The Cry of Her Heart - Historical Fiction

Chapter 2

The sound of furious knocking against the wooden door shook Vianna Anderson from her daydreams and almost caused her to send the bucket of soapy water toppling to the floor. Who would come to see us? She thought, her mind instantly filling with questions and worries. Nervously, she moved the pail with its watery contents back to its place on the table, and absentmindedly brushed away a damp strand of long hair in a shade of the deepest brown.

The noise persisted and the young woman's dark eyes flew apprehensively to her son's still form. She need not have worried. Sleeping peacefully, the one-year-old lay curled up in the room's only bed, oblivious to the noise going on around him. A smile graced her lips as she observed the little boy's even breathing. If only she could return to such a peaceful and untroubled existence...

Vianna was drawn abruptly from her thoughts as the pounding escalated. Her heart beating wildly and her hands beginning to shake with nervousness, she turned her focus to the door. Breathing a prayer for strength, the young woman placed her hand on the knob and pried the door open. Nothing could have prepared her for the figure that stood outside.

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Nathaniel Spencer watched as the door slowly creaked back on its hinges. Sighing with resignation, he prepared himself for the task required of him: evicting a woman and her son - that was certainly not something he found great pleasure in doing. Nevertheless, as he well knew, the assignment was necessary in order to feed the pride of his worthless employer. And perhaps in the end he just might serve himself...

Drawing over his features the stern mask to which he had become so accustomed, Nathaniel turned his attention back to the door and momentarily lost his resolve as his gaze met a pair of mesmerizing deep brown eyes. 

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Vianna forced herself to remain calm and composed, however she felt certain that surprise must be written across her every feature. Instead of a bewildered vagrant or a pesky neighbor as she had forced herself to assume, a mysterious individual stood outside the door.

He made a striking figure, from the dark red shirt that did little but define his muscular physique to the black cloak that draped over his broad shoulders and flowed billowing behind him. Though he was still young, in his mid-twenties she estimated, Vianna could sense that the man was driven by a strong sense of purpose and duty that was advanced beyond his years; she was certain that nothing would stand in his way. Arrogance and pride, emotions that often accompany the self-serving, had already begun their destructive work, marring his attractive, clean-shaven countenance.

Her eyes focused once again on the young man's black ones and she was surprised to find his dark and piercing gaze watching her intently.

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She couldn't be more than twenty, Nathaniel thought with surprise. A sense of confusion filled him and, unintentionally his mind returned to the earlier conversation with Mr. Gaines. How could I have assumed that she was older? The young man asked himself with frustration. He mentally went over the letter his employer had read to him. However, he could find no evidence that his assumption had been well founded. In the end, he had to resign himself to the fact that he had judged incorrectly; the woman he had come to evict was nothing like he had imagined.

Nathaniel's dark eyes scanned her small figure, intent on finding something to justify criticism. He did not have to look hard. The young woman wore a simple dark blue dress with very little extraneous adornment, cheaply woven and obviously threadbare. Her dark, curly hair lay wet and disheveled against her shoulders. Even her face possessed streaks of dust and dirt, though it was obvious that overall the woman was conscious of her appearance. Despite these apparent physical flaws, he was unconsciously drawn to the strength and determination evident in her proud chin and the kindness and deep faith shining forth from her heart. In fact, he thought with astonishment, her inner peace almost made her beautiful.