In A Breath of Snow and Ashes,
It is unclear when it started, but Allan repeatedly raped her and fathered her child. To avoid them both getting into trouble with their father Thomas Christie, Allan told her to place blame on Jamie Fraser, figuring that Jamie would have to pay to take care of her and the baby.
She is eager to learn more about medicine and surgery. Throughout the episode, she worked with Claire and learned how to use the ether. Then she questioned Claire about her book and what Claire writes in there.
However, if the show is to follow the Diana Gabaldon books, Claire is not the murderer. The killer is in fact Malva's brother, Allan Christie (Alexander Vlahos). He is also the father of her baby, having raped and abused Malva since she was a child. Malva had decided to tell the truth, which is why Allan killed her.
Jamie denies having slept with her, but the damage to his and to Claire's reputation is done—and the bond between the Frasers and Malva is severed, until just a few weeks later, when Claire finds Malva murdered in the garden. “It's like the peak of the tragedy, and it's so visceral.
The idea of Jamie having an affair seems ludicrous. Claire eventually realizes that Malva is lying because she knows her husband well enough. Tom seems to question Malva's story.
Malva was first introduced at the beginning of the season as a new resident of the Ridge who admired Claire's medical skills. Behind her admiration was a darker side of blackmail, betraying Claire's trust, and stalking. She falsely claimed Jamie was the father of her unborn child.
In the TV series, we get to see how Malva knows all about Jamie's scars. She spies on Claire and Jamie when they're in the barn, which is going to lead to all of his scars on show. The TV show gave us this scene so that it would clear up questions later on.
After attending to Claire 24 hours a day for almost a week, Malva and housekeeper Mrs Bug (Sarah Collier) decided to cut her hair off, thinking it would help reduce Claire's temperature. Having to rock a much shorter hairdo for her character, Balfe, revealed she “wasn't a big fan,” of the shorter look.
Tom and Claire unexpectedly meet each other with the preacher questioning whether Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) was aware of his feelings. In the book, Claire confirms Jamie is well aware of Tom's unrequited feelings towards her and understands them as someone who is in love with her.
Malva, before her death, tells him that she made them sick. She'd collected parts of the dead Sin Eater and poisoned Claire and Tom. She wanted to get to Jamie, and getting Claire out of the way was the only way to do that.
Malva is the first member of the Elite Four to be a member of a villainous team in the games.
During his time apart from Claire, Jamie slept with several women, including Mary McNab (Emma Campbell-Jones) and Geneva Dunsany (Hannah James). And of course, there was Laoghaire MacKenzie (Nell Hudson) as well who had her sights on Jamie since season one.
Allan began molesting his half-sister Malva from the time she was a young child and eventually, gets her pregnant.
Some of the residents of Fraser's Ridge believe that the child's condition is a punishment for his parents' sins, and gossip runs rampant in the backcountry. Fergus is ashamed of not being able to protect his family properly and provide for them, and makes an attempt to end his own life, but Jamie stops him in time.
It turns out Ian and Malva did sleep together. It was only the once, but we all know how these things work. Just look at Brianna and Roger. They'd only slept together once and Jemmy was born.
This is dysentery. Claire tells everyone that a contaminated water source most likely caused it, but after funeral upon funeral — the body count is high! — no one can seem to figure it out. And then Claire falls ill.
Lizzie says that she did attempt to talk to her the day Malva died, but the door to the surgery was locked. Those knocks were what Claire heard in her hallucination before she found Malva's body. This knowledge should transform her way of thinking, but Lionel appears in the surgery.
Jamie: "Claire, it was you. It's always been you, and it always will be. Get into bed and put the candle out.
Jamie does not sleep with Malva in Outlander
The story comes out over the course of A Breath of Snow and Ashes. Malva makes her story about Jamie being the father of her unborn baby convincing.
Although Allan got away with murder, he later told Claire the truth at Malva's graveside and admitted to her raping and impregnating her. Additionally, Allan confirmed he took Malva's life because she was going to reveal the truth and he didn't want this.
Jamie's Secret is a story about a nine-year-old who loves soccer, playing with her best friend Sadie, and collecting crystals. She loves hugging and climbing trees, watching butterflies, and soaring on her swing. Jamie loves life and everything that points to it.
Quick-cut to the 1740s, and Claire is in Castle Leoch, once again being fussed over by Mrs. Fitz, who washes her hair and admires her purty skin. Claire is moved to confess the truth to Mrs. Fitz: Her husband isn't dead.
Traditionally, a sin eater was a person (usually a man) who was paid to eat bread that sat upon the corpse at a funeral. Thought to have soaked up their sins, when eaten by the sin eater, it absolves the dead of their sins leaving them free to enter heaven unburdened.
After some thinking, Claire realizes that Jamie has to be telling the truth. He can't be the father of Malva's child, and it all comes down to who Jamie is fundamentally. Claire explains it in Outlander Season 6. She knows that if there was any chance that Malva was telling the truth, he would admit it.