The ancient rights of the Forest folk, although they derived from common practices that went back into the mists of time, were by no means as simple as might be supposed. The common rights in the Forest belonged not to a family but to the individual cottage or holding. Some cottages had some rights, some had others. The right of Estovers - of collecting wood - was especially valuable and had been granted back in Norman times only to the most important village tenants, those who held their dwelling by the tenure known as copyhold. The Pride smallholding in Oakley, for instance, had always been a copyhold. Down the centuries, other villagers without copyholds had often claimed, or assumed they had, the right of Estovers and some had got away with it for so long that no one ever questioned it. From time to time, however, some new attempt was made to restrict this practice of helping oneself to the Forest's underwood; and the rule which applied to Furzey now stated that he might claim the right of Estovers only if the cottage - the 'messuage' was the ancient legal term - he occupied had been built before a certain date in the reign of Queen Elizabeth - an arcane dispensation of which Furzey himself had never even heard.

The estate records were kept at Albion House. Hancock knew where they were and, as he had nothing special to do until Alice returned from her mission, he thought he might as well see what he could find. It was the sort of burrowing the lawyer rather enjoyed. 'When did your family first occupy your holding?' he enquired.

'My grandfather's day,' Furzey told him. 'We was in another cottage before then. Always in Oakley, though,' he added firmly, in case it mattered.

'Quite. Sit and rest.' The lawyer gave him a professional smile. 'You don't mind waiting, do you? I'll see what I can find.'

The hunt had lasted less than a quarter of an hour. Stephen Pride still couldn't quite believe it.

The thing had been beautifully managed, too. The king had been placed in a perfect spot in a glade. He was armed with the traditional bow. His ladies were grouped behind him. Pride and the Forest men, aided by the gentlemen keepers and two of the courtiers, drove some deer through and the king, in the most cheerful manner, loosed an arrow, which shot quite close over one of the deer before embedding itself in a tree.

'Well shot, Sire,' cried one of the courtiers, while Charles, without the slightest show of disappointment, turned to his ladies for approval.