Valerie St. Clair

About

Valerie Iseult St. Clair (née Gillies), BA, is one of the protagonists of Crêpes Suzette and a main character of The Paraffin Investigative Co. She is the wife of Tristan St. Clair and the mother of Vivienne and Vivian St. Clair, as well as the best friend of Zainul Arifin. She was widowed following Tristan’s death in 1989, though she recently entered a relationship with Boris Saburov.

Her sophisticated tastes contrast with her middle-class upbringing. Nevertheless, she constantly feels out of place, both amongst the elite student body of Brigmore University and in the rural setting of Ospomere.

Personality

Valerie is an aesthete in every sense of the word. She curates her life and her looks to fit her romanticised ideal of a high-class life. She extends her selectiveness to her relationships, only befriending those who are as cultured as she is. She revels in her uniqueness and takes pride in standing out, though she dislikes being criticised or mocked. Most of all, she wants to be recognised for her work, and she can be very competitive.

Her snobbery should not be taken as coldheartedness, however. As much as she desires critical acclaim and success, she also wishes to help others in need. She prioritises her values and morals instead of following the values of others, and she is generally accepting of others’ identities. Violence, cruelty, and injustice unsettle her.

In spite of her ego-driven nature, she still laments being alienated from others and wishes she was better at keeping friendships. She can be especially jealous and clingy towards the people she is close to, both romantic partners and friends alike. She is envious towards those whose success is dependent on friendships. Nevertheless, she can serve as a cheerleader to her friends, pushing them as much as she pushes herself.

She is highly sensitive, feeling and thinking deeply and intensely. Her artistic sensibilities are a result of her being deeply moved by beauty. She has a rich inner world, which she uses as a refuge from a world that overstimulates her. She tends to withdraw and wallow in her emotions. At the same time, she is often drawn to new interests and experiences and needs to be free to follow whatever inspires her, explaining her distaste for making plans.

Appearance

Valerie is a thin middle-aged woman of slightly above-average height. She has fair freckled skin, short curly greying red hair, and green eyes. Her normal attire consists of a white shirt, a reddish brown necktie, high-waisted khaki trousers, a brown belt, and brown dress shoes. She prefers androgynous or male clothing, sometimes wearing her late husband’s clothes for this reason.

In her younger years, she wore her hair long, braiding the sides of her hair and tying it back with a white ribbon. In more formal situations, she would tie her hair in a double-braid tuck. Her preference for masculine-leaning fashion was already apparent during this time, and her normal attire consisted of a white shirt with a yellow waistcoat and brown trousers.