A heartbreaking historical novel of family secrets, betrayal and love.

India, 1926: English Margaret arrives with her new husband Suraj at his family home, set amidst beautiful rolling hills, the air filled with the soft scent of spices and hibiscus flowers. Margaret is unwelcome, homesick and lonely, but her maid Archana, a young woman from an impoverished family, reminds her of her long-lost sister, a tiny glimpse of home in a faraway place.

As Margaret and Archana spend more time together, an unexpected friendship blooms. But in British India the divide between rich and poor, English and Indian, is wide, and the clash between Margaret’s modern views and the weight of tradition on Archana will lead to devastating results.... 

England, 2000: When Emma’s grandmother gives her a mysterious painting and asks her to take a message of forgiveness to an old friend in India, Emma is relieved to have some time and space to make a decision about her future. But as she fulfills her grandmother’s wish, a secret kept for over 70 years is finally revealed – the story of a day spent painting by a stream full of water lilies, where a betrayal tore three lives apart forever ...

Discover the extraordinary secret of the girl in the painting, perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes, Lucinda Riley and The Storyteller’s Secret.