FOREWORD

The name of Walter Tirel is a part of the historical record, and the role he played in the violence suffered by King William II is also well established.

But mystery veils everything about the man. The events that led up to the fateful bow shot are likewise unknown. Nothing is recalled of Walter Tirel’s possible motives for conspiring against the king—if that is what he did. Little is known of his escape, and even less is known about the man’s character, or the nature of his associates—or of any particular friend who might have helped him.

This novel seeks to resolve one of the longest-standing mysteries in the English-speaking world. Did anyone accompany Walter Tirel on his desperate flight? Who helped him? What really happened in New Forest that day?

In this story many of the characters are fictional. But the hunt and the crisis that followed are real.