Her late father squandered the family's wealth and she makes an arranged marriage to Johannes Brandt, who is thirty-nine, a rich, respected Amsterdam merchant.

Otto, Johannes' servant and business assistant, aged about thirty, is, to Nella's astonishment, an African.

Life becomes difficult for Nella, and there are things she does not understand: tension between Johannes and Marin; sounds of movement at night.

The order is delivered by Jack Philips, a beautiful young man from England, whom Johannes seems to know.

At present, Johannes is handling an important business affair, the sale of a large stock of sugar belonging to Franz and Agnes Meermans.

For example, the figure of Marin shows that her austere clothes are fur-lined, a secret Cornelia has told Nella.

Nella discovers that the miniaturist is a woman, whom she sees watching her intensely in public places, but vanishes when she tries to approach her.

She discovers that the miniaturist has a similar place in the lives of other women, but the true nature of her power is a mystery.

Burton, who had studied English literature at the University of Oxford before embarking on an acting career, wrote the novel over a period of four years while supporting herself as an actress and PA in the City of London.

[2] Of the 11 publishers that vied for the book, Picador won the UK and British Commonwealth rights for a reported six-figure sum.

[4][5] The UK cover design is a photograph of an actual miniature doll's house commissioned by Picador, which reflects characters and elements in the novel.

The Guardian and Chicago Tribune reviews observe that Nella is drawn more like a worldly, feminist 21st-century girl than a naïve 17th-century one.

[7][8] The Chicago Tribune adds: "[The main characters are] complex and complicated and suffer terrible tragedies, but Burton doesn't give us a deep enough look into their psyches.

[12][6][13] The adaptation was written by John Brownlow, directed by Guillem Morales, and produced by The Forge in conjunction with the BBC and Masterpiece.

It starred Anya Taylor-Joy as Nella, Romola Garai as Marin, Emily Berrington as The Miniaturist, and Alex Hassell as Johannes.