The next few days were a bombardment of new experiences for Alice. Life on the frontier was nothing like the way of life in England. She of course knew that from the start, but didn't imagine it consisted of so many elements. It required a high amount of resourcefulness and improvisation. You had to be able to look after your own needs.

She was surprised to learn that most of the Cameron family's food didn't come from a market, but was either grown in the garden behind the cabin or reaped from the forest. Even when the Mohicans weren't able to visit and bring fresh game with them, meat was not scarce as Mr. Cameron was quite a proficient hunter himself. Alice got the scare of her life when she walked out of the cabin early one morning and came face to face with a skinned deer carcass, hanging from a rafter.

Taking a bath was defined as taking a dip in the cold river, mending something broken was nobody else's problem but yours, clothes were often a bunch of seemingly useless, discarded materials cleverly sewn together. And since it was a wild place to live in, you had to be constantly on your toes, prepared to defend your home and yourself. She sometimes couldn't help but wonder how such a gentle woman as Mrs. Cameron could live this life so peacefully and without complaint.

Uncas was getting better every day, much to everyone's relief. At first he was still falling into that deep comatose sleep, but was soon able to stay awake for longer periods of time. He was in pain, but hid it well behind an impressive poker face. He could handle being in a sitting position if sufficiently propped up against something, but needed help getting in and out of it. Because of the knife wound in his side, the mobility of his upper body was still very limited. Cora still worried about it and insisted he be put on a diet consisting of no solid foods, as any of the digestive organs could have been punctured and therefore shouldn't be put under any heavier activity for a while. She also informed Uncas that she feels indebted to him for saving her little sister and could ask her for a favour anytime.

Nathaniel was happy with the progress of his brother's recovery. Some were still concerned. His father and Alexandria constantly loomed over him and were at his side at his smallest gasp. He had a feeling this drove Uncas up the wall a little bit. He was never one to enjoy being the center of attention. Nathaniel also had a feeling that his brother wished to have more company of the youngest Munro lass and perhaps talk to her in private again, just like they did the first night at the Cameron's cabin (he heard their hushed whispering from where he was resting). Having Elisabeth and Lucas around made that more than impossible.

The kids were ecstatic when they learned Uncas was going to be fine. They wouldn't leave him alone until their mother sternly ordered them to do so. After Mr. Cameron's return from Albany, the cabin's living space became even more crowded, but the company was more than pleasant.

Alice and Cora helped with the daily chores. Work was hard, but gave a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction when finished. While Cora was already acquainted with most of the chores, it was Alice's first time doing many of them. Unused of hard work, she tired quickly and the softness of her hands was replaced by hardened skin, left behind after the passing of the blistering phase. Despite becoming frustrated from time to time, she had to admit that actually doing some concrete work for the first time in her life gave her a strange sense of confidence. Her favourite chore was washing clothes in the river with Mrs. Cameron. Not because of the washing itself, but because Mrs. Cameron had all those interesting stories and experiences to tell. While they kneeled next to each other on the river bank, rinsing out shirts, she told Alice about how she came to America and the life here. She also answered any question Alice could come up with.

That way, Alice came to learn about the relationship between the Cameron family and the Mohicans.

Apparently Chingachgook and Mr. Cameron went way back. They met as young men, bumping into each other somewhere in the forest and after a brief and armed face off, became reluctant friends. Through time their friendship grew, they became married men and fathers. Their families bonded with each other and remained good, trustworthy friends ever since.

Mr. And Mrs. Cameron engraved into their children a deep respect for Chingachgook as their senior and also as an Indian, as they lived in a community that lacked that respect. And while the two siblings soaked up the lesson about respect well, that didn't make them shy to show their affection towards Chingachgook by sometimes climbing into his lap without invitation. His sons were on the receiving end of it as well.

While Nathaniel was also very well loved by the siblings, he didn't have nearly as much patience for their antics as Uncas. The young Mohican always listened to Luke's childish babbling very attentively (of which lesser men quickly grew tired of, or lost track of), sagely nodding to it here or there. Because of Uncas, Lucas was also the Cameron family's connoisseur of Native American legends, the specialist in the field of Mohican tribe history and knew how to set traps and kill bears in theory.

