The House of Kuragin

Set against the backdrop of 19th century Russia, the House of Kuragin is the first novel of British author Constance Heaven. It also won her an RNA (Romantic Novelists Association) award in the early 1970s. It tells the story of Amarylis who journeys to Russia to become a companion cum governess to a small boy - the child of fairly old Dimitri Kuragin and his beautiful young wife. Adultery and its tragic consequences is a key theme in this excellent romantic suspense novel. Being a fan of the genre, I would recommend this and other books by Miss Heaven. It is followed by a sequel, the Astrov Inheritance where the main protagonist is Amarylis' younger sister Sophie. The characters in the House of Kuragin feature prominently in this book too.