ffutures | Am I being a little too cynical...

...if I mention that my first reaction to Flora, the apparent romantic interest of The Struggle For Empire, was to think that she is a drip comparable to Basil Fotherington-Thomas ("Hello trees! Hello flowers!") in the Molesworth books.

'What a beautiful thing is life!' she murmured, with the joyous accents of early maidenhood, as she tripped lightly out into the garden. 'Everything around me is so fresh and bright. How happy I feel! Only three more hours and I shall see my dear Alec.'

She stooped over one of the flower-beds and made a small nosegay out of the most sweet-smelling flowers.

'There!' she said, as soon as she had finished binding the flowers together. 'That will do for his button-hole when he comes to dinner this evening.

Fortunately it looks like a rival for Alec's affections turns up about half way through the story, and since she starts out by saving his life I have a feeling that Flora will eventually get the old heave-ho. And serve her right too...