Alice found all this information very endearing. She liked staying with the Camerons. But she knew the stay was only temporary. What was going to happen next was unclear to her.

She came face to face with reality quicker than she thought. Out of the blue, Cora pulled her to the side. And told her about her decision to stay here with Nathaniel and not return to England. She expressed her wish for Alice to stay with her, but made it clear that she will not force her to stay, if she decided to return home to the known and familiar world. Alice promised to think about it.

A week ago the decision would be made without thinking about it twice. But so many things have happened since then. Alice couldn't pretend she wouldn't feel safety by returning to her old ways of life and habits. To live the comfortable English lifestyle and spend her days gossiping with friends from Portman Square. But just there lay the heart of the problem. She wasn't so sure she would fit in anymore. Other girls she knew would always be able to talk about fashionable dresses and accesories lightheartedly. Such idle talk felt so meaningless and void of importance after seeing the things she saw. She had a notion she wouldn't be able to sufficiently participate in conversation and most certainly couldn't explain what happened to her in America. They would sympathize with her, but wouldn't understand. And she couldn't carelessly waltz from party to party with the knowledge that Cora and the Mohicans could be in danger the very same moment she was sampling tarts and having tea.

There was also Uncas, who made it very clear how he felt about her. She couldn't just discard that, especially since she knew he was being serious.

This actually wasn't the first time she caught the eye of a male's attention. There were a few gentlemen back in London who courted her for a while. They sweet talked her and tried to woo her with gifts. She was secretly flattered by their attention, but knew from the experiences Cora (who had a lot of admireres) told her about to not be convinced too quickly or take it for granted. An English gentleman's fascination had the tendency to be rather fleeting, lasting only up to the moment something shinier caught his eye. And London had many beautiful, shining girls.

And despite these gentlemen's claims that they would do anything for her, she knew they would never sacrifice themselves for her in a life or death situation. Because they didn't truly care about her. But Uncas did. One is not just simply willing to risk their life for a brief infatuation.

And she cared for him too, she came to realize. She knew it ever since he pulled her back from the edge of the waterfall, but could finally consciously admit to it when he came for her at the cliffs. She wasn't sure how she deserved such a decent human being to care for her so deeply, but she was prepared to cherish and return that feeling for as long as he would let her. If she could do that, than staying here would not be that bad at all.

Just as that realization lifted her mood a little bit, an unexpected dark thought entered her mind. Her father would have never accepted this. As much as he loved her, doted on her and sometimes went out of his way to make her wishes come true, he would have never allowed this. Her being with Uncas. He wanted her to marry a wealthy English man of high social status. He wouldn't settle for anything else, especially a red man, a savage. Now that he was gone, thinking of Uncas in that way felt like insulting his memory. And what would be Cora's opinion on this?

These dark thoughts visited her just as she was once again washing clothes with Mrs. Cameron.

The older woman immediately sensed her darkened mood, but smiled sagely. "What's going through your pretty head to upset you so, darling? It better not be anything related to Uncas. Let me tell you, you have nothing to worry about."

Alice gaped at her. How did she know? Mrs. Cameron laughed at her startled expression.

"It is quite obvious what's going on. The way you two look at each other. Once he is fully recovered, he would make a wonderful husband, you know." She gave Alice a playful smile.

Alice stiffened at her words. She was embarrased that Mrs. Cameron could see through her and Uncas so easily. But she was also shocked that she could speak so freely and without restraint about a topic that was never discussed out loud and was a taboo in public.

Alexandria was ahead of her again. "It is true that it is not a widely known and therefore not widely accepted phenomenon, but that shouldn't stand in your way. If you two truly belong with each other, nothing can stop you. Especially the colour of your skin."

Alice could only stare at her. Here words were having…a very encouraging effect. Mrs. Cameron just smiled.

"Go for it."