I nominate
Dragonwyck by Anya Seton (1944, 419 pp.).
Quote:
A novel of seduction, mystery, and danger set in New York’s Hudson Valley in the nineteenth century, by the author of Foxfire.
There was, on the Hudson, a way of life such as this, and there was a house not unlike Dragonwyck . . .
In the spring of 1844, the Wells family receives a letter from a distant relative, the wealthy landowner Nicholas Van Ryn. He has invited one of their daughters for an extended visit at his Hudson Valley estate, Dragonwyck. Eighteen-year-old Miranda, bored with her local suitors and commonplace life on the farm, leaps at the chance for an escape. She immediately falls under the spell of both the master and his mansion, mesmerized by the Gothic towers, flowering gardens, and luxurious lifestyle—but unaware of the dark, terrible secrets that await.
Anya Seton masterfully tells the heart-stopping story of a remarkable woman, her remarkable passions, and the mystery that resides in the magnificent hallways of Dragonwyck.
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Available in all relevant countries; available as e-book and audiobook; can be borrowed through Overdrive, Freading, Hoopla, and Scribd.
Amazon U.S., $2.99