Beating heart

True love

A/N: So this is something that I wrote for a short story contest, and I though i might as well put it up here, so please be nice, it's not like my normal books.

Lucy waited anxiously in the cold barn, the nigh breeze was seeping through the thin Cotten of her cardigan, making the hair's on her arms stand up straight.

Perhaps she should go back.

No!

He promised he'd be here.

Looking down at her watch once more Lucy's teeth were biting down on her bottom lip, not enough to make it bleed but enough to make her wince.

It was 1:45am, her sweetheart was forty minutes late.

They'd promised each other to meet in her family's farm at exactly 1:05, that way she could be sure that her family were non the wiser.

Lucy had arrived at 1:05 on the dot, yet Anthony was no where to be found.

The only company besides her in the barn was a small yet beautiful barn owl perched in the top corner of her barn, tucked away in its nest with it's beady eyes just starting intently at her.

It was as if the barn owl could see right into her soul, see the longing, the pain, the agony of being denied to one person you desire above all else, above money, above status.

Did the simple barn owl know that she would forever be barred from her true love, would be forced to sneak around in the early hours of the morning just to be with the other half of her soul.

Lucy had never expected to fall in love.

All her life Lucy had been brought up by her family to be the perfect housewife. Told that her choice's would be chosen for her by her husband which her father would choose for her, just like her grandpapa had chosen her father for his daughter and her father had chosen her older sisters husbands. She would be moved into his house and begin her role as a dutiful wife and mother to their children.

That's the role that Lucy's family believed was a woman's job, so why would Lucy think any different.

Then one warm summers evening she would meet him.

Anthony Bushwall.

Her fathers new stable hand.

At fist Lucy didn't pay him much attention, why would she.

Her father banned his wife and daughters from interacting with any of the male workers on their farm beside her brothers of course.

She hadn't even intended to ever speak to him, but one summer evening she had been in the orchard picking some of the apples off the tree's.

Her mother was making an apple pie that evening and she had needed some fresh apples.

Lucy hadn't been paying attention, while trying to reach at particularly juicy looking apple the wooden stool gave away from underneath her.

Lucy had expected to land on the soft dirt, Instead it was a pair of strong arms.

Anthony's arm's.

Neither had spoken yet they continued to hold eye contact, the was then Lucy had realised she was gone.

Lucy had never believed in love at first sight, yet here it was right in front of her.

It wasn't long after that they began to secretly meet and after a few months those initial feeling's grew.

Anthony had stolen her heart, not only with his striking features, but also his compassion and gentleness.

He was the first person that had ever treated Lucy with respect, who genuinely cared for what she had to say, wanted to hear her opinion's, who instilled confidence and belief in herself that she could be more than what was expected of her.