a tutor for his sons. Amberley encouraged him to continue his research on imprinting at his home, although his guests were terrified to see chickens roaming around the drawing-room and library. Spalding suffered from tuberculosis and was thus considered unfit for marriage. Lord Amberley felt that there was nevertheless no reason to condemn Spalding to celibacy and, after a discussion with his wife, allowed them to engage in a sexual relationship. Widowerhood and death Amberley experienced his first epileptic seizure in 1873. Concerned for his health, Lord and Lady Amberley decided to spend the winter in Rome and took Spalding and Frank with them. When they returned to England, in May 1874, Frank was diagnosed with diphtheria, but was nursed back to health by Lady Amberley and her sister Maude. Rachel contracted the disease on their return to Ravenscroft, and was soon followed by Lady Amberley. On 27 June, Lord Amberley informed his mother-in-law that his wife's life was in danger. The next day, he wrote again to Lady Stanley, "You will know from the doctor that all is over. I cannot say more. It ended this morning early. I am too wretched to write more." Rachel, his favourite, lived until 3 July. When she died, Amberley wrote to his mother that he had lost "two greatest treasures in this world". Amberley, by nature physically weak and sombre, was left without a wish to live. He had Lady Amberley's body cremated and her ashes interred in the grounds of their home without a religious ceremony, a decision that was seen as outrageous. Deeply depressed, he left their surviving children in the care of Spalding and the servants, and decided to finish An Analysis of Religious Belief in honour of his wife. He died of bronchitis at their home on 9 January 1876. According to his wishes, he was buried alongside his wife and daughter on 13 January. His parents, however, had all the remains moved to the Russell family vault at St Michael's, Chenies. In his will, Amberley named Douglas Spalding and T. J. Cobden-Sanderson as Frank and Bertrand's guardians, not wishing his children to be raised as Christians, but Lord and Lady Russell successfully contested the stipulation and assumed full guardianship. The deeply pious Lady Russell, notwithstanding her undoubted disapproval of its content, made sure that her son's book was published a month after his death. She wrote in