Book excerpt: January 1410, and King Henry IV is brought down by an unknown illness. Despite his ten year reign, the kingdom is far from secure. He is at odds with his son Prince Hal, who is demanding a new Royal Council; Owen ap Glyndower threatens his Welsh border and the Scots are in revolt again, seeking secret alliances with France. In France, Burgundy and King Charles VI are planning to take back Calais and reignite the Hundred Years' War. England is in peril, beset by enemies on all sides and within. The court is a swirl of rumours and treachery, with the powerful seeking the ultimate prize: the English crown. Power is controlled by unlikely forces, the most important of which is led by Sir Richard Whittington - merchant, former Lord Mayor of London, financier, adviser to the Crown and spymaster for the King. Realising the peril of the kingdom, he needs someone who can move inconspicuously at home and abroad. Someone skilled yet unobtrusive. Jamie de Grispere - squire in training, son of a merchant and known to Whittington - is tasked to do his bidding and spy for the crown. Jamie holds the future of the realm in his hands, but the road on which he travels is a perilous one, taking him from the depths of France to Wales and the Scottish borders. Joining forces with two comrades, he seeks to aid the crown and fight for Sir Richard's plans for the safety of the realm. Treachery, the Hundred Years' War, revolts, battles, the wool trade, piracy and pivotal events: medieval history is brought to life in this story of fifteenth century England and the fight for the crown.