Unicorn rampant - Nigel G. Tranter

The year 1617 was a fateful one for Scotland - and especially for young John Stewart of Methven, bastard son of the Duke of Lennox.
King James VI of Scotland and I of England made a rare and disastrous visit to his homeland of which he had been an absentee monarch for fourteen years. Knighted in a rash moment by the eccentric King Jamie, John became the reluctant servant of the court. Much against his will he was commanded to return with the King to London, and was soon caught up in a net of murky political intrigue.

'Through his imaginative dialogue, he provides a voice for Scotland's heroes' Scotland on Sunday