Warning: Episode may contain strong language, violence and sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

PREVIOUSLY…

• Having discovered Tom’s affair, Kate ended their marriage after a heart-to-heart.
• Having taken an accidental overdose at his sister’s engagement party, Lee survived, but when he came to in hospital, he mistakenly called his husband Tom, unintentionally revealing to Jack the name of his secret lover.
• Jack angrily attacked Tom in The Oak & Vine before dropping the bombshell on everyone that Tom was having an affair with Jack’s husband, Lee.
• Queenie revealed to Emma that she had a baby in 1954 and that she was forced to give her up for adoption.
• Having received sinister messages along with a photo taken out the front of her home, Charlotte and Mark were horrified to learn that Natalie was behind the cruel campaign. Furious, Mark threw his daughter out.
• Natalie blackmailed Julia for £100,000 in order to keep about Nick’s biological parents. However, Julia’s mother, Judith, eventually paid the demand without Julia knowing.
• While on a day out in London with Samantha and Gracie, Ed bumped into Rebecca. When questioned who they were, he lied and claimed they were family friends.
• Rebecca vowed revenge on Neha for slapping her six-year-old daughter, Poppy. Later, Neha was arrested for the incident but released on bail.
• It was revealed to the village that Emma was Nick’s biological mother. Distraught at the news, Nick drove off and was later involved in a car accident that left him fighting for life while his fiancé, Jasmine, kept a bedside vigil.
• After being fired from her job after slapping Poppy, Neha’s drinking spiralled despite having just discovered she was pregnant. When Ashwin found the pregnancy test, he confronted her about it, knowing it wasn’t possible for him to be the father as he was infertile. A heated argument followed, and Neha struck Ashwin, knocking him from his feet and causing him to crack his head on the coffee table. With her husband unconscious and barely breathing, Neha called for an ambulance.

The Oak & Vine,
Glendale

The air in The Oak & Vine was abuzz with gossip and chatter as the villagers digested the bombshell that Jack Campbell had dropped minutes earlier. Full of anger and hurt, the local police sergeant had landed a few heavy physical blows against married farmer Tom Spencer before exposing the truth about Tom’s affair with Jack’s husband, Lee. The revelations had left the pub patrons stunned and Tom humiliated.

Behind the wooden bar, landlady Carol Kennedy paced back and forth with her iPhone pressed to her ear as she waited for her son to answer. After his infidelity had been exposed to the world, Tom had fled the pub, and Carol was worried about him. His behaviour had seemed erratic for a few days, and it was now clear as to why. As the phone rang, Carol’s eyes darted around the pub, catching snippets of hushed conversations. At the end of the bar, she spotted Hilda Hollingsworth huddled closely with a young woman, and Carol’s jaw clenched when she heard the local busybody recounting the afternoon’s drama in minute detail.

“Hi, you’ve reached Tom. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

Carol ended the call and let out a deep sigh of irritation. “Still no answer, and Kate’s not picking up either.”

Carol’s husband, Tony, returned to the bar, having swept through the pub collecting empty glasses and dirty plates. “Maybe just give him some time,” he said with a comforting smile.

“He was humiliated, Tony!”

“And maybe that’s why he needs some time.”

Carol frowned deeply and tried to make sense of everything. The revelation of an affair, let alone one with a man, didn’t seem to make sense. Tom wasn’t the type, although she now doubted whether she knew her son at all.

“I just don’t understand it,” she said, anxiously tapping the device against her palm. “Why would Jack lie? He has no reason to, and from the look on Tom’s face…

Tony rubbed his wife’s arm and attempted to calm her spiralling thoughts. While Jack’s accusations had come as a shock, Tony could instantly tell from the look on his stepson’s face that they were true. “It isn’t our business what goes on in people’s bedrooms, luv.”

“But it is my business to protect my son when he’s hurting.”

Carol unlocked her phone and tapped on Tom’s number again. The phone rang once, twice, and three times, and with each ring, Carol felt her anxiety multiply.

“Hi, you’ve reached Tom. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

Carol sighed. “Tom, it’s Mum. Again. Please call me, sweets. Please let me know you’re okay. I love you.”

Pamela Granger approached the bar with a sympathetic smile and a genuine concern for her nephew. “Any word from Tom or Kate?”

Carol’s shoulders relaxed slightly, thankful for her sister-in-law’s care and compassion. “No,” she replied, taking a moment to allow herself to breathe and not worry. “I keep trying, but neither of them are answering.”

Pamela ignored the salacious chatter that swirled around her, allowing it to become nothing but a hum in the background. “School will be finished shortly; shall I go and collect the boys and bring them back here?”

