Was Parnell an accomplice in the Phoenix Park murder of the Irish secretary? There are those who would like to think so and will go to any lengths to prove it.

Tim Healy is in Kilkenny. He swears he will 'drive you to the grave or to the asylum'. Irish Home Rule is still identified with Parnell despite the scandal surrounding his divorce case. As Katharine looks forward to quiet married life and Parnell to freedom for his country, his enemies anticipate his downfall.