I loved the Isobel storyline, but it was spoiled by the modern day story. Why are Barbara Erskines heroines so passive? Clare Royland is intensely irritating-she blithely accepts that she can't have children taking only his word for it (no demanding second opinions, no referral to specialists-what normal woman would do that?),her husband assaults her, locks her up, tries to rape her-does she go the police and complain? I know that it's only a story, but it doesn't ring true and it irritated me reading it. For a modern day woman she's too unreal and I couldn't connect with the story at all because of it.