By Honor Bound — Flora Speer

The story of Macbeth from a woman's point of view.


Elen of Laggan is cousin to both King Duncan and Macbeth. When her father dies, she is escorted to court by Duncan's man, Patric. They fall in love and Duncan favors the match, but he's killed in battle. Patric, honoring the oath he made to his late king, must take Duncan's three young sons to safety in England. Macbeth and his wife convince Elen to marry the Pictish nobleman, Talcoran. She has no real choice, (noblewomen seldom did) and soon discovers that Talcoran is a good man, though stern. They return to Laggan to live, venturing to court regularly. There Elen meets Thorfinn the Mighty, the Norse ruler of Orkney, and continues her friendship with Patric's sister, Fionna, who is married to the Thane of Fife. The two help each other through the various problems of women's lives at that time, and both are ladies to the queen until she dies of tuberculosis. Elen believes she is content, though the mysterious murder of her father's old friend, Bancho of Lochaber, troubles her and a later, unexpected and secret meeting with Patric proves deeply disturbing to her peace of mind.


After twenty years, Duncan's eldest son, Malcolm, invades with English help. Macbeth is overthrown and killed. Talcoran dies in battle, along with his and Elen's son. Malcolm then insists that Patric must wed Elen. He'd be happy to do so, but Elen now believes she hates him. For the second time, she must marry a man she doesn't want. Patric is kind and determined, and when Elen learns he has had the bodies of Talcoran and their son taken to Laggan to be buried with honor, and she sees the way Patric has had Laggan Castle restored after it was badly damaged in battle, she realizes she has loved him as well as Talcoran all of her life.