On the 12th day of Claire-mas, I take a look at Claire’s first marriage. How long were Claire and Frank together before Claire fell through the stones in Outlander?
Before Claire even thought about Jamie, she married Frank Randall. It’s important to remember their relationship, and not just because he raised Brianna as his own. Frank plays a huge part in Claire ending up in the past, even if he didn’t plan any of it.
If it wasn’t for their second honeymoon in Scotland, Claire wouldn’t have been around Craigh na Dun. She wouldn’t have fallen through the stones and found Jamie. It may seem to some that she gave up on Frank rather quickly. How long were they together? Was it just a fleeting marriage before the trip to the past?
Claire-mas: Claire and Frank’s marriage before Jamie in Outlander
Claire and Frank were married at some point in 1937. This was just two years before the outbreak of the war, and they wouldn’t have spent all that time together. The Second World War started on Sept. 1, 1939, but there would have been a buildup to that.
Claire joined the military as an Army Nurse shortly after that. Frank was part of MI6, so he was heavily involved in the war effort, too. They were both separated for the whole time during the war, which would have made their marriage difficult.
Yet, it was a time when they would have been expected to try to make their marriage work. And when Claire and Frank were reunited, they did try. They went on a second honeymoon to get reacquainted, but Frank’s time was mostly spent researching his own family history. Claire didn’t seem to mind as she was happy to look into plants and herbs. That’s how she ended up at Craigh na Dun that day when the portals opened.
While Claire and Frank were married for around eight years at this point, they’d only really spent a couple of those years together at the most. They didn’t have a strong foundation for a marriage. It wasn’t like the couple of years Claire was with Jamie and was madly in love with him.