Page 20 of A Deal with an Artistic Lady (Marriage Deals #2)

Hannah pushed a piece of chocolate pastry around her plate with her fork. She hadn’t eaten much yesterday and assumed that morning she would be hungry, but her appetite still failed to make an appearance.

Even Emmeline was uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps she had learned that her standard levity and merriment was not only being rebuffed by her mother, but that now even Hannah seemed to lack the enthusiasm for it, so she had given up trying.

Hannah’s eyes went once again to the empty chair at the head of the table. Where her husband should have been sat the past few mealtimes but had been absent without justification. She looked mournfully at the chair and realised how much joy she had previously felt at his mere presence.

The clink of silverware against the fine china was magnified in the silence of the room. Hannah slumped in her chair, defeated by the pretence of normality. She pushed herself from her seat and walked the length of the room to the door. As she passed her mother-in-law, Anne’s eyes narrowed with a calculated gleam. Hannah knew that Anne probably blamed her for whatever reason Caleb had disappeared.

***

Hannah bit her lip between her teeth as she concentrated on the depth of shading achieved by the charcoal. She was intensely focused on this piece and it evolved in front of her more quickly than she usually worked – there was a fury about her activity. She leaned in, intent on creating the exact spark of light in the eyes. There was no doubt that the face in the portrait she was creating was Caleb’s. She had not sat down at the charcoal station with any intention to draw Caleb, but he was certainly the face that now appeared before her as she worked. Charcoal was perfect for him – dark and brooding, mysterious and constant.

Hannah heard the door click and turned to see Lucy, smiling in the doorway.

‘Lord Nathaniel Bryant and Lady Sophia Camden to see you, Your Grace.’ Lucy introduced.

Hannah quickly flipped a blank page over the charcoal drawing so that nobody could see she had been sketching the Duke and smiled back.

‘Thank you, Lucy. Please, do bring them through.’

Hannah took a fleeting glance around her studio, ensuring it was fit for guests to view.

That morning, she and Lucy had busied themselves with preparation of the parlour room to build an exhibition of her work to date. Hannah had to admit it quite excited her – she allowed herself a moment of grandeur where she imagined a queue of people at the door awaiting the spectacle. Internally, she reprimanded herself for such an egotistical fantasy but in truth, even having two friends attend exclusively to view her art was such a major step for her. She had never showcased but had imagined what it would feel like on many occasions and finally somebody had been interested enough to make it happen! She shivered a little with nerves at the possibility Nathaniel would be disappointed after Sophia had waxed so lyrical about Hannah’s outstanding talent – she worried that her work was not at the standard he would be expecting.

She took one last look around at the many easels displaying works in various different materials; in watercolour, oils, pastels and charcoal. There was certainly an eclectic mix, as any exhibition should have. Additionally, there were landscapes, portraits, seascapes, bold abstract and sky scenes. She nodded, feeling she had prepared everything to the best of her ability and felt as ready as she would ever feel.

This was opportune because Lucy was now pushing the door open for her guests. Hannah had discreetly concocted a plan with Lucy that she would meet them on the doorstep at the pre-arranged time to avoid them knocking or ringing the bell, which would alert Anne to the arrival of guests and that she would tell them the Dowager Duchess was resting and so they should be very quiet crossing the hall. If there was any way Hannah could circumvent her mother-in-law’s awareness of this meeting to exhibit her art, she would do it. Lucy understood and was more than happy to participate in a little covert stealth to ward off the woman who would undoubtedly pour scorn and shame onto what should be Hannah’s celebration.

Excited to welcome her guests, Hannah looked quickly down to smooth out her skirts and realised with a jolt that her fingers were black from charcoal. Her mother-in-law’s words jumped up at her – that she was not fit to be a Duchess. A Duchess did not greet guests with filth and dirt upon her hands. She grabbed at a rag she kept nearby the easel and swiped her hands quickly upon it as she saw beautiful Sophia sweep into the room, looking fresh-faced and happy, her skirts flowing out behind her as if she were entering a ballroom. Her cousin, Nathaniel followed behind and his face lit up at the sight of all the easels displayed around the room.

‘Sophia! Nathaniel! Welcome!’ Hannah forced herself to appear gracious and gregarious though in that moment she felt rather wretched. She stood and went to her friends, greeting Sophia with an embrace and curtsied, extending her hand to Nathaniel, who kissed it and bowed.

Nathaniel’s eye caught on a half-finished landscape Hannah had been revisiting and stepping away from when other projects tempted her.

‘Oh – but this is divine! Look how you have angled it as though the viewer is a creature in the woods looking out from the vines of an overhanging tree!’

Sophia smiled proudly and sparkled at Hannah as she told Nathaniel ‘Hannah has quite the gift for building new perspectives on conventional scenes…I’m sure you’ll see this as we view all her pieces…’

With that, they moved on to a sketch of a lady sitting by a river with her children playing nearby.

‘You have really captured the energy of the children’s play and the relaxation and contemplation of the mother – did these people pose for you?’

‘No,’ Hannah swallowed. ‘I noticed them as I took a walk by the Serpentine one day and rushed home to draw them.’

Nathaniel stared at her in awe for a moment. You mean to say that you seized the moment in your memory and were able to translate it into the page after some time elapsed?’

‘I suppose so, yes,’ Hannah agreed, unsure why this was notable, but happy that it seemed to impress Nathaniel.

Moving on to the image of the sky that Hannah had painted back at the Haworth residence, Nathaniel stopped and – with his fingers an inch from the canvas – traced the movement of the sweeping clouds. He was mesmerised.

‘Tell me, how did you apply the various textures to achieve such realistic cloud formations?’

