‘Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess,’ Clara guessed.
Hannah nodded, her face visibly upset.
‘I find her so confronting and difficult, Clara!’
‘It is no wonder. The woman is a menace by all accounts.’
Hannah’s shoulders sank as she considered her hopeless situation.
‘But what of the Duke? What of your husband? Please do not tell me he is cut from the same cloth as his mother…?’
‘Oh no,’ Hannah was quite resolute in her response. ‘Well, perhaps at first I thought he probably was…’
Clara looked at her questioningly.
‘He was cold and serious – there was only regiment and stoicism about his character. I was devastated when Father announced our nuptials. I did not want to marry such a discordant man.’
Clara’s brow furrowed with concern for her little sister.
‘However, he has changed – even in just this one week I have known him. He is gentle and applies great effort to involve me in conversation. We have a shared love of literature and he has even provided me with a room for my artwork!’
‘I am so grateful he is not a tyrant like his mother! I assume he approves then, of your art?’
Hannah’s eyes flicked to the other side of the room, considering this question.
‘In truth, he has not asked me what I am utilising the room for – he gifted it to me, but has not entered since, as far as I am aware. I have never explicitly spoken about my creation of art, although he joined me at Lord Bryant’s exhibition this week and we have shared many conversations regarding artwork…’
‘Yet he does not know how beautifully you paint?’ Clara was quite astonished.
‘I do not know if he will approve…’ Hannah replied quietly, dropping her eyes to the floor.
‘If he is fond of you - and it sounds as though he is – I am quite sure he will be very proud to have such a clever and talented wife!’
Hannah slowly shook her head. ‘The Dowager Duchess yelled at me for painting. She intimated I was a disgrace to the Montwood family for engaging in such a frivolous pastime…’
‘She did what!?’ Clara was outraged.
‘Oh Clara, she speaks with such malice when she addresses me! I have never felt so disrespected and humiliated. I cannot think what it is I could have done to have upset her to such an extent!’
‘She may be high and mighty within her social standing but she has absolutely no right to extinguish your expression of creativity, nor to verbally abuse you in such a way!’
‘Clara, you must promise me you will not confront her about this-’ Hannah implored.
‘But I-’
‘Please! It would only worsen the predicament for me!’
Clara breathed in deeply and released a regretful sigh. ‘Very well. I understand.’
‘My husband is kind, I believe. I have such confused feelings about him…’
‘Tell me,’ Clara said softly, stepping forward and taking her sister’s hand.
‘In truth, I did not like him. Then I spied in him some inner turmoil; some confrontation – as though he feels bound by duty to this suitable alliance, but does not desire for it to run any deeper. And yet…’
‘And yet?’
‘He is affectionate with me. I see him watching me with a sense of intrigue.’
