The India Fan

Drusilla Delaney, the daughter of an impoverished minister, becomes fascinated with the wealthy Framling family - especially with the son and daughter, the mysterious Fabian, and the beautiful, impetuous Lavinia. Through them, she finds herself the unlikely heir to an extraordinary bejeweled fan made of peacock feathers. But though priceless and dazzling to behold, the fan bears a curse that promises ill fortune - and even death - to whoever possesses it...

Original Publisher: Doubleday
Original Year of Publication: 1988
Page Count: 404

I first read this book 25 years ago. I very distinctly remember the cover, with the beautiful, titular fan, but I found I had no actual recall of the story - so, this was a re-read and new read, all in one.

Druscilla Delany is the plain girl from the rectory whose first encounter with the formidable Framling family is when she is but a baby and Fabian Framling, all of seven, decides that he wants to be a father and thus, chooses her to be his baby. He "kidnaps" her and brings her to the Big House, where she stays for 2 weeks because his mother, Lady Harriet, basically believes the sun sets on him and he can do no wrong. He is quite literally her golden child, and is spoiled to a fault. When his younger sister Lavinia enters the world a few years later, Druscilla is chosen by convenience to be her playmate.

Druscilla finds her life intertwined with that of the Framlings, not only because of their approximate age, but because Lady Harriet tries to run everyone's life. Lavinia is vain, haughty, and selfish, and Druscilla becomes her erstwhile companion at a young age. They go off to school together, and Druscilla basically spends her time trying to save Lavinia from herself and her idiotic schemes.

Druscilla and Fabian have always had a bond due to that early kidnapping episode, and it strengthens as the two grow older. He makes a pass at her when he finds out that she brought a baby home from school because he thought she was easy, but backed the fuck off when he realized that it was his sister's child, not Druscilla's. Lavinia constantly gets her own way, and Druscilla can never quite get out of her orbit. After Lavinia marries a man who was previously paying court to Druscilla (only to be struck dumb by Lavinia's beauty), they move to India with the East India Company, of which Lavinia's husband and her brother are members. Druscilla eventually follows them to act as a companion to Lavinia and a governess to her children, and they are caught up in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1856.

Druscilla and Lavinia are a study in contrast; their fates from the bloody war put paid to that. Druscilla feels like she's being haunted by the titular peacock fan, believing it to be cursed because its previous owner believed it was. She took it as a child during one of Fabian's games, and his crazy aunt Lucille told her that it would bring her bad luck because it had been in her possession. Then she leaves the fan to Druscilla after she dies. The symbolism of the fan comes back in a big way during the Sepoy Mutiny storyline and it's only at the end, when Druscilla's practical old nurse Polly destroys the damn thing, does she realize (1) that it isn't cursed, and (2) that it's had a subconscious hold on her life even though Druscilla would deny it till the cows came home.

Though this is often classified as a romance novel, I'd consider it historical fiction instead, with a distinct saga feel. The only thing it's missing is separate storylines for several generations. The romance is extremely subtle (even the salacious bits). Druscilla tells the story in the first person, and we meet lots of interesting people during her journey from kidnap victim to happy ending. She is very independent-spirited, which rankles Lady Harriet to no end; she refuses to bend to the old crow's wishes, unless they serve her own needs (like going out to be a companion to Lavinia because it meant she could be in Fabian's orbit again). I liked her, though; she thinks for herself and she's a loyal friend, even when that loyalty gets her into trouble.

This book is part history lesson and part adventure story. The time in India is interesting enough in and of itself, but there's a layer of intrigue and bias, as the various characters discuss how much the British presence is helping or hurting the Indian people. I think this book is a lot smarter than people would give it credit for.

It was a wonderful read even all these years later, and I look forward to delving into more of the Victoria Holt backlist.

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