Alice emerged from their rooms in alarm, having overheard everything.

"Can they do this?" Cora questioned her husband in outrage.

"They can."

Alice was less concerned with being evicted from the cabin and more concerned that she would be separated from Uncas once again. How could they hide their relationship from so many white men? She had few belongings, but gathered her clothes and books into the trunk with Uncas's help.

"Uncas, we must take the bedsheets as well, or they will know."

He nodded and stuffed them into her trunk before shutting it.

Uncas carried the trunk out of the bedroom as Alice turned to look one last time at the chair he had lovingly made for her and the tub they had just spent a very memorable evening in. The water would be cold by now.

She turned forward to look at him, waiting with the trunk in hand.

"What about pots and other kitchen utensils?"

"We can make another trip for those. Lets get you to the wigwam."

"How can they expect you will not also sleep in the wigwam?"

"It would be inappropriate for us to share a dwelling with you and Cora. We will be fine. We are used to sleeping outdoors."

"Uncas, I can not bare to be apart from you again."

"Alice, we have no time to debate this."

He kissed her softly, knowing it may be their last in a long time, and had to use every bit of his strength to pull himself away.

When the four were ready to depart, Nathaniel opened the door and they all slowly stepped out.

Captain Tyrrell took one look at Alice and addressed Nathaniel, "You did not tell me she was with child. Who is the father?"

"She is widowed. He was with the colonial militia during the attack after Fort William Henry fell."

The man nodded to Alice."Very sorry for your loss. Your husband provided a great service to The Crown."

Alice looked him in the eye without emotion and did not answer. She could not bring herself to acknowledge someone other than Uncas as her husband. Chingachgook was waiting for them outside the wigwam, as he had heard the company march in. He knew what was happening. When the women were settled in the wigwam, and Nathaniel and Uncas had secured as much as possible from the hearth so Alice could establish yet another outdoor kitchen, the three men stood outside whispering of their next best move.

"If they are here just a few days, we may as well stay," Nathaniel said.

"If they are here for several weeks, all those men camped out on our land will ruin our chances of planting a field of corn and oats," said Uncas. "We will have no grain to store for the winter."

Inside, Alice worried of something much more serious. How long was "the foreseeable future?" If it was over six weeks, she would have her and Uncas's baby while the British soldiers were still here, and if the baby's skin was bronzed enough at birth, the white men would guess who the true father was.