“Aye.” Chait nodded but did not give any more information.
Had Chait assisted Duncan in getting Arran removed from his post, or had he been a friend?
Eleanor caught sight of Fiona making a fire with several other settlers. Some of the widows had banded together and were cooking around a communal pot, their children gathering firewood and kindling in the surrounding brush. Fiona glanced up and met Eleanor’s gaze. Sadness clung to Fiona, and Eleanor wished, with all her heart, that she could relieve her friend from all her suffering. Neither woman said a word, but Fiona nodded at Eleanor as if she understood what Eleanor was trying to communicate.
As the sky darkened, the shadows from their fires danced with eerie movements against the settlers’ faces. Beyond the camp, the lake stretched out as far as the eye could see, and stars sparkled overhead. Here, near the water, it was cooler and the humidity was less severe. The mosquitoes, also, had dissipated, offering a bit of respite.
Eleanor’s eyelids were heavy and she noticed that Miriam had fallen asleep in Isla’s arms.
“Would you mind terribly if I went to bed?” Eleanor asked those sitting around the fire.
“What about supper?” Isla asked.
Eleanor shook her head. “I am not hungry.” She hadn’t had an appetite since Arran had been taken earlier that day.
Had it only been that morning when she’d bathed and felt hopeful for the first time in days? It had been so short-lived, she almost felt like a fool for thinking it would last.
“Ye need to keep up yer energy,” Old John warned her.
“I think I need sleep more than anything else right now.” She tried to smile for him. “I’ll take Miriam with me.” She went to Isla and lifted Miriam into her arms. The baby was warm and soft. She snuggled into Eleanor’s shoulder, fitting perfectly. Affection filled Eleanor and she kissed the top of Miriam’s head, thankful the baby was feeling better.
Chait rose. “Good night, Lady Eleanor.”
“Please.” She stopped on her way to the tent. “I prefer Miss Brooke.” What she actually preferred was Mrs. MacLean, but she wondered now if that was ever meant to be. Tears threatened, but she needed to be in her tent before she gave in to their demands.
Chait nodded and bowed, his hands behind his back, as if he was saying good night to her in a formal parlor at an English manor.
She said good night to the others, her curious gaze returning to Chait Fraser more than once before retiring to her tent.
As soon as she laid down, with Miriam tucked in by her side, Eleanor finally gave in to the tears and despair.
Fort William
North West Company
Northern Lake Superior
August 16, 1816
The mid-August sun bore down on Arran as he and the other five men from Assiniboia walked toward the Great Hall at Fort William. Two armed men followed them from the Bell House, where they had been kept among senior North West Company clerks since their arrival four weeks before. None of the Red River men spoke when they were under guard—which was almost constantly. They had learned early on that they were being observed, their conversations repeated to the partners. Instead, they kept their mouths shut and their eyes and ears open. In this way, they had learned several important details about the North West Company and their plans.
The Great Hall sat in the middle of Fort William, the hub of the village-sized headquarters for the North West Company since 1803. The old headquarters at Grand Portage were now part of the United States since the Louisiana Purchase, and to avoid US tariffs, the company had moved forty miles north over the border into Rupert’s Land. Almost five thousand fur traders, voyageurs, and native people came through the fort during the months of May through September. There were at least forty buildings of various sizes, built specifically for the needs of the fort. Warehouses, dormitories, shops, a tinsmith, a cooper, a blacksmith, as well as boat builders, an apothecary and infirmary, not to mention the gaol, all within the walls of the fort.
Trade goods, sent from Montreal, and before that from England, were delivered in the spring by voyageurs known as pork-eaters who were strong French-Canadian men employed to haul the thousands of tons of cargo in light-weight canoes. Once the cargo arrived at Fort William, it was dispersed to thevoyageurs known as north men. These were rough, seasoned French-Canadians who stayed in the interior throughout the long winter. The north men would arrive at Fort William with all the furs collected by the Indians through the long winters. Here, the pork-eaters, named for their primary food source, would take the furs and return to Montreal, where they would be put on ships bound for England. The north men would take the trade goods brought by the pork-eaters and return to the interior to use them to purchase more furs. It was an endless cycle that had begun over sixty years ago, and many men had become very powerful and rich because of the trade.
Now, in mid-August, the commotion of Fort William had dimmed as brigades of north men returned to their interior posts, and the majority of the pork-eaters had gone back to Montreal. There was still a strong contingency of employees, though, and every time the men left their room in Bell House, there were guards to keep them from escaping.
They stepped onto the long porch attached to the Great Hall and Arran opened the door leading into the dining room. Two hundred people could sit within, though only about fifty men were there now. Arran led his men to a small table in the corner, where they had taken all their meals. The Great Hall was reserved for partners, clerks, interpreters, and guides, while the voyageurs were strictly forbidden from entering. They allowed the Assiniboia men to eat there, as well, and Arran was grateful for that small favor, though he and his men were treated no better than the lowly voyageurs.
The guards left Arran and his men at their table and then went to a different one occupied by their friends.
“When do ye think they’ll send us to Montreal?” Archie asked Arran quietly.
“I dinna ken.” Arran was surprised that they hadn’t been sent already. Their September first court date was only a few weeks off, but it would take at least six to reach Montreal.
“Mayhap they’re waiting for McGillivray to take us,” James said, sitting across from Arran. “I heard yesterday that he plans to stay for another week, until the rest of the pork-eaters are ready to return.”
William McGillivray was the most prominent partner still residing at Fort William for the remainder of the summer. There were others, of lesser rank, men who had come in from Montreal for the annual rendezvous, in large flotillas and great fanfare. These wealthy men lived in luxury for the winter months in the east, and then made their way to Fort William for the summer to conduct business—still living in grand style at the fort. Many had been wintering partners, spending their time at posts throughout the interior, years before, and knew the land as well as those who traded with the Indians now.
