Aleksandr Pushkin 
The Queen of Spades [EPUB ebook] 

Pushkin’s story tells of the Russianized German card player, Hermann–an engineer in the army in Russia–who becomes obsessed with the secret of three consecutive winning cards after hearing a story about an old countess’ winnings years prior. His obsession drives him to manipulate the countess’ ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna, into letting him into their home.