The Architecture of a Throne

What the Matriarchs Knew About Love

I have always taken after my grandmother.

So I will begin this essay with a scene from Bridgerton, a show I initially refused to watch because, at first glance, it seemed too romantic, too idealistic for my temperament. But one scene stayed with me. It reminded me of my grandmother, of the way she taught me that the world could be cruel and that softness…