Part 1
In the Land Given to Cain
Leah Colley set down her weaving, pushing a strand of her long hair out of her eyes. She was angry at herself for making yet another stupid mistake. Now she would have to undo the stiches and do it all over again. She felt overwhelmed. There were so many things to do to prepare for winter, a scarce three months away. She sighed with frustration. For the past year she had kept her family's farm together, all by herself. Her father and older brother had gone off to fight in the War so many long months ago, leaving her completely alone. She did not know on whose side they fought for: the King's or for the hopeless ideal of freedom that the rebellious colonials upheld, as they had refused to tell her. As her father had readied and mounted his horse to go to fight he had felt a pang of guilt at seeing her standing there alone, possibly the only such that he had ever felt in his life,and had half-heartedly ordered her brother Thomas to stay behind with her. It had not mattered much at all to Leah as the pair had never liked one another, but at least he had helped her. She had only ever loved the family's bond servant, Samuel, but he had died when she was twelve. He had protected her from her father's rages, taking the blame and whippings she should have gotten. Her father, when he knew how close they had gotten soon after sold him to a mean-looking man named Hezekiah Grift who shot Samuel in the back with his rifle as he tried to run away. She swore to never forgave her father for that.
Five months later Thomas had forgotten his promise to their father and had left to join up with the Loyalist colonial calvary, taking their last horse, Whiskey, with him. She quickly learned how to manage all that her brothers had previously done around the farm, as well as the chores that had always been hers. This spring she had flirted with and later convinced the neighboring Martin boys to come plow and help her plant the fields, but they had both joined the colonial militia soon after. A long time passed before she saw any of the King's soldiers, until three of them, lost, rode up to her that day.
She stood abruptly, determined to rest and take some time for herself. Ever since she had been left on this farm in the wilderness alone she never had any time to herself. Her days were filled with an endless string of farm and household duties. She had even given up going to Sunday Meetings. She missed the solace she had found there terribly. She felt a wave of anger rush over her at her father, making her feel even hotter in the sweltering air. It was late summer and the humidity was suffocating. Like breathing through wet linen. She would much rather take a swim in a pond deep in the woods, a place only she knew about…
Suddenly she heard the pounding of horses' hooves. Her chore forgotten, she walked out onto the roofed porch. Their canteens and gear rose and fell against the saddles in time with the horses' strides, making an odd rattling sound. Their horses, coming towards her at a brisk trot, kicked up the rust-colored dirt of the road, and Leah squinted to see them more clearly. Their red soldier's coats gleamed brighter than a cardinal's wing; as their metal gorgets and sword buckles bounced and glittered in the sun…
The trees had loomed close to them on all sides of the deer trace these colonials called a road on which they had traveled since morning. It seemed not to offer cool shade but cruelly trapped the heat, making it nearly unbearable. Andrew Fletcher had been in the colonies for only three months and still he had not gotten used to this land with its mixture of swamps and humid forests. The air always felt uncomfortably wet, as though it was just about to rain, but it never did. In fact, he didn't think he had seen it rain for close to a month. The sky seemed nearly to be always cloudless, the sun shining brightly. His body tried in vain to cool him, but it was no use as the sweat would not evaporate from the rough wool of his waistcoat. Truly, it must be as they say,this is the land God gave to Cain, he thought to himself. Then he had seen the house, at the end of…what had that farmer told him this was, Chataluchee road? Along the Monangahela creek… or had it been the Swananoa? He had not seen a creek or any body of water for that matter, but it did not matter now that they had come across this homestead. It all sounded like nonsense to him. In his opinion, these colonials should have given the natural and man-made formations proper, English names and not simply borrowed the names the natives had given them.
He looked up at the blue and gray mountains that rose off in the distance as he passed a field full of knee-high corn with his men in tow. He knew the locals called them the Smokey, or the Iron Mountains. He had to admit he admired them for they were beautiful and nothing so large was to be found in England. His gaze settled next on a lopsided fence that seemed to have large gaps of missing sections of the wooden logs. It surrounded what seemed to be a well-tended garden, and he could not help but notice how the whitewash paint was beginning to chip and flake off the porch. He stopped his mount in front of the two-storied and simply furnished farmhouse and saw the girl standing there with obvious nervousness. She had light brown hair that fell in waves to the middle of her back and wore a cream-colored dress over a simple white shift. It made him think of what the Colonel had told him on the ship to this place, that none of the women of the colonies were anything to look at or of quality; all were backwater farmer's daughters. He had ignorantly believed him. His superior officer had been wrong, for this girl was pleasing to look at. He smiled at her, and she shyly smiled back at him.
