regshoe

Broster's heart, in this book, is clearly in the Aymar/Laurent relationship, and given how explicit the book is about that, I wonder if it would even have been possible to publish the book if there had not also been a het relationship?

Hmm, that's quite possible. (The Well of Loneliness, which tackled the same question explicitly and got banned for it, was a few years later, after all). I get the impression Broster does like her canon romances for their own sake (there are some moments both here and in FotH that I'd find really sweet if it was only something I shipped—that's pretty frustrating, haha)—but yeah, there's way more heart in Aymar/Laurent!

Yeah, you could definitely read it as a threesome—although I think for that to feel satisfying for me, both sides of the triangle would have to feel equally compelling and worthwhile, and as it is they really don't.

Random other note: I think Ewen is much a better developed character than Aymar, actually.

I certainly think he fits into the setting and the story better :) What were the important differences, for you?