Catherine’s Secret Visits to Wuthering Heights
Following her recovery from illness, Nelly Dean discovers Catherine has been secretly sneaking out at night to visit her ailing cousin Linton at Wuthering Heights. Catherine had bribed the groom Michael with books to assist her clandestine visits, which began three weeks earlier while Nelly remained bedridden. On the first occasion of Catherine’s reading aloud to Nelly, her restless behavior and impatient questioning revealed her eagerness to escape the house. After confronting Catherine about her evening ride, Nelly elicits a confession of her clandestine activities, discovering that Heathcliff has encouraged the relationship as part of his scheme to secure his son’s inheritance and bind Catherine to Wuthering Heights permanently. The secret visits continue despite warnings, as Catherine cannot resist the pull of her romantic notions about Linton and her desire to rebel against her father’s restrictions.
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