"Is this even legal?" Alice asked.
The five stood outside the wigwam the next morning.
"It goes against The English Bill of Rights and The English Mutiny Act," replied Nathaniel, "but the commander-in-chief of the British Army in North America has decreed that those don't apply in the Colonies. Private residences can be taken over, and the colonies must compensate for any resulting costs."
"It happened on a rather large scale in Albany a couple of years ago," said Uncas, "but only rarely have I heard of it happening to houses on the edge of the frontier. We were just unlucky enough to be directly in their path."
"How long will they stay?" asked Alice, worried about how it might affect the baby.
"I heard some of the men talking this morning about needing to make it to the remains of Fort William Henry by June, maybe earlier. Another spoke of the British beginning to deploy troops for an attack," said Nathaniel. "If this is all true, I suspect an attack on Fort Carillon, a French fort on the other side of Lake George, but I cannot say for sure or when."
"They likely don't even know how long they are going to be here," Uncas added. "They could be here for days or even weeks, depending on their next orders."
"While they are here, the two of you must stay together at all times," Nathaniel told Cora and Alice intensely.
"And you are never to be out of sight of at least one of us," added Uncas with furrowed brows.
"Many can keep their wits about them and behave," said Nathaniel. "Others will let lust twist their minds and their morals. I do not want to sound crass, but the two of you would be considered very fair to these men, and they will have their eyes on you."
"Even with Alice in her state?" asked Cora, who was only beginning to show. "They are British soldiers, not monsters. We have always been treated very well by them."
"That was when they knew you were the daughters of a Colonel. Now, you are just two women on the frontier. These men have been away from home for years, and many without the pleasure of a woman for just as long. You would be surprised," Nathaniel answered. "Alice, you will have the additional challenge of fending off suitors. Many of these men would be happy to take a wife, even one in your condition, if it meant she would follow him to the next fort or barracks, and eventually accompany him back home to England. Widows have to marry quickly on the frontier to survive, and they know it. Some will try to take that to their advantage."
Alice looked around to ensure no British were near and quietly asked the question that had been burning within all night.
"What if they are here when I have the baby? If they see our baby, they will question if Uncas is the father."
"They will assume I am."
Uncas stared blankly. He had considered this and knew the risks if he stayed behind with everyone else. But, he had already decided he would not leave Alice and their baby.
"We still have some weeks to worry about that. Do not let this concern you."
His words did not help to reassure her.
"Will they eat our food?" asked Cora.
"They have their own rations, but that likely won't stop some from sampling from what we have on hand," Nathaniel replied.
"What if they want to hurt Uncas or your father while they sleep?" Alice asked. "They will be out in the open."
Uncas realized all of Alice's questions were regarding his own safety. She did not dwell on whether their food would be eaten or their cabin and land misused.
"They know better than to make enemies of Indians right now. They need as many on their side to win this war," said Uncas. "They already assume we are on their side because we are all with you and Cora, and you are both unmistakably British. This will keep us safe for now, even while we sleep outside."
There was a measure of truth to this, but Uncas did not want to worry Alice by telling her they had already resumed their nightly alternation of 3 hour watches. There was no accounting for the drunken behavior of a bored British troop with a bayonet in the middle of the night.
Chingachgook remained quiet for most of the conversation, but his worries were the same as Alice's. His son was in danger, and they needed a plan should it become necessary for him to leave.
Uncas had no intention of leaving his wife and child though, and he and Nathaniel both wished to stay to ensure their fledgling farm did not fail. They needed to build a larger and sturdier barn this year to store hay, so they would no longer be reliant on others for it. Self-suffience was their way even before becoming farmers. The meadow where Alice had first become lost was dense in alfalfa and clover, and would provide them with two cuttings, likely enough hay to bale for Autumn and Winter.
The land purchased was sizable, and there were a number of alternative locations to plant corn and oats. They would need to purchase another pig, fatten it with garden scraps over the summer, and then butcher it for the smoke house as they had done last year. If Alice's garden was a success, they would have a plentiful summer and autumn and plenty of preserved fruits and vegetables over the winter.
Alice and Cora spent the rest of the day tending to the garden, washing and hanging laundry, and cooking over the fire outside. The men kept a close eye on them while they simultaneously cut wood to frame the new barn. They all tried to keep to themselves as the two companies of soldiers wasted time playing lacrosse and played card games beside fires. The field was riddled with their tents, but so far, they had been respectful of their hosts and the land.
The next day proved different. On awaking, washing and dressing, Alice emerged to find Uncas, Nathaniel and Chingachgook huddled by the entrance of the wigwam.
"What is going on?"
"Do not be upset," Uncas began.
