''Did you hear the gossip?'' Mariah asked Miss Claire as she skinned the rabbit Uncas caught this morning.

''No,what is it now dear?'' Claire said not paying much attention. Gossiping was nothing new in the settlement. ''A strange man arrived late at night yesterday. The women say he is very handsome and the men already loath him.'' Mariah said with a laugh.

''Well,if he decides to stay for a while we will most certainly meet him.'' Claire said and Mariah nodded in agreement. Miss Claire cooked not only for herself but for other settlers as well and usually when there were visitors she was the one to tend their needs.

As if on cue,a knock on the door was heard and Miss Claire was quick to answer. Isabell,a young woman living nearby stood on the otherside of the porch and behind her was standing a tall man whose face could not be seen clearly. They exchanged hushed words,Isabell looking very worried. She glanced back at Mariah who stared at them in wonder.

''This man has not eaten and we thought maybe you could spare some food. I do not think this is a good time though. Maybe we will come back later.'' Miss Claire reassured her that there was no problem with the man staying for a while but the girl seemed pretty persistent. Their conversation was interrupted when the man took a step forward and revealed himself. The man looked oddly familiar. He was tall and lean and appeared to be in his mid-fifties. For his age he was quite handsome,with shoulder-length golden brown hair and very defined features. The moment Miss Claire laid eyes on him,she gasped and her hands flew to her mouth,covering it.

''Dear God. Benjamin?'' She looked like she had just seen a ghost. The colour drained from her face and her entire body shook as tears slid down her cheeks. Mariah rose quickly from her seat and ran to Claire's side.

''Do you know this man?'' Mariah asked suspiciouly. Miss Claire rarely reacted so strongly to anything so this man had to be someone very important.

''He..He is...'' Miss Claire seemed at loss for words but before she could say anything else the man stepped forward.

''We are old acquaintances. We have not seen each other for years.'' He said with a sad smile. He then looked Mariah up and down and his eyes watered.

''I remember you when you were just a baby. You have grown so much.''

Mariah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. ''I am sorry but I do not remember you.''

The man,Benjamin,smiled. ''I did not expect you to.''

A few moments of silence followed as Miss Claire tried to compose herself. Wiping her eyes,she turned to Mariah and told her to leave. Mariah refused at first,not wanting to leave her alone with this strange man but Miss Claire insisted,leaving her with no choice. She silently made her way out of the cabin feeling more confused than she had ever felt in her life. Shaking her head,she made her way back to her own cabin.

''Alice this is absurd! You cannot possibly be considering this.'' Cousin Eugenia all but screeched.

Alice paced back and forth in her room. She had revealed to her cousin her plan of returning back to America and her sister and Eugenia did not take it well. For the past hour she had been lecturing Alice and pointing out all the reasons why according to her this was a bad idea. To Alice though,she was the one being absurd. Her whole life and family were back in America and her foolish decision drove her away.

''No Eugenia it is not. My sister is back there and so is Mariah. Cora had a son. I have a nephew now. They are building a life there without me while I am stuck here!'' Alice regretted her words the moment they left her mouth.

''I did not mean it like that..'' Eugenia gathered her dress and rose aburptly,knocking down the chair she was sitting on.

''Oh,I know exactly what you meant cousin.'' She answered spitting out every word. Eugenia walked to the wardrobe of the room and ripped it open. She grabbed a large suitcase from the bottom and threw it on the bed.

''Gather your clothes. I want you out of here in two days. John will arrange everything for your trip.'' Eugenia said in an icy tone and with her head held high,she walked out. Alice felt guilty for being so rude and made a mental note to apologize to her cousin later. She knew that Eugenia could not stay mad at her for long. Opening the suitcase,she started placing in her clothes one by one piece. The trip was going to be a long one so she needed to be prepared.

As she gathered all her items,her thoughts began to drift to her sister,cousin and everyone else. She could not wait to see them again,meet her nephew and reunite with the rest. The thought of having people to return to warmed her heart. Christopher,the boy she considered a friend by now and Uncas,the gentle Indian that for some starnge reason made her blush. Whatever it was,her gut told her that while her return could be a happy event,it could also bring trouble.

Mariah watched with a smile on her face as Uncas played with his nephew. He raised the small child high in the air and Edmund giggled in pure enjoyment. It was a lovely sight to watch but also one that made Mariah's stomach tighten. She knew of Unca's father wish to have a child as soon as possible and she also was aware that Uncas himself was ready for children. She was not blind,she could see the faint jealousy in his eyes whenever Cora and Nathaniel held Edmund together. He did not want to admit it but he wished for children and Mariah was not ready for something like that. Children were a very big responsibility that she was not willing to take on.

''I am sorry.'' Mariah said quietly and lowered her eyes. Suddenly,the floor seemed much more interesting.

Uncas remained silent for a while before asking. ''For what?''

''I know you want children. I know your father wants you to have children. But i am not ready yet. I feel like I am failing you but that is the truth.'' Uncas rose from his seat,Edmund held safely in his arms. He approached Mariah with silent,graceful steps and crouched infront of her. He reached one hand and placed it on his heart.

''This beats for you. I do not intend to pressure anything upon you. We are still young,we have time for children. ''

''But your father-''

Uncas shook his head. '' We are not going to live our lives according to my father's wishes.''

That was enough to silence Mariah. She looked at him through her eyelashes and slowly reached her hand to place it upon his own,on his heart. She felt the steady and strong beat of it. Leaning down she placed a chaste kiss on his lips before placing her forehead on his.

''My heart beats for you as well.'' She said and she saw the corners of Uncas' mouth turn upwards slightly. He did not smile of course. No,Uncas was too composed to let his guard down and show too many feelings. But she had grown to love him just the way he was. Before anything else could be said and done,Edmund cried out,obviously not liking the lack of affection he was getting. Mariah carefully reached out to Uncas and gently took the small baby,rocking it back and forth.

Just then,the doors opened and Miss Claire walked in looking tired both physically and mentally.

''Are you okay? What happened,who was that man?'' Mariah immediately fired questions.

''No one,just like he said,an old friend.'' Claire answered.

''He said he knew me.''

Claire stilled her movements before giving a small nod. ''He...he visited once when you were young.''

Mariah understood from her tone of voice that she did not want to discuss the matter any further so she turned her attention back to Uncas who was giving her a questioning look. Shaking her head,she mentioned that she would tell him later,when they were alone.