The beautiful and rich Clare Royland appears to have it all but she is very lonely, floundering in a childless and unhappy marriage. Her husband is in serious financial difficulties and appears to stop at nothing to acquire the deeds of a ruined Scottish castle, bequeathed to Clare by her aunt. Clare becomes haunted by a strange fascination with Isobel, an ancestress from the 14 th century. She has weird inexplicable dreams about Isobel and her life which terrify her but also fascinate her. Scotland is at war with England and Isobel, the Duchess of Buchan, is being persecuted for her part in crowning Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland.
This was the first Barbara Erskine book that I have read. Once I started it was extremely hard to put down and found myself getting very involved with the plot. It is almost like reading two books at the same time but Erskine manages to link the stories extremely well. Isobel comes across as being a really strong character but at times Clare annoyed me as she appeared to be always "sobbing uncontrollably." Her husband, Paul, struck me as being a typical baddie in a romantic story.
I am not often drawn towards historical novels and I must admit I would not have picked this book off the shelves. However, it was a Christmas present which I am extremely grateful for, as it has introduced me to a new author and I will certainly be reading more of Erskine's books.
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