Tranter Nigel

When his mother, the formidable Black Agnes, bequeathed him the troubled earldom of Moray in the far north of Scotland, John Cospatrick, younger son of the ninth Earl of Dunbar and March, found himself unexpectedly elevated to become King David's lieutenant and arbiter up in those unruly parts. At the age of 22, with no experience in matters of governance, John's courage, sharp wit and skills of diplomacy served him well in bringing the rebellious Lords of the Isles to heel. However, the greatest test of his abilities as an envoy and negotiator was to come when the new king, Robert II, sent him to London to seek to win over the English king's brother, John of Gaunt, to friendship with Scotland. 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday

When a Highland estate changes hands, there is trouble ahead for Alastair MacIver, a tinker who lives off the land in the remote valleys of his ancestors. The new laird is not about to let a tinker hunt and fish at his expense, and their conflict leads to a spell in the local jail for Alastair.

This is the second book in the Mary Stewart trilogy, a sequel to PRICE OF A PRINCESS. In 1460, when clan feuds were rife and the threat of English invasion was ever-present, James the Third, one of Scotland's weakest monarchs, came to the throne. Before long, John, Lord of Douglas, a born leader and a man of conscience and vision, found himself wishing that James's wise and strong-minded sister Princess Mary had succeeded in her brother's place. For the feeble king had a habit of ignoring the advice of his high-born nobles and succumbing instead to the influence of the astrologer and alchemist William Sheves, archdeacon of St Andrews, who was one of the cleverest and most unscrupulous individuals in Scotland's history.'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday