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The television came on with a thurave face Behind hiraphs reeled off, one after another "For those of you just tuning in," Bernard said, "the news from France is that Princess Diana is dead"

Kate stared at the screen, not quite co

The princess Their princess Dead?

Beside her, the phone rang Without looking away from the TV, she answered it "Hello?"

"Youre watching the news?"

"Its true?"

"Im in London to cover it "

"Oh, , shy Diana in her plaid skirt and bonant Diana, looking hopeful and radiantly happy; elegant Diana, in a gorgeous off-the-shoulder gown, dancing with John Travolta at the White House; laughing Diana, on a ride at Disneyland with her boys; and finally, Diana alone, in a hospital far fro a malnourished black baby

In those few ies were the whole of a womans life

"It can be over so fast," Kate said, more to herself than to Tully She realized aand shed interrupted her

"She was just starting to come into her own, too "

Maybe shed waited too long to try Kate knew about that, about how frightening it could be to watch your children grow up and your husband go off to work and to wonder what youd do with the sliver of life that was yours

Fa alone at soed to the front gates of one of the castles, where floere beginning to pile up in reotten that somehow

"Kate? Are you okay?"

"I think Ill sign up for a writing class at UW," she said slowly The words felt pulled out of her somehow