To her great joy she saw him again.  He was brought to the palace, instead of to the Tower.  When the King saw the Duke, he forgot, or appeared to forget, that the Duke was a prisoner, and openly embraced him and had him placed near his own apartments.  His Majesty was in high good humour, hearing from the Duke’s own lips that he had nothing to do with the hiding away of his messenger, and explaining sundry other matters to his satisfaction.  “The Duchess,” for so the Duke spoke of Katherine for the first time before his Majesty, was unable to arise from her couch, and therefore could not as yet be brought to the palace.  The King said he was pleased that so noble a Duke had gained his point, even though he had outwitted his King.

“Odd’s fish, and to be separated so soon! it must not be!”

Lady Constance was joyous when she saw Cedric arrive without Katherine, but at once it made her very curious to know why the “wench was left behind; for was it not the King’s order?” She sent a maid to inquire among the servants of the Duke.  When the maid returned and told her that Katherine was the Duke’s wife, she fainted away.  But after a few hours of awful depression and heart-sickness she again nerved herself to battle harder, if possible, than heretofore.

The Duke’s trial was begun, and nothing it seemed could be absolutely proven against him.  It appeared the King shut his eyes and ears to anything that would incline against his Grace.  Not so Constance, who worked secretly.  She was determined, if possible, to see him go to the Tower, as the only immediate means of separating him from his wife, who was expected any week at the Royal abode.  She informed some of the nobles that were against him that their principal witness, Adrian Cantemir, lay ill from a sword thrust at Crandlemar Castle.  To be sure, they had almost forgotten the young man, who had been such a leader in the beginning.  This held the case in suspension and the Duke still a prisoner; but the King gave him no time for thought; they rode, walked, drank, theatred and supped together.  If ’twere not for the Duke’s love for his wife, and his mourning for his uncle, which cast so deep a shadow over his natural gaiety, ’twas possible he might have been drawn by his Majesty into intrigues of a feminine character.

Constance was ever throwing herself in his path, but he deigned not a glance her way.  She appeared content to watch him, whether he paid her any attention or not.  She was careful to learn of his fortunes, as the King to appease the Protestant nobles had confiscated the Ellswold estates and everything else that Buckingham had not taken.  But this sort of thing was a matter of form with his Majesty.  His mind was fully made up.  He was not to be frighted or cajoled.  He even went so far as to assure the Duke that as soon as his character was proven, giving the nobles no chance to gainsay, he should at once take possession of his estate.  The Duke, however, had only his jewels to borrow on, and that was insufferable to his pride.  He had a large retinue to support, servants that were aged; these he must look after.  Thus matters stood for weeks and months.