Winifred gave the ladies no time to reflect upon her aims and plannings. The carriage was summoned and the four left for the Tower of London.

Winifred kept talking and rambling throughout the journey and at the very end of it disclosed the minute details of her plan. In the shock of the moment and the pressing of Winifred, Mrs. Mills and Miss Hilton agreed to be of assistance.

"Mrs. Mills is as tall as my husband and being with child her physique is comparable to my Lord's too, at present. Miss Hilton, I hope you have worn two cloaks?"

"Yes, one extra under this."

"Very well. You shall come with me first."

"We must complete it all by the evening. The afternoon light shall help us more than the candles," Evans reminded.

"Do not worry. We will do it carefully but quick. You wait outside with the carriage."

**

"Dear Miss Hilton, this is the last day that I have. If by tonight I am unable to present the petition, I will lose him to death!"

It was a loud whisper, an act feigned to be the careless outpour of a woman at the brink of widowhood.

"Let's pray, we still have some hours."

The two women passed through the guards and the other people present, and into Lord Nithsdale's chamber.

He rose up from his seat, all anxious and pale. "Are you seriously–"

"–going to take dramatic measures, yes." She shushed him. "Now, look at the other side, to the wall. Miss Hilton shall change her dress."

Before Nithsdale could make out anything he was forced to face the cool stone wall. Winifred kept some paints and a headdress on the seat.

Miss Hilton took out her extra cloth and a petticoat. Patting her shoulders and puffing her chest, she announced, "Done."

Miss Hilton waited in the chamber while Winifred returned back to the entrance of the Tower and partly climbed down the stairs to meet Mrs Mills ready and with a handkerchief over her face.

Winifred took her palms and gently pressed them. Her blue, determined gaze assured Mrs Mills of no mishaps having occured.

"Keep the handkerchief over your face as you have done, and act like you are grieving."

She nodded, and began sobbing. Winifred took her by the hand and with slow steps ascended the Tower. On passing by the room next to her Lord's chamber, she found the daughters and wives of the guards having seated there. Again in an excited, worrisome tone and quivering lips, she said to Mrs Mills, "Mrs Catherine, this is the last night! I know not how my maid is being this reckless. I must ask someone to fetch her to dress me up for presenting the petition."

Pursing her lips, she shook her head as Mrs Mills continued to moan. The ladies present in the room turned their heads, whispering amongst themselves the ill-fate of the Lady. Their keen, alert eyes took sympathy upon the soon-to-be widow. They passed comments in a circle about the cruelty of the king and the fragile diplomacy of the Lady.

"I shall miss my friend," Mrs Mills added between her sobs. It caused the corner of Winifred's lips to turn up but she suppressed a grin.

The guards allowed her to come and go as many times as Winifred wanted, having perceived her as a kind and helpless women. Some even prayed for Lord Nithsdale. Winifred tried to speak as little as possible with them, watery eyes and a reddened nose deceiving the men to believe in her dejected state.

Shutting the door to his chamber, Winifred quickly made the fat and round Mrs. Mills wear the clothes left by Miss Hilton while the latter left her own petticoat, cloak and handkerchief behind.

"Wait, Winifred. There's one problem."

"If that's you not being willing to wear a petticoat, I am sorry you must."

Nithsdale frowned. "I will better wear a petticoat than let you shout at me. But just think for a moment– you brought two women inside the chamber. Yet now three women, among them a man disguised, shall be going out. Is this not a miscalculation?"

Winifred clenched her fists.

"Wait a moment, you two remain with him."

Winifred lifted her skirt and ran outside the chamber, cursing under her breath the recklessness of her maid Evans. Sweating and panting she took three to four rounds of going in and out the chamber. Finally, she came back and fell upon a seat.

Nithsdale tilted his head and scrutinized his wife. "I am not so afraid of death than I am of your peculiar ways. What did you just do?"

Smiling, she said, "Confused the guards."

"I bet they have not been watching you as intently as other visitors because you have already bribed them much," Miss Hilton said aloud.

