"That detestable Lord Neville! Ever and always, he brings me trouble and sorrow. There are half-a-dozen of my lovers who would run him through for a look. I would do it myself. You need not smile, sir, I am as ready with the sword as any man, and have matched both Stephen and Cymlin Swaffam. I hate Neville. I would most willingly make an end of him."
"Hush, Matilda! Your words belie you. You mean them not. But there is no time for words now, we shall leave here for England in two days. If Prince Rupert loves you so much as to marry you, there are ways and means to accomplish that end. If money only is the lack, I shall be no miser, if I may ensure your happiness."
"Dear uncle, shall we not return by The Hague?"
"No. Lord Neville has promised to do my business there. It is only a matter of collecting a thousand pounds from my merchant; but he is going to take charge of your aunt's jewels, and you had better trust yours also with him. They will be safer in the saddle of a horseman than in a guarded traveling coach. In the latter case, robbers are sure there is plunder; in the former it is most unlikely."
"I will not trust anything I possess to Lord Neville. Nothing!"
"The man trusted by Cromwell is above suspicion."
"It is his interest to be honest with Cromwell."
"You are angry at Neville."
"I have good reason. He is always the bringer of bad news. The order to leave Paris and the Prince could have come only through him."
"The Prince knows how he may keep you at his side."