Do we know for sure what the year was when Vicki met her fate? Are we sure it was 1797?
I had the impression that it happened very soon after Barnabas left them in 1796, mostly because Peter refers to her as Victoria Winters, not Victoria Bradford, or even my wife Victoria. I'm thinking it may have happened so soon that Victoria and Peter never had a chance to marry.
I'm not opposed to being wrong here, it would be nice to think Peter and Vicky had a little time togather.
For what it's worth I've read that Lara Parker's fourth book currently being written will involve bringing Victoria back to modern day Collinwood, I think it'll be even in the 2010s with Vicky meeting a new generation of Collins. I'm really looking forward to this, like many other fans I've been waiting many years for Vicky to be saved and brought home.