Carol’s eyes widened as she realised that she hadn’t thought about Tom and Kate’s children. If Jack’s accusations were true, how would this impact them? She ran a hand through her curly red hair as she tried to remember the weekday structure of her grandchildren. Ava always caught the four o’clock train from her high school in Maidstone, so there was plenty of time to pick her up from the station, but the boys, Harry and Noah, would be finishing school any minute and would need collecting.

“Yes, maybe that’s for the best. Thanks Pam.”

Pamela reached across the bar and placed a reassuring hand on Carol’s. “It’s the least I can do,” she said with a genuine smile. “Try not to panic. I’m sure everything is fine. Tom’s just probably taking a moment, and once you get hold of Kate, she’ll help sort everything.”

“I don’t know,” Carol replied with a hint of worry in her voice. “If what Jack said is true, then I don’t know how their marriage survives this.”

“Marriages are resilient,” Pamela said with a tone that almost implied something about her own, “especially when there’s children involved. Keep the faith.”

At the other end of the bar, Tony frowned as a familiar sound, steadily increasing in volume, caught his attention. “Sounds like an ambulance.”

The distant wail of sirens cut through the hubbub in the bar. As the chatter died down and those gathered in the pub listened, the wailing grew louder and louder, and it was suddenly apparent that an ambulance was entering the village.

Carol’s heart leapt into her throat, and her worry amplified. “Oh God! Tom!” she whispered and frantically tried to call her son again. The phone rang and rang.

“Hi, you’ve reached Tom. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Village Green,
Glendale

Under the sprawling branches of an old oak tree, as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead, Jack sat alone on a weathered wooden bench, sobbing. His tears fell freely onto his shirt, and the warmth of the mid-afternoon sunshine did little to brighten his spirits. He looked at the grazed and bloodied knuckles of his right hand through glassy eyes, barely registering the throbbing pain, and hated himself for lashing out at Tom the way he had. He had let his hurt and anger get the better of him and regretted his violent outburst. His whole life, Jack had been a subscriber to the belief that words were always better than fists and that violence was never the answer, yet now he was deeply disappointed in himself and his actions.

“Jackie?” Queenie Baxter said in her usual Estuary accent as she headed home after visiting Emma Blake, hobbling along the paved path that crossed the village green, assisted by her walking stick.

He glanced up at his octogenarian friend before quickly looking away, not wanting her to see how upset he was.

Queenie’s heart sank as she saw his distress, and her thoughts immediately turned to Lee, wondering if there had been a tragic update. Her pulse quickened at the thought, and she moved as fast as her old bones would allow to join her houseguest on the bench.

“Oh, Lovie, wot is it?” She asked, lowering herself onto the seat and patting her arthritic hand against his thigh. “Wots wrong? ‘as somethin’ ‘appened to Lee?”

Jack couldn’t talk, and his crying increased. His breaths were short and jagged, and as his body shuddered with each sob, Queenie knew it was something serious.

“Come now, Jackie Boy. Wot’s got ya so worked up?”

Jack lifted his head and wiped away his tears as best he could. “It’s Tom.”

Queenie frowned, not following the line of conversation, before she soon noticed Jack’s bloodied hand and his grazed and swollen knuckles. She swallowed heavily. For eighty-eight years, Queenie had traversed the streets of Glendale, and she knew the signs of a punchup when she saw them. “Tom? Tom Spencer?” She asked, taking Jack’s hand in hers and surveying his injuries. “Wots he done to ya?”

Jack’s sniffed and tried to catch his breath. “He’s the one having an affair with Lee.”

Queenie looked back at Jack slack-jawed, and you could’ve knocked her down with a feather. “’e wot?”

“Lee woke up in the hospital and thought I was Tom. He’s the one Lee’s been sleeping with.”

Unsure of what else to do, Queenie reached for Jack, like a baby reaching for its mother, and pulled him in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and squeezed him tightly. “Oh, Lovie,” she said soothingly as she began to rub his back by way of providing comfort. Jack broke and allowed his emotions to consume him once more. His fat tears, filled with hurt, plopped onto Queenie’s shoulders, but she didn’t care. Jack needed her, and she was determined to help him through what would inevitably become one of the worst chapters of his life. “Oh, sweet’eart, I’m so sorry.”

In the distance, the shrill wail of sirens cut through the birdsong that echoed around the village green, growing louder by the second. Queenie and Jack parted, and both looked on with intrigue as an ambulance raced down Queen Victoria Street.

“Wot in the world?”

As if on cue, the front doors of The Oak & Vine burst open, and a tide of pubgoers spilt out on the village green, jostling for a position to watch the drama.