"My men and I have been wandering about for quite some time, and well… we are rather lost. Might we not call upon your kind hospitality?"
"If it pleases you, sir. Though I must warn you, I live by humble means and---"
"Anything you can offer will be a most appreciated service to His Majesty the King."
She hesitated and then nodded.
"Thank you, Miss…?""Colley."
"Miss Colley." Another officer sitting on his horse gave her a strange smile which unnerved her; she looked away. He's being kind by asking me, of course. We both know by law I must give all of them shelter in my own home, a meal and anything else they want for they are the King's soldiers.
The sound of her voice reminded Andrew of those who worked on his family's estate in the countryside back in England. But these colonials of Carolina had a distinct drawl unlike any other he had ever heard; it seemed to became stronger and more pronounced the more deeply you ventured into these wilderness parts. He had found it slightly difficult to understand the locals at first, but hers especially pleased him.She told the man who had spoken he and his fellows could settle their horses in the barn for the night. The others looked surprised and irritated, and Leah realized that they had expected her to take care of the horses for them. The second soldier who had smiled strangely at her began speak but the soldier who had spoken silenced him with a look, turned towards her and nodded his thanks. She turned to go inside and headed for the cellar. Evening was coming and yet it was still far too warm for anything to be cooked over a fire. As the officers filed in and she began to set the table, she began to feel a bit ashamed at the simplicity and roughness of her home. She guessed that these men were wealthy and no doubt used to much better fare than hominy and venison. For the last six months the only guests she had entertained had been her father's friends, two Cherokee trappers named Ousamequin and Maugin. They had occasionally visited after a winter spent hunting furs west of the mountains in Cantuckee as long as she could remember. As she lit two candles she wondered what these strange foreign men thought of her. Was she just an unnoticeable, common girl to them? Her father had told her she was nothing to look at, and yet Samuel had often said she was pretty…
She hadn't thought it safe to serve spirits to these men, seeing as she was a woman alone with stranger men as it was, but almost as soon as they had sat down they had brought out their own supplies of wine and brandy. She opened her mouth to demand that they put it away, when the first officer who had spoken to her and asked her name met her eyes. She was silenced by the striking color of them; blue as the sky and clear as the pond she so often visited. She felt her stomach flutter as if she had swallowed butterflies. Her protests died on her lips as he smiled at her, and she felt her face smile in return without at first being in command of it…
As she waited on these men and they became more rowdy with drink she found herself again and again meeting his eyes. The first time she had flushed red and did not look again for a
long while, shyly embarrassed. They had removed their red waistcoats as the heat and dampness in the air had not seemed to dissipate as night fell and wore only their white shirtsleeves. Then, as the night wore on, Leah became more and more bold; standing near him but far enough away so that he could always gaze upon her, meeting his eyes often and brushing his hand as she poured the wine for him. She found she wanted him to look at her.
The soldier who had smiled strangely at her laughed drunkenly at a joke the other had said. She knew his name now to be Sowerby. He motioned to her for more brandy. "God, I can't wait to be gone from this hellish place. I've had enough of the wilderness …Damn to hell these rebels. They want freedom but they cannot survive on their own. These colonials cannot handle independence. They'd come crawling back on their bellies, begging for us to have them back…"
The second soldier and the youngest, called Kilroy by his fellows, grinned at her and leaned his head upon his hand, "And where do your loyalties lie, girl?"
Leah froze, in the middle of pouring brandy for the other man. She felt the officer with blue eyes look at her and she straightened. She looked to him before lowering her eyes and said the only thing she could possibly say in their presence, "With His Majesty, the King, of course." She hoped they would not see how she lied, that she did not care who won, only she wanted this war to be over.
Sowerby, addressing Kilroy's previous statement but leering at Leah said, "Well, there's one thing I will say about these colonials. Their women are awful pretty." He smirked and raised his cup mockingly, as if in honor of her.
