The two parents openly despise and neglect the young girl, who is left to occupy herself whilst they prepare to depart for a life in colonial India without her.

Flora soon falls helplessly in love with no less than three young men (Cosmo, Blanco and Felix) who are also staying at the hotel, and she is crestfallen when the holidays are over and they have to leave.

The Trevelyans´ indifference towards Flora is so obvious that even the other guests at the hotel start gossiping about it: "One sees the child, but she is rarely with her parents...they spend their time in bed".

Later in life, when she has interrupted her journey to India, Flora views her parents´ indifference with calm acceptance: "They don´t like me...I am an impediment; they are wrapped up in each other...To be fair.

[2] Wesley's young heroines are usually expected to enter into the inevitable "safe marriage", encouraged by their parents and dictated by convention.