"That's precisely what you do not say if you don't want to upset someone."
She waited for him to continue.
"We are going to be okay, because we have always been able to live off the land, but they took much overnight," he finished.
"What do you mean by "much?""
"They pilfered most of what was left in the root cellar, including cheeses, spices, dried fruits and vegetables, vinegar, sugar. They left only grain and salt," Nathaniel informed her.
"They cleaned out the smokehouse and took many of the chickens to roast. Even the layers," Uncas added. "I managed to milk the cow this morning before anyone got to her," he said gesturing to two pails by the fire.
Alice took a deep breath and nodded. "I can do a lot with milk; butter, soup, cheese, clabber. The grain that remains will form the bulk of our meals. And you will hunt, I'm sure."
Uncas was proud that Alice took the news with an air of positivity for how they would manage this new challenge. She had become accustomed to challenges arising, and she faced them head on. There was a time in her life when she knew she could depend on all others to care for her needs. Now she took an active role in meeting both her own needs and those of her family.
She and Cora continued to tend to the garden in the mornings, and Alice anxiously awaited the first of her lettuces to become ready to pick. Next would be radishes. As she knelt between the rows where she continued to plant new seeds for her rather large garden, a gathering of men soon surrounded her. Privates Beckham, Smith, and Mulroney each vied for her attention, offering advice on how their mothers gardened back home, getting down on their knees to help form mounds of dirt for carrot seeds, and offering their gentlemanly arms whenever she needed to get up to move to a different part of the garden. They followed her like puppy dogs, with not a clue in the world that the only privates Alice was interested in were permanently attached to the young Indian man working away on the new barn. He watched them all closely to ensure they did not mistreat her.
The next two weeks continued much in this way, and though Alice never indicated interest in any of her admirers, Uncas noticed she did nothing to deter them. He overheard the men speaking of their homes back in England, and how much she would love the villages they came from.
"It would be so lovely to see the English Countryside again," she answered back politely. It did not occur to her that this would encourage them.
They complimented her on her work ethic, despite being so heavy with child, and hinted that they would like to share a meal with her when they commented on their certainty that she must be a fine cook. After weeks of watching this, Uncas was becoming very irritated.
As the five sat down to supper one night, at yet another table that Uncas had hastily built, Alice served a modest meal of bread with butter, lettuce that had come up quickly, mixed with berries and nuts foraged from the woods, and roasted duck that Uncas had hunted in the morning. She did her best with what little they had left. Meals had become a quiet affair, as all were cautious of saying something that would give Alice and Uncas away to anyone standing near.
"So, Alice, how are you enjoying your time with your new friends?" Uncas asked with an obvious tinge of jealousy breaking the silence of the meal.
Alice gave him a warning glare.
"I am tolerating them. I am simply trying not to bring a different kind of attention to myself. Such as suspicion," she explained.
This answer effectively silenced him, though he still moped through the rest of the meal. The real frustration came from the fact that while he could get away with observing her from afar, he had not been able to lay a hand on his wife for two weeks. He longed to run his fingers through her hair, hold her hand and put it to his lips, press her body against his in a warm embrace, tickle her until she scolded him for making her pee. He could not so much as touch her while the men who made fools of themselves for her could hold their arms out to her to help her to her feet. Uncas would settle even for this small amount of contact if he could have it.
Alice was equally frustrated by this, as well as by the fact that they could no longer have intimate conversations. The soldiers reminded her of her father, and she wanted to talk to Uncas about the day she saw him killed. She changed the subject then.
"I am due in less than four weeks. The baby may come earlier. I thought I might go to Jack and Mary's soon, where no one else would be when I had the baby."
"No," replied Uncas under his breath. "It could still be dangerous there if anyone comes."
"Do you propose I stay here to have it? What would be done to you?"
"I am going to take you to a Lenape village soon. There is one a few days from here that will have us."
"Uncas has an ex-wife at the closer one," Chingachgook explained dryly.
"Then, let's go now. The sooner you are somewhere safe, the better I will feel. Nathaniel, Cora, and your father can think of something to explain our absence."
"A wagon wheel just broke. We need a tradesman to fix it. That is not an easy repair."
"We can walk."
"Not in your condition."
"You have said yourself we should not be seen by ourselves in the wagon, anyway. And Nathaniel needs to stay here to tend to the farm."
Uncas closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead in frustration. He did not know what to do. He just wanted to do what was best for Alice and the baby. The magnitude of having to make decisions that did not just affect himself, but now also affected two other people he loved, was becoming clear to him.
"Just, give me some time to think," he erupted in a rare demonstration of stress. He got up from the table and walked away.
