December, AD 879. Newlyweds Lord Edwin and Lady Molgifu are looking forward to their first Christmas at Wimborne in Dorset, where Edwin serves as a royal reeve for King Alfred the Great. But circumstances are against the young couple. The skull of a recently-dead woman is uncovered in a lonely spot by the river. A rich man reports his treasures stolen, and a valuable relic at Wimborne Abbey is spirited away. There are rumours of a band of cutthroat gamblers operating in the nearby coastal town of Hampton. A musician bringing a message from Edwin's brother disappears on the road. And if all this isn't enough to spoil the season, a man is found on Christmas Day in his locked bedchamber run through with a Viking sword. Edwin and Molly join forces to restore peace and order, and salvage a little holiday cheer, in this second book of the Edwin of Wimborne Anglo-Saxon Mystery series.