title: Abandoned Heart
author: Farley, Ramona
description: Only Romantics and Optimists believe love can survive anything. Unfortunately, when her family left the small coalmining town she had always called home, Lowri had difficulty finding any solace in either. The coal industry failed and families scattered everywhere to find work. Her family moved to America. When Lowri and her family boarded the ship to America, she left behind her lifelong friends Catrin and Eammon to adventure into an unknown land. She had heard that America was a land of opportunity, but could never imagine what the future would bring. Life would never be the same without her best friend Catrin, and the funny boy Eammon? The only constant in her life, besides her own family, was Lady Nancy. Lowri and her family had worked for Lady Nancy and her late husband Lord Thomas on their horse ranch in Wales. When Lady Nancy decided to move back home to Pennsylvania, she persuaded Lowri’s parents to come to America and work on her family’s ranch. When Lowri found love, Lady Nancy was there to support her. When America joined the war and Lowri’s husband was shipped overseas to fight, Lady Nancy once again was the rock that held the families together. The guilt of abandonment Lowri had carried for so long when she left her friends behind was slightly abated when she reconnected with her dear friend Eammon. He had somehow survived the trenches of war and made his way to America. His carefree life of music and dancing paid off, and now he was starring in a leading role on Broadway. It was only after her husband was shipped overseas to fight in the war that she knew the true sense of abandonment. Her abandoned heart longed for the husband who vowed to love and protect her forever. When he was reported “missing in action”, she struggled daily with the pain and loneliness. She found herself questioning his love for her, and her love for him. Could she remain faithful to him until his return? Could she live without him if he didn’t return?