"And as a precaution, thanks to my Lord's warning, I did this whole act just to bewilder the guards more. They will lose count of how many times I came in and out and with how many people."

Nithsdale covered his face and sat quietly, sighing. "I don't know if this will work. You all are endangering yourself."

"It's all I can do."

He glared at her, though that momentary rage melted. "Then I can only pray for you to succeed."

Winifred turned to the two ladies. "Let's go. We must walk hastily this time."

Following her instructions, the three women went out the chamber. On the way coming back, Winifred stopped to talk a wife of a guard.

"Has your husband been sentenced to death?"

Winifred bit her lips, refusing to match her gaze. "Yes. I will present a petition tonight. But my maid–"

"I know! Such careless little girls! They don't know how to obey their masters and be loyal. I just hope she comes back soon." The wife scoffed. "Even my maid doesn't pay any attention to my words. Look at you, you are in such a sticky position and yet she refuses to come to your aid."

"Some notorious girl, yes," Winifred sniffed back her tears. Her heart jumped in joy.

It's working.

"Excuse me, I still have to escort back a friend who is talking to my Lord."

"Oh, yes! May Almighty be with you."

Winifred took leave, her gait rough and the thumping of her feet loud against the ruthless floor.

Entering the chamber, she found her husband tampering with the headdress. He stopped his deed when he noticed her return.

"I just hope this works. This is the last trick, right?"

Winifred was too enraged to give a reply. Almost tearing apart his clothes she made him wear the petticoat and cloak. Next, she convinced him to wear the headdress, much to his dissatisfaction, and then make ringlets and curls in the wig.

"You don't wish to shave my beard now, right?"

"No. I have another idea."

She took some yellow paint and coloured his thick black brows golden, much like that of Mrs Mills. With white paint and other dyes she hid his long beard and coloured his cheeks scarlet with rogue. Her meticulous hands moved swift to complete the task in minutes.

"Now, take the handkerchief and cover your face like Mrs Mills had. I had asked her to not repeat this gesture when she was leaving to ensure that now when I free you, the guards mistake you for Mrs Mills."

"I feel sorry for the woman. She was carrying and was made to go through much."

"Be grateful to her."

"I promise."

The two didn't move.

"You can't kiss me now and taint your lips with filthy paint," Nithsdale chuckled.

"And you stop joking around. You know right what's happening?"

"So now you are the serious one? I thought you were confident enough of fooling the Tower!"

Fooling the Tower, yes.

If not, then a legend.

"We will escape together. Either to Hell or to freedom."

Thus, Winifred followed her husband as he made his way out of the chamber, covering his face with a handkerchief like a sad, shy woman. Dusk was falling over London and some guards were lighting the torches Winifred took much pain in covering the manly gait of her husband.

She could feel him shiver and his eyes darted across the lines of guards as the two manoeuvred through the corridors. Time slowed down. It seemed the exit was ages away. Once, Lord Nithsdale almost faltered as he stepped over the long petticoat, but Winifred caught him in time.

He held onto her arm tightly, gazing at her with eyes brimming with tears. She returned a smile. What she did next, astounded him.

"Mrs Betty, please go quickly and ask my maid Evans to come to me. I have no time left!"

He kept staring at her. The hood veiled his face for which his gaping mouth was out of sight. Soon, he was at the stairs. He could see Mrs Mills and Evans waiting outside.

He stood frozen. Winifred elbowed him to climb down.

"Mrs Betty, there's no time to ponder over my husband's fate if we are this slow!"

Assessing the situation, Evans came and dragged Nithsdale out of danger. "I shall take Mrs Betty with me and call your maid, such a reckless one, Evans!" Twisting her lips she stomped her foot and took away poor Mrs Betty.

Winifred was amused. "Ah, she is very reckless. I think Mrs Betty is still grieving for my Lord. Do take care of her."

"Don't worry, my friend."

Evans smiled, waving her a goodbye.

Winifred smirked. With puckered lips and a tired smile, she climbed down the stairs. But a sudden realisation dawned on her.

The plan wasn't over yet.