Winston was not in search of a female version of himself. Upon learning of the engagement on August 14, Violet had reputedly fainted and then written a venomous letter to Clementine’s cousin Venetia Stanley, who was to be a bridesmaid at the wedding. Winston’s new fiancée, said Violet, was as “stupid as an owl,” no more than “ornamental,” and incapable of being “the critical reformatory wife” Winston badly needed in his career to “hold him back from blunders.” Venetia replied by noting that the Manchester
