When an American stranger turns up claiming to be the rightful owner of the school's magnificent country estate, teacher Gemma Lamb fears losing not only her job and her home, but also her hopes for a relationship with charismatic PE teacher Joe Spryke. Her fears are compounded when the headmistress, Hairnet, accepts the stranger's claim due to his remarkable resemblance to the school's late founder. So it's down to Gemma to fight his claim and save the school, with a little help from her friends: - the put-upon Bursar, ousted from his cosy estate cottage by the stranger - the enigmatic Max Security, always up for a bit of espionage - irrepressible Mavis Brook, geography teacher, itching to fell a tree on top of the stranger's white Rolls-Royce - Judith Gosling, history teacher and genealogy expert, who knows more about Lord Bunting than she's letting on Fickle maths teacher Oriana Bliss is even prepared to marry the stranger to secure St Bride's future, especially if it means she gets to drive his fancy car. That's if inventive pranks by the girls - and the school cat - don't drive him away first. This sequel to Secrets at St Bride's, shortlisted for The Selfies Award 2020 and described by Katie Fforde as "the perfect book", is full of seasonal fun as the school celebrates the highlights of the autumn term, from Halloween to the end-of-term Christmas Fair. The perfect read for anyone who enjoyed school stories when they were growing up, from Malory Towers and the Chalet School to St Trinian's and Molesworth. By the author of the popular Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries which are set in the same parish as St Bride's School for Girls.