In the quiet Yorkshire village of Hawley, autumn has arrived-bringing crisp air, golden leaves... and something strange lurking in the woods. Izzy Hartley only wanted to survive her 11+ exams without completely bricking it. But after a stressful day, she and her friends-Roísín, Beth, Branwen, and new girl Katy-take the long way home through the overgrown blackthorn trees. That's when they hear it. A groan. A snap of twigs. And out of the shadows stumbles a boy in torn Victorian clothes, screaming like he's seen a ghost. His name is Cedric Montgomery. He swears it's the year 1865. He's confused by trousers on women, terrified of orange juice, and has no idea how he ended up face-first in twenty-first-century Hawley. Now the girls are stuck with a fainting, time-lost boy, a suspicious police officer, two chaotic doctors, and a mystery that reaches deeper than the roots of the blackthorn tree. Because in Hawley, even the quietest places have secrets. And some secrets don't belong to this century.