‘I used a wide brush for the sweeping arcs here…’ Hannah demonstrated ‘and for the dappling here, I used a small sponge. These denser clouds were developed using layering of rags bathed in the paint…’

‘You have such novel methods! And such innovative images as the result of your inventive approach!’

Hannah smiled shyly, basking in the appreciation of her work, which was such a rare occurrence – especially in this new household.

Sophia stood back, watching her cousin and her best friend discuss their shared passion. It consistently occurred to Sophia as they had all grown up, how well-suited the pair would be. Hannah was relaxed with Nathaniel in a way she never seemed to be in the presence of the Duke. Sophia watched as Hannah spoke animatedly about the techniques she used in her compositions and then she considered Nathaniel – so absorbed in Hannah and delighted by her skill and spirited enthusiasm. Sophia saw a spark between them – a meeting of minds and weighty respect. She could tell it was important to Hannah that Nathaniel approved of her work and, in turn, it was clear that Nathaniel was extremely impressed by Hannah’s talent.

They moved on to the next piece; the seascape Hannah had completed just the day before.

‘Why, this is reminiscent of the large painting that hung in the gallery just this week…’

‘I confess, I took my inspiration from that very painting-’ Hannah admitted.

‘And improved upon it!! Gracious. I am thunderstruck! Look at the intricate beauty of it. And how! When one looks from afar it seems large and overwhelming, yet up close there is an abundance of tiny bubbles and delicate details…’ Nathaniel professed.

‘I noticed on the large canvas at your exhibition that despite the water looking blue, there were in fact no blues employed in the make-up of the scene,’ Hannah explained.

‘Is that so?’ Nathaniel puzzled.

‘It is. Therefore, I decided to experiment with using only blue tones – there is such a broad spectrum, when combining mixes of greens, yellows, whites, black, to create a rich variety of blues which – as you cleverly identified – results in a far-away scene of deep, encompassing ocean, yet up close lends itself to a plethora of colour detail.’

‘It is sublime….’ Nathaniel said in a low, admiring voice, then stopped quite abruptly.

He took a breath, as if to speak, then shifted a little closer, whispering, but loud enough that Sophia should also hear his suggestion.

‘You should display your work publicly, your Grace.’

Hannah laughed heartily and then noticed that Nathaniel’s expression was reverent and honest.

At the realisation that Nathaniel was being absolutely serious, Hannah caught her breath. The silence that hung in the room as Nathaniel and Sophia awaited Hannah’s response was loaded with possibility. The potential to showcase her work was tantalising, but the prospect of exposing it to public critique was equally terrifying. Hannah was overwhelmed by Nathaniel’s generous reception to her work, while simultaneously feeling that it couldn’t really be as good as he advocated.

At that moment, there was a light knock at the door and Lucy stepped forth with a tray on which stood a pitcher of fresh lemonade and three glasses.

‘I hope you don’t mind, Your Grace. I considered your guests may be parched after their journey across town…’

‘You are a mind-reader Lucy, thank you!’ Hannah grinned, happy for the interruption.

The three friends did not continue their discussion as Lucy poured and distributed the glasses. Nathaniel pulled some stools together so they could all take a seat to enjoy their drinks.

Once Lucy had pulled the door closed behind her, Nathaniel pounced on the opportunity to convince Hannah.

‘I have a friend, Lady Wentworth, who is hosting an art exhibition. I am one-hundred percent positive that she would be euphoric to showcase your collection,’ Nathaniel advised in a hushed voice.

‘But I-’ Hannah began to protest.

‘You could remain anonymous by employing a male pseudonym. May I suggest Alexander Burton ?’ Nathaniel proposed.

Hannah and Sophia exchanged a glance of amusement.

‘It rather suits you!’ Sophia giggled, teasing her. Hannah nudged her with an elbow in playful response.

‘What do you say?’ Nathaniel remained serious and this prompted Sophia to adopt solemnity.

‘Truly, Hannah. You cannot continue to keep your talent hidden away. It is an injustice not to share the joy it will inevitably bring…’ Sophia reached out and squeezed Hannah’s hand in solidarity.

As Nathaniel continued to express his infatuation with her work, Hannah’s mind whirled with possibilities and potential obstacles. The idea of showcasing under a male pseudonym resolved the issue of discretion; additionally, she would be able to hover about her art and listen to genuine impressions as the general public discussed her work – it would allow her an authentic insight into how her pieces were interpreted. This excited her immensely.

However, Hannah panicked at the idea of being discovered and the shame that would bring upon the Montwood family would be irreparable. The Dowager Duchess was already seething even at the idea of Hannah investing time into painting in her own house, within the privacy of one, sheltered room. The prospect of showcasing out in London town would be appalling to her and Hannah would then have proved her right; that she was not fit to be a Duchess. Whilst Caleb had shown an interest in Hannah’s art and enjoyed discussing the topic with her, he had never actually asked to see any of her work and so, she derived from this that his interest was superficial – there was no possibility he might embrace the concept of openly exhibiting.

‘The collectors and critics likely to attend Lady Wentworth’s exhibition are really the cream of the crop. The opportunities are endless should you impress a person such as they…’ Nathaniel gushed.

Sophia’s eye was attracted to movement by the door – she noticed a shadow passing beneath the door out in the hallway. It moved slowly and close-by. She blinked as she watched it and concluded it was probably Lucy listening to see if their lemonade glasses needed refreshing. The shadow paused and continued on its way and Sophia looked to see if the others had noticed it. Nathaniel was too occupied convincing Hannah to jump aboard his idea and Hannah seemed to be adrift in a dream, her eyes focused and steely, yet off in the distance somewhere.