In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan : to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has. been shot dead while another has disappeared ; a priceless heirloom is missing ; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins. Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items : a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river. Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie ? Who is the beautiful woman in the photograph ? And will she ever give up her secrets ? Intricately layered and told by multiple voices across time, this is a kaleidoscopic story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold : Birdie Bell, the clockmaker's daughter.
