Envoy Extraordinary

Patrick, Earl of Dunbar, would rather develop the wool trade of his sheep-covered Lammermuir estates than involve himself in warfare or royal intrigue. Scotland, however, is ruled by the young Alexander III, while Edward Plantagenet—the future Edward I—already displays the ambition that will later threaten the northern kingdom. More immediately, Norse control of the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and the Isle of Man endangers Patrick’s commercial routes to Norway and the Baltic and makes western sovereignty a matter of personal as well as national importance.

Driven from the security of estate management, Patrick becomes soldier, negotiator and royal envoy. He must move between the interests of Alexander’s government, the Scottish magnates and the court of Haakon IV of Norway, where trade, tribute and territorial claims are inseparable. His practical understanding of ships and commerce gives him influence, but also exposes him to suspicion from men who profit from disorder. The novel turns a reluctant statesman’s defence of his livelihood into a wider struggle over Scotland’s islands, independence and place in northern Europe.