title: The Forgotten Promise
author: Ryder, Kate
description: Irish lass, Maddie O'Brien, is living an independent, carefree life in London. She loves her work with a film production company but, as the years slip by, is increasingly aware of a nagging insistence for change. During a film shoot in Dorset she stumbles upon a 17th Century cottage for sale to which she is inexplicably drawn. Despite concerns being voiced by her lover, Dan, and well-meaning friends, before long she leaves her London life behind. But all is not what it seems at the cottage and immediately after moving in she experiences visions and happenings which would have most people booking into the nearest hotel. Not so Maddie; she feels she has 'come home'. Soon after settling into the small community of Walditch she meets Nick, a local wood sculptor. Despite both being in relationships they are immediately drawn to each other. But who is Nick and what is it that binds them? As her relationship with Dan diminishes and her feelings for Nick intensify, Maddie instinctively knows that they share more than simple, mutual attraction. And what is her connection with The Olde Smithy? Little by little the cottage reveals its innermost secrets and, in so doing, Maddie uncovers an intriguing love story that takes her on a journey back to the dangerous days of the English Civil War where she visits the ghosts of her past. This is a story of self-discovery, lost loves and second chances, and of a love that resonates through the ages.