Page 120 (2/2)

We all got out and went into the house where we found Victoria having a cup of coffee, her head bent over a pile of docu room table She looked up e appeared She was pale, her eyes dull, but she always looked that way to me If she was devastated by Grandht

"Victoria," reat-aunt cried and held out her arms

Victoria rose slowly She seemed even taller and thinner than I remembered, and not that much time had passed She was dressed in a faded pink housecoat and wore nolimply at her ears

"Hello, Aunt Leonora," she said, She didn't move toward her to embrace her "Uncle Richard"

"Hello, Victoria We're sorry about all this," he said nodding slightly toward me

"It's adown at the papers Then she finally took Great-aunt Leonora's hand and gave her a quick embrace She kissed Greatuncle Richard on the cheek

Jake e

"Oh, Jake," Victoria said, stepping into the hallway "Put s," she added, nodding at me, "in the maid's room downstairs"

"Not her own rooed

"Alison ant to be in her rooht with you, isn't it?"

"Yes," I said "I'm really not worried about which room I have at the moment"

"Hoeet Okay, Jake Thanks," she told hiot some hot coffee if you'd like some," she told the Endfields "Or I can put on some water for tea"

"What happened to Frances's maid?"

"Mother hasn't had aat me "There was a nurse here from time to time, but that didn't last either"

"Well, who's going to provide for us?" Greataunt Leonora asked with a frantic tone in her voice