In Part 1, we left Mary waffling.
Patrick Delany, a man she adored but hadn’t seen in 10 years, had just asked her to marry him. Mary was 43 and had been a widow for two decades, not for lack of proposals.
Her first marriage at 17, to a gross old drunk she called “my jailor,” left her scarred and scared.
“I can endure even suspense for you,” Patrick entreated her, “though I would not endure it for anything this earth calls honor: the hope of the alliance is of a higher species.”
What was he on about?
Patrick was a commoner and Mary’s family was upper class. She still thought she needed their approval. {Read on…}
“An ingenious mind is never too old to learn.” ~Mary Granville Delany
Let me introduce you to this spectacular alien.
It’s called pancratium maritimum, sea daffodil. It grows on beaches along the Mediterranean.
Examine the the stamen antennae, fluid white petals, deep blue shadow on the rear leaf. (Look here if you want extreme detail.)
How was it created? Oil, pastel, water color? And when? Is it a modern interpretation?
It’s a collage, sliced with a razor from colored paper. Each stamen, shadow, and gradation represents a separate layer. A woman nearing age 80 created it.
And it’s dated 1778, not long after her patron King George III lost thirteen troublesome colonies. {Read on…}