Lizzie's Song

Chapter 7- One Sip at a Time

It is only an hour before Mr York comes to retrieve Thomas for Lucille's burial. He chains hands and feet after lending him a coat. Lizzie bundles up in her borrowed cloak and accompanies her father, Malachi following behind.

Thomas' step grows more hesitant as they near the churchyard. There is a small party beside the open grave- Ezra, Nathaniel. Mrs Doyle with a length of greenery. Thaddeus and Roger are tying up the horses. The other men help them unload the coffin from the carriage and set it next to the grave.

When Thomas is close, Thaddeus approaches him, "Mr Sharpe. My condolences. Would you like to see her before we nail the coffin shut?" Thomas takes a deep breath and nods, "Right, then, this way. The missus has a ritual she'd like to do, if it's fine with you- a bit of comfort for those of us left in this world...which means you, really, though none of us are happy to see someone dead."

Lizzie drifts behind him, her father watching, but not worried. To an outsider, this trust would seem an unwise risk, but to those men standing around the grave, Lizzie has earned this right. She has grown up in dangerous situations, handled herself well, both before losing her voice at fifteen and after. She is a fighter and there is little they think she cannot handle on her own.

At the coffin, Thomas stops, unsure of what he will see. Ezra and Nathaniel lift the lid. His breath catches in his throat. She is lovely, as she always has been, but so fragile. Her hair has been artfully arranged to hide the wound, circled around her head to form a dark halo. Her hands are folded over her stomach, a velvet rose placed under them, a thin black shroud draped over her dress to hide the blood that stained it.

Rebecca steps beside him, "A little comfort, if I may?" He nods. She has a long chain of dried herbs draped around her neck and she gently tucks it around the inside of the coffin, "From the earth you came, an innocent child of this big and beautiful universe. Back to it you go, your life cleansed by the soil you are returning to. From life to death and back to life again as you become one with the richness of dirt, the roots of the plants embracing all that you are. Welcome home, sister, may there be great rest and peace for your soul wherever it has landed." She places a spring of dried rosemary beside the rose, "For remembrance of love when it was pure and perfect, wherever you have found it, even if only now." She turns towards Thomas and pins another sprig on his jacket, "And for you as well. Make peace with what you must, and hold onto what was true." She steps back beside the wooden cross serving as her marker.

Mr York clears his throat, "Well. Let's send her home, then, shall we?"

Thaddeus nods to the others and they place the lid on the coffin, watching Thomas for any sign that they need to wait a few moments. But he does not move, staring at the snowflakes drifting down onto his sister's cold face, noting that they are not melting like they should.

Lizzie stays close as they nail the coffin shut, every strike muffled as the snow begins to fall more heavily. They lower it into the grave and Thaddeus quietly offers Thomas a shovel. He declines, dropping to his knees as they bury her. He has no idea what he will do without her, even though he has so often needed to leave her.

A gentle hand rests on his shoulder and he hears the soft rustle of Lizzie's skirts as she crouches beside him. He rests his hand over hers, the chains cold against her skin. She doesn't seem to mind.

When the grave is filled, Ezra and Nathaniel leave. Malachi disappears into the snow, ready for time at home with his family. Roger stays to escort Thomas and the Yorks back to the jail. Thaddeus is ready to go, but Rebecca is not. She places a wreath of evergreens on the grave and then kneels in front of Thomas, breaking his line of sight with Lucille's burial place.