1789. Pierre and Catherine Aubert, the Comte and Comtesse de Verais, have fled the palace of Versailles for their château, deep in the French Alps. But as revolution spreads through the country, even hidden away the Auberts will not be safe forever. Soon they must make a terrible decision in order to protect themselves, and their children, from harm.

Present day. When Lu’s mother dies leaving her heartbroken, the chance to move to a château in the south of France with her husband and best friends seems an opportunity for a new beginning. But Lu can’t resist digging into their new home’s history, and when she stumbles across the unexplained disappearance of Catherine Aubert, the château begins to reveal its secrets – and a mystery unsolved for centuries is uncovered…

Unlock the secret of the château today. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Fiona Valpy and The Forgotten Village!

‘I absolutely loved this book… Enthralling… I really struggled to put this book down.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Brilliant… I was gripped right until the end. Great characters, a riveting plot and the fantastic writing style I've come to expect.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Had me gripped… Fast enough to keep you intrigued and turning the pages… Would highly recommend.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘I was drawn in from the first chapter… It is rare that a book brings tears to my eyes but this one succeeded!… Held me captivated right to the last words. A must read for everyone.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Kathleen McGurl’s books knock it out of the park every single time!!!!!!!… Wonderful… You should read it. Right now.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Both storylines were equally as gripping… A very enjoyable read!… One I shall remember! Would definitely recommend!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

‘Brilliant! Kath writes the most wonderful time-slip and I urge you to snap this up.’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Forgotten Sister

‘Enthralling… A beautiful and heartbreaking time-slip story… A gripping story of love and redemption across two centuries… The perfect escape.’ The Lancashire Post

Kathleen McGurl lives in Bournemouth with her husband. She has two sons who have both now left home. She always wanted to write, and for many years was waiting until she had the time. Eventually she came to the bitter realisation that no one would pay her for a year off work to write a book, so she sat down and started to write one anyway. Since then she has published several novels with HQ and self-published another. She has also sold dozens of short stories to women's magazines, and written three How To books for writers. After a long career in the IT industry she became a full-time writer in 2019. When she's not writing, she's often out running, slowly.