The brutal murder of James I, King of Scots, at Perth in 1437 left his seven-year-old son to rule over a troubled kingdom. Power-hungry lords seized their chance to gain control over the boy-king James II and his realm. When young Alexander Lyon, son of the Thane of Glamis, married Agnes, the daughter of Sir William Crichton, he found himself drawn into the wider affairs of the nation. For Alec was to become a close attendant and friend of the young monarch at a time when James was in sore need of protection. Nigel Tranter reveals how Alec Lyon and Agnes Crichton helped to shape the story of Scotland - and that of England, too. For this was the period of the Wars of the Roses, and the northern kingdom was not to remain unaffected. 'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday