Cynthia, an 11-year-old American, isn't entirely happy with her life, comfortable though it is. Still, even she knows that she shouldn't talk to strangers. So when her mysterious neighbour Miss Hatfield asked her in for a chat and a drink, Cynthia wasn't entirely sure why she said yes. It was a decision that
was to change everything.
For Miss Hatfield is immortal. And now, thanks to a drop of water from the Fountain of Youth, Cynthia is as
well. But this gift might be more of a curse, and it comes with a price. Rebecca is beginning to lose her personality, to take on the aspects of her neighbour. She is becoming the next Miss Hatfield.
But
before the process goes too far, Cynthia must travel back in time to
turn-of-the-century New York and steal a painting, a picture which might provide a clue to the whereabouts of the source of immortality. A clue
which must remain hidden from the world. In order to retrieve the
painting, Cynthia must infiltrate a wealthy household, learn more about
the head of the family, and find an opportunity to escape. Before her
journey is through, she will also have - rather reluctantly - fallen in
love. But how can she stay with the boy she cares for, when she must
return to her own time before her time-travelling has a fatal effect on
her body? And would she rather stay and die in love, or leave and live
alone?
And who is the mysterious stranger who shadows her from
place to place? A hunter for the secret of immortality - or someone who
has already found it?
