The next morning a search-party found the corpses on the sand below. The King's neck was broken, his face almost unrecognisable, his body a mass of bruises. The royal physician dressed the corpse for burial and it was interred eleven days later at Jedburgh. A Council of Regency was set up to supervise affairs: the Queen is pregnant and, if nothing comes of it, the Council will ensure that the crown of Scotland passes to Alexander Ill's granddaughter, Princess Margaret of Norway. However, there are others, notably the Bruces, who are more than prepared to advance their own claims to the throne. The real subject of my mission is the death of Alexander and certain conclusions can now be reached regarding it: Item – Alexander III was well-known for his mad galloping around the countryside in pursuit of some lady. There is no reason why he should treat a new bride any different.
Item – On the night of March 18th, there was a fierce storm; Alexander was not drunk but he had been drinking heavily. Moreover, he was riding a dangerous path. It may well be pointed out that he could have taken a safer route but this was not possible. Kinghorn is near the waters of the Forth, its most accessible route is the cliff-top track. The King could have ridden further inland, but he would have lost his way on the wild, grassy moorland which conceals marsh and bog to trap the unwary traveller. Consequently, Alexander followed the usual route, albeit in very dangerous circumstances. There may be a number of explanations for Alexander's death. Item – It was an accident. The King's horse, given all the conditions described above, could well have slipped and tumbled over the cliffs, taking his rider with him. Item – It may have been brought about by negligence. The purveyor, Alexander, is a drunkard. He could have resented being called out on such a dark, stormy night, not saddled the King's horse properly and this caused the accident on Kinghorn Ness. Yet, if this is so, why did the accident not happen earlier? And would such negligence have taken both horse and rider over the cliff's edge? Item – Did Alexander III die on Kinghorn Ness or was it some cunning stratagem of the King? Alexander III was known for his love of disguises, masques and jests. Did he arrange his mock death for some secret reason? I appreciate that this is a fantasy and there is no real proof for it. Moreover, the accident occurred over two months ago and no one has any reason to refute the obvious, that the King is dead and lies buried at Jedburgh Abbey. Item – King Alexander III was murdered by Person or Persons unknown though for what reasons, and by what means, are still a mystery. A number of unexplained factors make this a possibility.
Item – Why did the King leave Edinburgh on such a night just to be with his Queen? He could have waited till the morning. If it was lust, there were other ladies ready and willing. If it was love, why was Queen Yolande so calm and not grief-stricken by his death?
Item – The King arrived sullen to the Council meeting, convened for the most petty of reasons, then suddenly his mood changed, he became joyful, happy as a groom on his wedding night. What happened to cause this? Item – The most mysterious aspect of this is that there is no evidence that when the King came to the Council meeting he intended to leave but decided to do so there and then. However, messages had already been sent to Kinghorn instructing the purveyor to be on the beach with horses ready for the King, hours before the Council convened. Who sent these orders and how did they cross the Forth?
Finally, there are the prophecies of Alexander's imminent death which were circulating weeks before his death. What were the sources of these predictions? If it was murder (and I have slender evidence that it was) then, my Lord, let us remember Cicero's question – "Cui bono".? Who would profit from it? Bruce, bitter at the crown being taken from him in 1238? Resentful at Alexander and fearful that the King might beget an heir by his new queen and so lose for a second time the opportunity to advance the claims of his own house?
Yolande, his queen, who could not even be bothered to inspect her dead husband's corpse but keeps herself closeted at Kinghorn, claiming she is pregnant? She knew her husband was coming that evening but, when he failed to arrive, did not even bother to send out any search-party to look for him.
Patrick Seton, the King's squire and body-servant. He loved Alexander the King as a man loves a woman. He was jealous of Yolande and was the only person with the King when he died. I do wonder if the King's mad gallop through a storm-blown night finally unhinged his mind and so he caused the King's death and later died of a broken heart? I cannot understand why, after arriving at Kinghorn, he refused to wait up for his royal master and did not go looking for the King. Did he know his master was already dead?
The French, too, gained great advantage from the death of Alexander. Their new king, Philip IV, is devoting all his energies and resources to building up alliances in Europe. Alexander, God knows for what reason, always spurned them; now he is gone, Philip can weave fresh webs, gain an ally with a knife at England's back. Perhaps he also hoped, and still does, that our Liege Lord, King Edward, will be drawn into Scottish affairs and so divert resources England might have used in protecting her possessions in Gascony.
There is our sly, secretive Father in Christ, Bishop Wishart. A close adviser of the dead King, he now wields power because of that King's death. Why was he (and it must have been him) so quick in sending off horsemen early on the morning of 19th March to check on the King's safety? Did he already know something was wrong? Unfortunately I cannot question him or, as yet, the men he sent who actually discovered the King's corpse.
Of course, and I hesitate to broach the matter, the English may have arranged Alexander Ill's death but to what advantage? There are other and better suspects. Edward is involved in France and I can see no profit for him in the death of an ally.
Other problems obscure the issue; whoever killed Alexander must surely have got to the ferry first, crossed the Firth of Forth, knew the route the King was to take, carried out their plan and got away, hoping the King's companions would not discover this. And done all this in the blackness of night? The Good God knows I would dismiss the matter as fanciful and accept that the Scottish King died of an accidental fall from his horse except for what I found, those little shreds clinging to a thorn bush on Kinghorn Ness crying out "Murder" to the world. Even if there is an answer for these, other questions still remain beating like blood about my head. They can only be resolved at great danger to myself and so I beg you, my Lord, to order my withdrawal from this country for Satan walks here. It is a bubbling pot and soon it will boil and spill over, scalding and burning all who are near it. My life and that of Benstede are under threat from God knows whom, for people believe we are here on a secret mission connected with the succession to the Scottish throne. I beg you to keep this in mind. God save you. Written on 18th June 1286 at the Abbey of Holy Rood.'