Each in turn shook his head. They had no medicine for sorrow, was
their discreet answer. From his description of her condition,
said each, it was plain that her ladyship's sickness was of the
mind, and, considering the tales that were afloat, neither was
surprised.
Sir Richard went back to his Oxford lodging with the feeling of a
man checkmated. For two whole days of that precious time he lay
there considering what to do. He thought of going to seek a
physician in Abingdon. But fearing no better success in that
quarter, fearing, indeed, that in view of the rumours abroad he
would merely be multiplying what my lord called "footprints," he
decided to take some other way to his master's ends. He was a
resourceful, inventive scoundrel, and soon he had devised a plan.
On Friday he wrote from Oxford to Lady Robert, stating that he
had a communication for her on the subject of his lordship as
secret as it was urgent. That he desired to come to her at Cumnor
again, but dared not do so openly. He would come if she would
contrive that her servants should be absent, and he exhorted her
to let no one of them know that he was coming, else he might be
ruined, out of his desire to serve her.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182