It was just last year that the previous events happened. Cathy did not disobey her father. Edgar wished that his nephew would visit or write, but Nelly told him he was most likely too sick to do so. Edgar was looking forward to death, except for the fear that after he was gone, Cathy would be mistreated. He wrote again to Linton, who answered with a written plea that the cousins might visit in a neutral spot. He even offered to meet with his uncle, so he could see what kind of man he was.
But Mr. Linton was too ill to make such a trip. By his uncle's request, Linton continued to write, though his letters likely passed carefully under Heathcliff's eyes. By June, Cathy had convinced her father to let her meet Linton on the edge of the moors nearest the Grange. Nelly was to act as guardian. Cathy's father consented in part because he was near death, and a marriage with Linton would secure Cathy's future. Heathcliff, with his revenge near and his son in ever-poorer health, was to become even more cruel in his plans.
