As the year 1566 moved to its close, it seemed as if Darnley, with his manic obsession to be crowned king and his longing to make a name for himself in Catholic Europe by restoring the Mass, was an intractable problem for everyone except his own family. It would be very convenient to lose him. He had served his purpose by fathering a male heir. His conduct was intolerable; he was politically expendable. He did not bother to visit Mary at Jedburgh until she had almost recovered. Even then, he stayed for only one night, returning to Lennox’s stronghold at Glasgow the next day.
