In May 1568 Mary Queen of Scots was riding in fear for her life to the wilds of Galloway. She crossed the Solway confident that she would receive the help which her cousin Queen Elizabeth had promised her, but instead found herself a prisoner. In the subsequent months a series of conferences was held in England to determine whether she was guilty of being involved in the murder of her husband Lord Darnley. The main evidence lay in the Casket Letters. In recent decades studies of the letters and their background have shown that the traditional version, based on Mary’s guilt, must be revised. The following account outlines a realistic revision...