"Henry's girl?" The shadow lifted its lantern higher, letting her see the outline of its face. "It's me, Edward Brown. Do you remember me?"
"I can't see you," she replied, "and anyway, my father's dead."
The lantern twitched to one side. "I beg your pardon?"
"Yes, he and my mother both," Victoria heard herself say the words, but she couldn't understand what they meant. "They drowned."
"Here?" The shadow named Edward pointed toward the half-sunken buggy. "Are they still inside?"
"Yes. I tried to pull them out, but I couldn't. I never was a very good swimmer, and it's so cold."
"Good heavens," Edward said. "Did this just happen?"
Victoria's forehead wrinkled. "Not too long ago. I've been here for a little while." Her voice sounded dull and leaden in her ears.
"Can you come down? You must be frozen half to death."
"I'll try." She stood up. The buggy shifted beneath her, and she nearly fell.
"For God's sake, do be careful," Edward said. "Here, let me help you." The shadow's feet splashed into the shallow water. It came on until the water rose to its waist, then held out a hand. "Climb on down, my dear. I'll help you back home."
"That would be nice," Victoria said, grabbing ahold of a wheel and lowering herself down. "I think I'd like to sit by the fire for a moment."
"You can do just that, I promise. We'll make one nice and big for you."
Victoria gasped as she lowered a leg into the water. The touch of the icy river jolted her out of her stupor. Sud denly, she could feel her parents' hands reaching out for her from inside the buggy. They needed her help, and she was just going to leave them behind.
"Oh my God! They're still in there!" She pounded on the side of the buggy and heard a knock in reply. "Did you hear that?"
"That was just the echo, love."
She stared at him. Had there been an echo before? She couldn't remember. But if there hadn't been one, her parents must really be dead. Now she was alone in the world: no parents, no husband, no siblings. Only a few family friends who certainly couldn't take her in. How would she make her way?
What strength she had left abandoned her, and her legs threatened to drop her down into the inky water. Maybe it would be better that way. She could join her parents in Heaven. The good Lord must have meant for them all to perish in the crash tonight, but somehow she had avoided that fate. It wasn't too late, though. All she had to do was drop into the river and let it carry her away. She felt halfdead from cold and damp already; the end wouldn't be long.
"Victoria," Edward's voice cut through her confusion, "take my hand. We'll see about sending someone for your parents when we get back to Oxford. Let's get you home, dear."
After a moment's hesitation, she wrapped her shaking fingers around his outstretched hand.
The lacy black veil offered little protection from the pastor's kind glances, nor could it block out the murmurings of the other mourners. Victoria could hear them whispering the same words her neighbors, friends, and own mind had been hammering into her for the past five days. If it had been proper, she would have stuffed black handkerchiefs into her ears to drown out their endless condolences and apologies. Most of them were strangers, acquaintances of her parents who came to pay their respects. Victoria suspected that some of the tears falling were not quite sincere, those shedding them secretly wishing to be elsewhere. She stole a glance over her shoulder. Near the rear of the chapel, she spied a cluster of men in expensive suits. Business associates of her father's, no doubt. Henry Dawes had had the sense to invest in electric power when it first came to England, and his business had quickly expanded into a small empire. Men such as these envied him his success even as they worked with him. Had they the choice, they would surely be toasting her father's death in their offices and studies. Still, etiquette demanded their presence in the cemetery chapel, bidding farewell to a man they had thought was beneath them.
Victoria herself felt only a great emptiness. At times, the void seemed cold and lifeless, a great dead thing lodged inside her ribs. She looked at the wooden boxes lying