A Chance Encounter

Locked Away

The room had whitewashed walls and a cold stone floor. The bed was simple. It was hard, but not hard enough to cause my back any damage. The wardrobe contained only plain white night dresses that I swapped every day. There was no carpet and when it was not the hour of the day that I absorbed sunlight the one small window in the room was bolted behind thick white shutters. To stop my mind from going completely blank Aunt visited each day with a new book or lesson needing to be learned about social protocol. The lessons were not as before where she at least acted civilly to me, now they were full of thinly veiled threats and insults. At the start and end of everyday Aunt would ask me who the coat belonged to. At the start and end of everyday I refused to tell her. I knew that she would do everything in her power to find him and punish him for tarnishing her reputation as a good noble woman. I vowed as soon as I was discovered that Rob would remain my secret. I only wished that they had left his jacket with me. Without anything to hold at night my arms felt empty. My heart and soul felt empty.

Times came when I would just lie on my bed and cry until my body could find no more tears. Aunt had equipped me with all the tools needed for tapestry, but sometimes I would just use the needle to prick my finger and check I was still able to feel anything.

One day everything changed. One day he found me.

Rob's POV

I woke early as I always did. I couldn't wait to get to the meadow because Poppy was going to be there. I knew she was. I quickly kicked my brother Aaron awake before he was late for work. This time I wanted him to keep his job so we could stay here. I liked it here. His groans and mumblings filled the tiny room I shared with him and my other brother, Richard. I laughed to myself at how unwilling he was to get up and seize the day.

"C'mon Aaron, it isn't that early. Anyway, I though you were going to see Sylvia after work today," I spoke to his blanketed form. At the mention of Sylvia he jumped up immediately as if she was in the room right now. I chucked a pillow at his excited face, but I knew how he felt.

Our wooden house contained three small rooms. Mine and my brothers' room was the smallest and thanks to Aaron and Richard's distinct lack of hygiene it also reeked the worst. My mum shared with only my two little sisters now that Bess had married. The last room worked as a kitchen, living area and basically everything else we needed. There was a shedish structure round the back that we used as a toilet. There was a communal well in the village, but it was Laura and Jane's job to collect water from there every morning. Jane didn't really have to go with Laura, but she fancied the butcher's son and took every opportunity she could to flirt with him. What was it with my siblings and their attempts at romance?

I had a quick wash with some of the remaining water and pulled on some fresh clothes, grateful that yesterday was washing day. I had some exciting news to tell Poppy today and I really hoped she was going to be as pleassed about it as I was. Before leaving I quickly told Aaron that I was off out and evasively answered his questions about where to. I hadn't told any of my family about Poppy, because I knew constant teasing would accompany the news and I wanted to avoid that if possible.

It was a quick enough walk to the field next to the meadow where Poppy sometimes was. It was made quicker as I knew the exact path that would take me there fastest. Ever since the first time I saw Poppy there I came back every single day in the off chance that she might be there. Most of the time she wasn't but today she would be, I could feel it. I couldn't wait to see the look on her exquisite face when I told her my news. Her reaction would be priceless. I could see her face lighting up and a giggle escape her sweet mouth.

However, when I reached the stream she wasn't there. I waited as long as I thought I could spare for her to turn up, but she never did.

The next day was the same.