Name: Alexander Dein

Alias / Known As: Maggie’s husband; The Absent Spouse

Age: 34

Origin: Irvine, Ayrshire

Affiliations: Brother to Leonard Dein; husband to Margaret Barclay; tradesman and woodworker

Summary:

Alexander Dein is a man caught between silence and shame. Bound to Maggie by name but never truly by heart, he walks through their marriage like a ghost—haunted by her independence, her mysteries, and the quiet knowledge that he cannot understand her. He never raised a hand, never shouted, never touched her with cruelty. But he didn’t protect her either. As suspicion thickens and whispers grow louder, Alexander becomes the town’s mirror: passive, uncertain, and too afraid to speak when it matters most.

Notable Traits:

— Emotionally distant but not unfeeling

— Fails to defend Maggie publicly, even as he questions her privately

— Keeps the ledger that once bore Elspeth’s name—until it didn’t

— Torn between loyalty to blood (Leonard, Sarah) and the truth he cannot name aloud

Status: Free; under scrutiny; increasingly isolated as events spiral around him