One morning she woke, sweating with fear. Overbury was in the Tower but he was a man who had lived by his pen; he would still be able to use it; and she had dreamed that he had done so against her, with dire results.
Overbury must not be allowed to live; but his death must seem a natural one. He must not suddenly die; his health must be noticed gradually to deteriorate. In the meantime he must be stopped from writing letters to those who could use them against her. She already knew that the Archbishop of Canterbury had been put in charge of the Commission and she was well aware of that old Puritan’s views.
They could not afford to take chances.
She went at once to her great-uncle, with whom she was spending more time than she ever had before; over this matter of the divorce they had become fellow conspirators.
“Uncle,” she said, “we must make sure that any letters Overybury writes shall not reach those for whom they’re intended until they have passed through our hands.”
Northampton saw the point of this at once. He did not know how far his great-niece had gone in her attempts to rid herself of Essex; and he did not care to probe because he preferred not to know. At the same time he was as anxious as she was that her past adventures should remain secret.
“How can we make sure the correspondence comes straight to us?” asked Frances.
“Only through the Lieutenant of the Tower.”
“Can you speak to him?”
“I must see what can be done, for we must examine any letters Overbury writes. Leave this to me.”
Sir William Waad, a man of about sixty, who had traveled widely on diplomatic missions and had been member of Parliament for Thetford, Preston and West Looe was not a man to be intimidated; and he quickly grasped what was behind the Earl of Northampton’s request.
“My lord,” he said, with a quiet smile, “I should be exceeding my duties if I were to pass over to you the correspondence of my prisoners.”
“But this is a special case.”
“Then perhaps the King will give me his orders. I cannot take them from any but His Majesty.”
Northampton was furious. This fool was going to give trouble. How could he go to James and tell him that he wanted to study the letters of Thomas Overbury before they were allowed to reach their destination? Obviously James would want to hear why. Overbury was not in the Tower as a traitor. He had merely shown contempt of the King’s orders and was in there to cool his heels for a while. James would be astonished that his correspondence should be so important to his Lord Privy Seal and, being of curious nature, would want to know why.
“I must see the King on this matter then?” asked Northampton, and his smile was steely.
“That is so, my lord.”
Very well, you old fool, thought Northampton. This shall be the end of you.
He sought a private audience of the King and when they were alone said: “I paid a visit to the Tower this day, Your Majesty, and discovered something which greatly disconcerted me!”
“What’s this?” asked James.
“The Lady Arabella has been given a key so that she can leave her apartments there at will. I have to tell Your Majesty that I consider this highly dangerous.”
“Has there been an attempt to rescue her?”
“Not so far, Your Majesty, but I shall have to be very watchful. I have not yet uncovered anything, but I am very suspicious of a Lieutenant who gives such a lady a key. Particularly when I remember that he was the man who allowed Lady Arabella’s husband to escape.”
“I like that not,” murmured James.
“Nay, Your Majesty, and so much am I in agreement with you that I have been asking myself, since I discovered this alarming fact, whether it is wise to allow a man, who has given the lady the key, to continue to be her jailer.”
“You suspect Waad of treachery?”
“I would not go so far as that, Your Majesty. But since she has beguiled him into giving her a key, I do not feel very much at peace while that man is in charge of the Tower.”
“Nay, nor I.”
“Would Your Majesty consider it wise to relieve Waad of his post? If so, I know the man who would fill his place admirably.”
“Who is this?”
