Book excerpt: Gospatric’s childhood is defined by loss. His uncle, King Duncan I, was killed by Macbeth. Five years later, his father and grandfather were defeated by Macbeth’s forces, attempting to avenge this death. Gospatric and his brother were protected by Siward, the powerful Earl of Northumbria. Gospatric’s adult life and the safety of his growing family was dominated by his cousin, King Malcolm III of Scotland, and William the Conqueror, as plots unfold to take England back for its rightful king. A wealthy Scot pulls together an unlikely team to uncover the truth about Gospatric’s life, his family’s place in history and his supposed early death. How did he become the Earl of Northumbria? Why did his children dominate Cumbria, Dunbar, and most of Lothian? How did he survive the wrath of the Conqueror? Did he die young? This team of three men and one woman, two Scots and two Americans, uncover secrets in both the present and the past. Although this is a work of fiction, it is based on extensive research of Gospatric’s place in history. He was the grandson of Crinan and Bethoc, important eleventh century figures in Scotland, as well as of Uchtred the Bold, the powerful Earl of Northumbria. Gospatric has descendants across the world, who are unaware of their relationship to this forgotten earl.