Today I’m blogging about Flora MacLean, the hero’s sister in The Sins of the Sire, my debut novel published on 13 March 2019. It won’t be a spoiler to say that Flora doesn’t survive the story because by the time the story begins she has already died at the hands of an English nobleman. But Flora has an important part to play in the book. Not only is she prominent in her brother’s memory but it’s her death which gives rise to the central plot.
The second child of a Highland chieftain, Flora was born after her brother, Tavish. By the time of her birth, The MacLean already had his son and heir and therefore lacked the desperation most clan chiefs or kings had for a male child. The MacLean had three children in total and Flora’s younger brother Callum grew up worshipping his big sister because she used to take care of him and sing him songs at night to help him sleep.
She inherited her father’s colouring, as did both her brothers. Her family did everything they could to protect her from the hardships of the time so she spent much of her time enjoying life, oblivious to the conflict between the English and the Scots. She could often be heard singing in her family home of Glenblane Castle and her brother once spotted her singing and dancing in the forest nearby when she thought nobody was looking.
The heroine of the story, Elyssia, grew up in England, but she met Flora before the story begins and remembers her as “a young girl with bright red hair and vivid green eyes.” Elyssia’s upbringing had significantly less love than Flora’s but this gave her a level of understanding of the world which better equipped her to survive it. Elyssia’s defining characteristic is her determination to defend the gentle and the weak, and she’s fiercely protective of her own sister, Alice. At one point in the story, Tavish wonders whether Flora would have survived if she’d had Elyssia to protect her.
Flora’s father doted on her so when she died he was unable to deal with the grief. On his deathbed he made Tavish swear an oath of vengeance, an oath which Tavish has to come to terms with when faced with the reality of carrying out the deeds he has sworn to undertake.
Though she’s dead, she’s an important character whose memory is kept alive by her family and the story shows glimpses of her in flashbacks. It’s his love for Flora and duty to his Clan that drives Tavish forward but at times he wonders whether vengeance is the best way to honour the memory of such a gentle young woman. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to lay her ghost to rest and find peace.
