Catholic or Protestant party; neither the importunities of Buckingham; had he not now a great fortune?—­ah! but death had brought it him,—­and the bitter was mixed with the sweet.  There were other matters to menace his peace of mind that had not come until that very moment.  What if the Crown should confiscate his property; what was he to do with his wife?  There was his aunt, Sir Julian and Lady Bettie Payne, they would care for her.  Then his thoughts wandered to Constance, and for a while he half believed he had forgiven her.  Then he wondered if she had aught to do with his present condition.

The King in the meantime was not to be duped by Lady Constance.  She prided herself upon being discreet, but she was not enough so for the King’s sharp eyes.

“Odd’s fish,” said he, “the boy is a woman!” And though he had a saturnine and harsh countenance, his disposition was both merry and lenient.  He teased her unmercifully, threatening to promote so fine a lad to a gentleman of his bed-chamber.  He bade a woman bring some clothing suitable for a female and gave the lady into the hands of female attendants.

The easy manner of the time gave the courtiers license to taunt her.  This made her very uncomfortable.  The queen’s ladies’ eyes were upon her.  The King’s mistresses, not recognizing her as a rival, poked fun at her from behind their fans.  But Lady Constance would bear a great deal for the sake of gaining her point.  She had posted herself upon the King’s affairs with the Duke of Ellswold, and was in a state of great expectation when she heard that the latter was to be brought to the Tower immediately after his uncle’s funeral.  His entire demesne was out of his hands, he was sadly impoverished; this she bought from Buckingham’s menials.  It greatly delighted her, for she had more wealth than she knew what to do with, and Cedric, seeing her so pampered by his Majesty, would surely begin to see what a great lady she was, and perhaps would offer her some attention.  She did not know that Katherine was already the Duchess of Ellswold.  She heard from Monmouth that Mistress Penwick was to be brought to the palace at the same time Cedric was brought to London, and that ’twas not altogether sure whether his Grace of Ellswold would be taken to the Tower or be made a Royal guest, as the King was first cursing, then praising the new Duke.  So Constance began to picture Cedric standing before her, his face flushed as she remembered it to be, his eyelids that he knew so well how to lower, then raise ever so slightly, sending forth from beneath an amorous glance that made her tremble with a sweet thrill of pleasure.  Thus she lived from hour to hour, waiting for his Grace, little guessing the awful disappointment that awaited her.  She fairly counted the moments.