Hahaha, oh my, I enjoyed this so much! Our narrator's voice is fantastic, and I loved her relationship with Violet -- all those gentle, patronising asides, and then there's this:
A little shiver goes through me. It isn't often that Violet becomes masterful, but I find it rather exciting when she does.
Ahahaha. (No, I'm not having Thoughts about their sex life, why do you ask?)
I'll just mention some of the many things I loved:
* the voyeurism aspect -- it's a bulletproof kink for me, and it's so appropriate for the POV character here! * all those delightful details about the portraits and their lives, like how they're still able to enjoy (still-life) food/drink * the friendship and banter between the teachers and their friends