Why a Booktrail?
1567: They are imprisoned, but not contained.
The Tower
What you need to know before your trail
Three women cross a loch. It is 1567, one of them is pregnant, two of them fretful. The boat takes them to Lochleven castle in the middle of the water. Awaiting them are courtiers braying for blood, hellbent on keeping one of them under lock and key: Mary Queen of Scots.
In the tower, Mary’s maids Frenchwoman, Cuckoo and watchful Scot, Jane are her only allies, and the chamber their entire world. A new reality sets in where they are at the mercy of not only their keepers, but of raging Scotland itself.
In the outside world, Mary’s kin, Queen Elizabeth claims she can do little but write. Downstairs, the shrewd jailor-courtier Margaret Erskine places her daughter-in-law Agnes in the chamber as her pair of eyes. Hope seems futile until the bewitching Lady Seton arrives. Seton’s power shifts everything in the tower and soon a plan is hatched.
But which of them will risk it all to save their mistress? Which woman loves her queen best?
Locations
Reset- Scotland - Perth and Kinross
- A: Lochleven Castle
- B: Kinross Ferry Landing
- C: Loch Leven viewpoint
Travel Guide
Mary Queen of Scots and Lochleven Castle
Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven. It dates from around 1300 and was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1357).
Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned there in 1567–68, and forced to abdicate as queen, before escaping with the help of her gaoler’s family.
Today, the remains of the castle are protected as a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Tower
Destination: Kinross Author/guide: Flora Carr Departure Time: 1567
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