Fanny's age...good and bad?
My first reaction was that B. Davis was too old for the role. Davis was in her mid thirties at the time (Born 1908, film date 1944). It seems like the character was more likely to have been (at the beginning) in her early twenties to have been the ingenue with dozens of suitors. But, it is also interesting that all the suitors shown looked as though they were in their thirties as well! Hollywood strikes again.
Historically an unmarried woman in her mid thirties would have been considered a Spinster in 1914.
BUT...
Could an actress of 22 have handled the role?
Could an actress much younger have aged as well during the story?
And, Fanny did look like a good match for Rains whereas a ten year younger woman would have made him look like he'd robbed the cradle.
So, I suppose it comes down to suspension of disbelief and the viewer's affection for Miss Davis...in any role