Soldier Of My Heart

Chapter 1

       

Elizabeth could feel the wind rushing through her golden curly hair as she galloped through the sunlit meadow on her horse. As she pressed forward on her horse she enjoyed these moments of freedom. Freedom from the duties of life. Freedom from society. Freedom from being a practical lady. Society in 1770 was so tiring. Girls were expected to keep their mouths shut, listen to men, never be loud or rough, and never step out of line. It was as if society viewed women as angels who were good to look at but not good to here. Elizabeth knew her mother would not be happy with the fact that she was letting her hair and skirts flow freely behind her. Her mother would say "tis unladylike to be wild". Elizabeth thought that was the biggest pile of rubbish she had ever heard. Being 'wild', as her mother called it, was what Elizabeth enjoyed the most. The feeling of letting everything go was amazing. She was brought back to reality when she heard the sounds of hoof steps behind her. She whipped her head around with such force that she lost her balance and toppled from her horse on to the lush grass beneath her. Ouch. Elizabeth lifted a hand to her head and winced. Her head was throbbing. She could sense someone getting down from their horse and walking towards her but didn't look up due to the amount of pain she was in.

"Are you all right miss?" she heard a smooth voice say. She lifted her head and saw the most dazzling pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. The color of eyes was brought out by his golden brown hair that was tucked neatly under his hat and tied in a neat ponytail. The boy looked about her age, 12, and was wearing a neat navy blue coat with grey breeches. To Elizabeth, he looked like the most handsome boy she had ever seen.

"Can you hear me?" the boy asked, snapping Elizabeth out of her trance.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you," replied Elizabeth who was still awestruck. The boy reached out his hand for Elizabeth to take. She gratefully grabbed his hand and the boy strongly pulled her off the ground. Elizabeth, who was suddenly feeling very self-conscious, brushed herself off and tried to tame her hair. As she smoothed out her light blue skirts she noticed the amount of dirt and tares that she had earned when she fell. Her mother would be infuriated. She looked back at the boy who was smiling at her with the most perfect teeth she had ever seen.

"If you are sure that you all alright you should tell me where you live and I will escort you home." the boy said.

"No thank you, I should be just fine on my own," replied Elizabeth stubbornly.

"A little girl like you shouldn't be riding by herself. Especially after taking a fall off a horse," the boy replied. Elizabeth, who was suddenly feeling quite annoyed at this boy for being so stubborn, said," You should know I'm not a little girl. I am 12 and you don't look that much older than me." The boy shrugged and said, "I'm 13. How old are you?". Elizabeth stuck her head up and confidently replied," I'm twelve. Which means I am only a year younger than you. Now if you'll excuse me I really should get home."

"As you wish, but you should take care not to fall again," the boy replied with a smirk. Elizabeth proceeded to get on her horse. The boy offered his hand but Elizabeth, who was too stubborn for her own good declined his hand.

"Thank you for your concern but I will be just fine," said Elizabeth.

"You are most welcome. By the way, I didn't catch your name. My name is Tom Williams. ," he said with a slight bow. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at his silly bow and said, "My name is Elizabeth Farrow. Good day." And with that Elizabeth rode off.