The India Fan

Whispers of a Distant Dynasty

In The India Fan, Victoria Holt transports readers to the sun-baked opulence of 19th-century British India, where colonial privilege masks darker currents of passion and deceit. Young Amanda Linton arrives at her grandmother’s sprawling Calcutta bungalow expecting languid afternoons and genteel society—but discovers instead a family torn by secrets and simmering rivalries. When a priceless ivory fan, said to carry the whispered prayers of a vanished Maharani, reappears in her possession, Amanda becomes the keeper of a legacy more perilous than she could have imagined. Each delicate rib of the fan conceals coded messages, and every graceful flutter threatens to expose betrayals long buried beneath silken robes and polished shoes.

Shadows Behind the Silken Veil

As Amanda delves into the fan’s enigmatic inscriptions, she enlists the aid of Captain Michael Devereux, a brooding army officer whose loyalty to crown and country is tested by newfound devotion to the woman he once regarded with skepticism. Together, they navigate crowded bazaars where jewelers trade in stolen gems and courtiers barter lives for power. From secret midnight rendezvous in jasmine-scented gardens to high-stakes negotiations in stifling drawing rooms, Amanda and Michael must learn to trust each other—or risk allowing the fan’s hidden truths to doom them both.

Honor, Heritage, and the Cost of Desire

In a climax that unfurls amid a torrential monsoon and the thunder of distant drums, Amanda confronts the fan’s final secret: a revelation that could shatter her world or set her free. With Victoria Holt’s signature blend of sweeping romance, meticulously researched atmosphere, and pulse-quickening suspense, The India Fan is an unforgettable journey into the heart of empire—and the courage it takes to defy its darkest shadows.

.Victoria Holt is the pseudonym of award-winning author Eleanor Hibbert, celebrated for her richly atmospheric historical romances that illuminate the complexities of love, power, and identity across eras and continents.