The next morning, Alice trudged to the root cellar to gather oats and salt for salted porridge. She did not notice the British troop lurking nearby, nor did she hear his footsteps when he made his way down the slope to the entrance behind her. Alice turned around with her pot of oats, ready to return to the fire, only to find the man standing behind her. She quickly recognized him as one of Captain Tyrrell's second in command.
"Excuse me, sir, I need to get by to prepare breakfast."
The man said nothing, but stared hungrily at the top of her dress, from which her cleavage could no longer be completely contained.
The seriousness of her situation became abundantly clear when he began to undo his breeches.
She screamed, though she doubted anyone would hear her at this hour. He laughed, grabbed her by both arms and turned her around. She dropped the pot on the shelf, which he forcefully bent her over. She screamed again and he placed his hand over her mouth. He began to pull her gown and undergarments up and she felt her nakedness as the cool air washed over her bottom. She began to cry, all the while struggling to break free, but knowing what was to come next as he was a great deal stronger than her.
She heard a sudden pop, as if one were cracking their knuckles, and his grip on her weakened. She looked back to see his arms drop to their sides and his body start to slump. She turned around completely to see Uncas lowering the man's body to the ground, his head flopping to the side at a questionable angle. Uncas now stood over the dead body of a British officer, and he figured this was damning enough that he may as well take his wife into his arms. Alice was in shock and could only stare. He pulled her dress back down over her bare backside and drew her into an embrace. She sobbed into his chest, but felt relieved to feel Uncas's strong arms around her for the first time in weeks. It was difficult for Uncas not to be overcome by emotion after seeing this man try to force himself on his wife, and now being able to finally hold her, but he had to be strong for her.
When her sobs began to subside Uncas looked her in the eye and took each of her arms in his hands.
"Alice, I need you to try to calm yourself. I know it is hard, but you have to go get Nathaniel and then bring two shovels without anyone else seeing. Take some deep breaths for me and try not to show the shock in your face."
She nodded and stifled her sobs as she wiped away her tears. She closed her eyes and mustered up as much strength as she could to allow a casual demeanor wash over her. She walked out to get Nathaniel and woke him from his sleep, quietly explaining to him what had happened.
"Go get two shovels from the barn, hide them under your dress, and meet me in the root cellar."
Nathaniel stepped out to speak with Chingachgook, who Uncas had already awoken when he saw the man follow Alice into the cellar.
When Alice arrived back to the root cellar, Nathaniel and Uncas were moving the grain barrels. She looked down at the dead man and was horrified to see what hung out of his pants. If Uncas had come any later...
"You're going to bury him in here?"
"We can't risk anyone seeing us remove the body," answered Uncas. "We'll dig the hole where we keep the grain barrels, so we can place them on top when we are done. Hopefully, no one will see that the ground has been disturbed."
Nathaniel and Uncas started digging rapidly, and Alice watched outside to make sure no one else came their way. Likely no one would, since there was so little left to steal.
Nathaniel stopped digging suddenly and looked at Uncas.
"You and Alice have no choice now but to wait to leave. If you leave now, they will think you are behind his disappearance."
Uncas's heart sunk as he had come to realize it would not be practical to take the wagon. They needed to walk and stay off trails. He did not want Alice to wait until she was further along to make this journey on foot.
First Lieutenant Abercrombie's absence was noted as soon as the officer's gathered for breakfast. After a casual search of the homestead, including the root cellar, yielded nothing search parties were arranged. Nathaniel, Uncas, and Chingachgook agreed to guide three of these. Captain Tyrrell joined the party that Nathaniel guided.
"What is your best guess at what could have happened to him?"
"Would you ever suspect him of deserting?"
"No. Never."
"Well a man out here can easily get lost if he makes his way off trail. This is also bear country and we've had a pack of wolves roaming around in the past. It is not unheard of for a man to get mauled and carried off by a predator."
Nathaniel seemed honest and congenial to the captain, and he took his words to heart.
They searched for days until Captain Tyrrell was ready to give his man up for dead. He never suspected foul play.
Throughout this stressful time, Uncas struggled with the fact that he could not provide Alice with the comfort she must need after such an attack. He was grateful the baby was okay, but surprised that Alice seemed to carry on as if nothing had happened. He suspected she was burying her feelings. He suspected she had been burying a lot of feelings since all that had happened to her in the colonies. She never so much as mentioned the attack on the George Road, the massacre after the fort, or even being taken captive by Magua.
While the searches took place, Alice noticed a change had taken place in her belly. She now carried the baby lower than before, though she could not recall when this change first occurred. She could breathe more easily, but had to pee even more than before. Based on what Mary had told her of what to expect near the end, she feared the baby was to come sooner than they had thought, possibly within the next couple of weeks.