She doesn't know what she's doing, Andrew thought to himself. Now that they had begun to pay more attention to her, she openly flirted with them and did not ward off their advances as they reached for her. He was half drunk. She was so innocent, she likely never had been courted or flirted with a man before. Boys maybe, but she clearly doesn't know what they'll expect afterwards. She could not be in her twenties yet, still a girl. Poor thing, if he didn't do something she'd soon lose that charming innocence. His fellows had not been in the company of women in a long time… He looked to her again. She was pleasing to look at, even in her simple homespun dress. She had given him looks all night, it was obvious she favored him above the others. He had beckoned her close to him with an amused look on his face, spoken to her when the other two men had been in a heated argument. He had asked her name and why she lived alone. He had not missed the hurt on her face as she explained how her family had abandoned her to fight in a battle not far off and had not returned. She had mentioned her twin brother fought with the loyalist light calvary, but as for her father and eldest brother she had said nothing. Yes, he would have to do something to keep her out of the hands of Kilroy and Sowerby…
The girl had left to fetch something when Sowerby turned towards him. "Lucky bastard. You know she's been giving you eyes all night. After you have her, you'd better let us have a piece of her…" Andrew let a smug look cross his face. He'd pretend that he'd had her and put on a show as if he didn't want to share her. It would make them both hate him, but frankly he did not care. They'd be gone tomorrow, and she would soon be forgotten by all of them.
Leah came back to the table to clear away the dishes, food and wine. "If you are ready to retire, I will show you gentleman where you'll be sleeping." Sowerby grabbed at her wrist and held her so that she could not go. Kilroy asked, his speech slurred, "Well, we want to know is---will you accommodate---"
"What we want to know is," at this Sowerby stroked her back with his hand as he had done many times that night. "How much do you want?"
She looked confused. "This is a service for His Majesty, I won't ask for anything---"
"Really? You'd give each of us a round for free? What a lass!" He tried to kiss her.
Leah pushed him away but the man still held onto her arm and began to pull her onto his lap. She looked at Andrew, her eyes pleading.
He stood. "No. I want her."
The other man frowned. "But---"
"It's my right to have her first, you know that Sowerby." He looked at the girl, trying to make her understand.
Sowerby let go of her but glared in hatred at him. The look on Leah's face spoke of her obvious relief. He nodded to the girl for her to show the other two where they would be sleeping. He did not have to say he expected her in his room after. She gave the man named Kilroy Nathan and Thomas' room and Sowerby her father's. Kilroy gave her a look of longing before he shut the door, and Sowerby followed her with his eyes as she went to where Andrew stood and entered her own bedroom after him.
"Listen, Miss Colley," he said in a rush as soon as he shut the door. "I've no intention of forcing you, I just had to save you from them. I know you've never been had by a man before, and… I could not let them take advantage of you."
"I am grateful, but…" Leah looked at him for the first time. Her face fell. "You don't want me. I'll leave you."
He touched her face, he had not seen the tears on her cheeks before. "I want you. God, I do. More than you know…" He ran his thumb along her jaw and he saw for the first time her eyes were not simply brown, but rimmed and flecked with green. She only looked at him, and the light of the moon shone in her hair and on her face, making her skin glow as if made of ivory. Before he knew it his hands were on her, in her hair, and she turned her head to kiss him.
It was long moments before he could stop himself. "No. You deserve someone who will stay with you, and I cannot. I---"
"Please. I want you to. I want…I want you to be the first to have me." He began to shake his head. Lost in passion she leaned forward and kissed him boldly, coaxed him to touch her once more.She did not have to plead with him much longer until his lustful desires overtook him.
Leah woke that next morning and looked into the startling blue eyes of the foreign army officer in bed next to her. He reached out and stroked her brown hair from her face. He smiled at her and she felt her heart race faster, her face flush red. He had already dressed, and she knew he would soon leave. He carried her out of the bed and let her dress. She did not cry; only looked at him, intent on putting all of his features to memory like a man who knows blindness will soon be upon him. She looked at his face for long moments before turning away and heading down to prepare a meal for the soldiers to take on the way. Before she was ready they had all readied to go. He did not miss the jealous looks of his fellow officers sitting on their horses as he kissed her hair. He began to walk off the porch towards his horse, making only a few steps before he seemed to have second thoughts and came back to her. He gave her a simple ring, made of gold.
She looked at it. "I don't understand---"
He said softly, so only she could hear, "In case you need to explain to others…" He glanced at her waist. She followed his glance. Taking his meaning she took the ring from his fingers. It was not a wedding band, but she could see that from afar someone could easily mistake it for one. The kindness behind this action brought the tears she had forced back to come flooding into her eyes.
Andrew rode off, never looking behind him. He was sure this trouble with the rebelling colonials would soon be over and he could return home across the ocean. He heard Sowerby, next to him hum the melody to a song popular with the foot soldiers,
Soldier, pretty soldier, will you marry me?,
Oh no, sweet girl that never can be.
I've a wife back in London and children twice three.
Two wives in the army is too many for me.
He smiled though he knew the other man meant to taunt him. He was in far too good a mood to let his jealousy anger him. She was a pretty girl, accomodating of his desires as a man, but he was sure he would forget her within a short time. He would soon find out how very wrong he was.
