Who is Maria?

Maria is a strong female character who paints, works and lives on the same playing field as the men. She forms a great friendship with Helena, and Lily observes that Helena is her best self around Maria. In minor ways, Maria provides a precarious love and stability that Helena does not, as Maria is attune with the Trentham daughters emotions and is willing to be a role model for them. When Ugo and Maria disclose their relationship to the Trenthams, Helena is furious, accusing Maria of throwing away her life as an artist. But Ugo and Maria decide to have their baby and provide for themselves, which proves to be a struggle for them. Later in the novel, in 1985, Lily sees Maria with her third husband at Evan’s retrospective exhibition.