The India Fan

Framling, a grand estate, stands on a hill dominating the village, just as Lady Harriet Framling, the occupant, reigns over the villagers. Farmers and workers stand aside to let her carriage pass.

Close by lives Drusilla Delany, the vicar's daughter. Though impoverished, she is often invited to Framling for tea. The Framling children, Fabian and Lavinia, especially Lavinia, do not like Drusilla and resent her being forced on them. They arrange for her to receive a bejeweled fan. Drusilla is thrilled--until she learns the fan carries a curse that travels with it from owner to owner.

"A mesmerizing story of blackmail and deception by one of the best romantic-suspense novelists writing today." (Associated Press)