'What a sumptuous, evocative triumph of a novel!' Jenny Ashcroft
A picture can tell a thousand words. And hide as many secrets...
England, 1895: In the bustling seaside town of Brighton, Ellen Harper assists her brother running their photography studio, where fashionable ladies and gentlemen pose in all their finery. Behind the facade of a respectable business, the siblings hide a dark and shadowy secret. One that if exposed to the light of day could destroy them all.
When newly married Clementine comes to sit for a portrait, Ellen learns she is looking for a lady's companion. Longing for a life of her own choosing and freedom from the deals her brother has made, Ellen accepts the post. The new position transports her to a sweeping white-fronted townhouse on one of Brighton's most prestigious crescents, full of every luxury imaginable.
But Clem's gilded world hides as much darkness as Ellen has hoped to escape. And what will happen when Clem discovers the truth about the young woman she has welcomed into her home?
