Eliza had never been the center of so much . . . silence . . . in her entire life. She and her father had been standing and staring at each other for almost a full minute, but it had seemed like an eternity. The surrounding crowd was acting as if they were watching competitive chess, wondering who was going to use which particular opening gambit. Eliza started to say something but the words died on her lips. Her father started to raise his hand as if to wave, but his strength failed him.

It had been over a year since they had last spoke, and those words had been...