Born with a disfiguring birthmark to a controlling and critical mother, fifty-three-year-old Cynthia Marshall is resigned to live a bleak and loveless life. She is threatened with the possible loss of her house, while she fiercely conceals the shameful secret of her own daughter's birth. She is disheartened and ready to give up when she finds an old dragonfly brooch in an antique market. When the monk-like merchant reverently lowers it onto her palm, ancient whispers awaken memories of a life she lived 800 years ago. Will these past-life memories drive her crazy or save her? Can anything break through the iron gates that imprison her heart? She is plunged further into a chilling insight when a found diary reveals not only a secret promise but why it was broken. The Broken Promise evocatively crosses centuries in this compelling story of despair, courage, and love. Is Cynthia remembering a real-life she lived as Margrett in 13th Century England as told in Book 1, The Hidden Vow? You decide. Barbara Erskine fans will no doubt enjoy the reincarnation connection of the two women.