Overview
Agnes Hartley is the wife of English businessman Josiah Hartley and the mother of Caroline and Lydia. She is described in Session 1 canon as an Englishwoman “full of flutter and ambition,” eager for her daughters to be seen at musical events and actively trying to get them introduced to Professor Herzfeld. She first appears in canon at the Palais Kinsky bar on the evening of 3 August 1814, where she introduced her family to the party with such pointed enthusiasm that Caroline visibly cringed.
Agnes is the family’s quiet engine. Where Josiah is loud and obvious, she is observant and patient. Where Josiah pursues investment, she pursues marriages and patronage — and her chosen vehicle for both is Professor Herzfeld’s interest in her daughters. She is the most dangerous member of the Hartley family, and she does not know it.
Physical Description
Middle-aged, well-dressed, attentive to detail. The kind of woman who has been correcting her daughters’ posture for twenty years and her own for forty. Her smile arrives quickly and her eyes do not always follow.
Personality
Agnes is canny, observant, transactional, and patient. She knows exactly which of her daughters is being looked at by which gentleman in any room, and she has a nearly-faultless instinct for which match is more likely to take. By Session 5, she had already pivoted from pushing Lydia at Adrien to subtly steering Caroline forward instead — without Caroline herself ever asking for it.
She was visibly pleased when Adrien performed Viennese hand-kissing on her at the Burgtheater in Session 2. She is the Hartley most likely to notice something unusual about the party’s comings and goings, and the most likely to keep that observation entirely to herself until it can be made useful.
She is also the family member who is openly, consciously, and wrongly steering her daughters toward Professor Herzfeld. She believes Herzfeld represents prestigious musical patronage and a route to elite Viennese society. She does not understand that he is the recruiter for a cult that murders young female musicians.
Portrayal Note: Speaks in delicate insinuations. Watches her daughters’ suitors more closely than her daughters do. Praises everyone within earshot. Files everything away.
Canon Timeline
- Session 1 — Vienna (Palais Kinsky bar, 3 August 1814): First appearance. Introduced her family to the party with pointed enthusiasm. Showed particular interest when Adrien was introduced as Viscount de Montferrand. Stated in canon as actively trying to get her daughters introduced to Professor Herzfeld for musical attention.
- Session 2 (Burgtheater, 4 August 1814): Visibly pleased when Adrien performed Viennese hand-kissing on her at the opera.
- Session 5 (Palais Kinsky, breakfast): Pivoted her matchmaking from Lydia to Caroline, recognising that Adrien’s polite distance with Lydia was not going to convert. Began subtly steering events to push Caroline forward.
- Session 8 (Palais Lobkowitz, Grand Masquerade, 8 August 1814): Off-screen but vindicated. Adrien openly chose Caroline on the dance floor — exactly the outcome Agnes had been engineering for three sessions.
Session Appearances
- Session 1 (Vienna): First appearance, Palais Kinsky bar, 3 August 1814. Established the Herzfeld-introduction agenda.
- Session 2: Burgtheater opera (charmed by Adrien’s hand-kissing).
- Session 5: Palais Kinsky breakfast (matchmaking pivot to Caroline).
- Session 8: Off-screen at the Grand Masquerade; her engineering succeeded.
Connections
People
Family
- Caroline Hartley NPC warmMother; ambitious matchmaker actively trying to introduce the daughters to Professor Herzfeld and to titled men like Adrien2 sessions, The Fork in the Road to The Duelling Ground
- Josiah Hartley NPC warmHusband1 session: The Duelling Ground
- Lydia Hartley NPC warmMother; originally pushed Lydia toward Adrien before pivoting to Caroline by Session 5; actively trying to introduce both daughters to Professor Herzfeld1 session: The Duelling Ground
Knows
- Adrien de Montferrand Player character warmWas visibly pleased when Adrien performed Viennese hand-kissing on her at the opera; openly delighted by his Session 8 choice of Caroline2 sessions, The Fork in the Road to The Duelling Ground
Seeks
- Albin Herzfeld NPC neutralActively trying to get her daughters introduced to Professor Herzfeld for musical patronage — a known Brotherhood recruiter of young female musicians1 session: The Fork in the Road