THE GREAT ROXHYTHE THE GREAT ROXHYTHE BY GEORGETTE HEYER Author of “The Black Moth: A Romance of the XVIIIth Century” “_Under which King, Bezonian?_” --_King Henry IV. Part II_ BOSTON SMALL, MAYNARD AND COMPANY PUBLISHERS COPYRIGHT, 1923 BY SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY (INCORPORATED) Printed in the United States of America THE MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY CAMBRIDGE, MASS. BOUND BY THE BOSTON BOOKBINDING COMPANY CAMBRIDGE, MASS. TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I--THE KING AND HIS FAVOURITE 1 II--THE KING HIS COUNCILLORS 10 III--CHRISTOPHER DART 19 IV--FLUSHING 30 V--MYNHEER DE STAAL 42 VI--RODERICK DART 51 VII--WILLIAM OF ORANGE 56 VIII--THE AMIABLE MR. MILWARD PERPLEXED 67 IX--THE KING OF ENGLAND 76 BOOK II--THE WAYS DIVERGE I--JANUARY, 1669 85 II--THE OFFER 97 III--HER LADYSHIP 110 IV--HER LADYSHIP’S PERPLEXITY 116 V--LADY CREWE 120 VI--THE PRICE 126 VII--THE FIRST SEED OF DOUBT 132 VIII--MADAME 141 IX--THE GROWTH OF THE SEED 153 X--MAY, 1670 160 XI--UNREST 168 BOOK III--QUO VADIS? I--WHITEHALL 177 II--THE HUSBAND 184 III--THE CHALLENGE 194 IV--PROGRESSION 202 V--THE MOST NOBLE THE MARQUIS 211 VI--THE KING HIS WILL 224 VII--THE HAND OF FATE 232 VIII--THE AMIABLE MR. MILWARD AGAIN 242 IX--DISILLUSIONMENT 252