The ambulance came to a stop outside Thyme Cottage, and as two paramedics jumped out and hurried inside, Queenie looked at Jack with crumpled brow.

“Wots goin’ on ‘ere then?”

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Room 5, General Intensive Care Ward,
St. George’s Hospital, London

Carrying a large takeaway Costa coffee in each hand, Ed Atkins pushed open the door to Nick Harrington-Jones‘ hospital room with his shoulder. As he entered, Ed glanced at Nick, who remained unconscious and hooked up to beeping monitors, as his chest rose and fell with the rhythm of the ventilator. The sight of the young man lying lifeless, in limbo between life and death, was still beyond comprehension.

“Here you go,” Ed said softly as he passed a coffee to his daughter.

Sat hunched over her fiancé’s bed, Jasmine Atkins straightened in her chair and accepted the kind gesture from her father with a faint yet grateful smile. She licked her lips, looking forward to the shot of energy the triple shot latte would provide. “Thanks, Dad,” she replied and took a sip of the hot beverage while Ed settled into the chair beside her. “How’s Lee?”

“Getting there,” Ed replied with a heavy exhale of breath that seemed to carry the weight of the world with it. “He’ll be in for a couple of days, but he’s okay.”

Jasmine yawned and covered her mouth. Since the accident, she had barely left Nick’s side, and in the confines of the windowless room, she had lost all perception of time.

Ed glanced at his daughter and noticed how exhausted she looked. Her eyes, that normally sparkled with life, were bloodshot, while her face was drawn and lined, and she looked pale. “You should come home with me and get some rest.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Jaz, you look wrecked.”

“Gee, thanks,”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Ed replied as he shifted forward in his chair and sat a hand on his daughter’s knee. “You know what I meant.”

Jasmine’s sad eyes moved from her father to her fiancé, and, not for the first time, she wondered how she would live life without him. “I can’t leave him, dad,” she said, allowing the tears that had been building for hours to finally break free. “What if he…”

“Shh.” Ed put his coffee down on the tray table and got up from his chair to comfort his daughter. “Come on, don’t think like that,” he said as he crouched down in front of her and cupped her round face in his hands. He tenderly wiped away her tears with his rough thumbs and tried as best he could to reassure his daughter that everything would be fine. “Nick is strong. He’s young and fit and healthy. He’s going to get through this.”

Jasmine sobbed uncontrollably, finally surrendering to the emotions she had held at bay for nearly 36 hours. “I don’t know, dad. I don’t know if he will.”

As Jasmine’s heartbreaking admission hung in the air, the door to the room opened and Doctor Carter entered. The handsome medico stopped in his tracks, realising he had interrupted a tender moment.

Jasmine suddenly felt embarrassed and quickly wiped away her tears. “Hi, Doctor Carter,” she said, hoping that he hadn’t noticed the state she was in.

As Ed rose to his feet, he turned his head in the doctor’s direction, and his face dropped.

A bewildered frown crossed Doctor Carter’s face, and his mouth slowly opened as he recognised the man standing beside Nick’s fiancée. “Ed?” he said, trying to piece together what was happening. “What are you doing here?”

Stunned into silence, Ed swallowed and looked back at Doctor Carter nervously as his two worlds collided.

Confused, Jasmine looked between the two men, her forehead creased with a frown. “Do you two know each other?”

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Thyme Cottage,
Glendale

In the living room of Thyme Cottage, Ashwin Patel lay motionless on the floor. His breathing was shallow, and the carpet was stained with a large pool of blood from the deep gash where he had hit his head. After Neha, his wife, had punched him in a drunken rage, he had fallen and cracked his head on the coffee table. The sickening sound of bone against wood played on repeat in Neha’s mind and set her teeth on edge.

A young male paramedic knelt beside Ashwin, carefully examining the head wound and checking his vital signs, while an older female prepared an airway device.

“Pulse is weak and erratic,” the male paramedic said, glancing at the blood pressure cuff. “We need to stabilise him before we move him.”

The older female nodded. “Got it. I’m preparing for intubation.”

A few feet away, Neha stood silently as she watched the paramedics fight to save her husband’s life. While still slightly unsteady on her feet, the incident had sobered her up quickly. She anxiously wrung her hands together and worried that Ashwin wouldn’t wake up.

“Ma’am,” the female paramedic began, tying to keep her voice calm. “We need to know what happened. Can you tell us how this injury occurred?”

Neha hesitated.

“Ma’am?”

“I… I didn’t mean to…” Neha’s voice trembled, and tears – partly fuelled by fear and partly by booze – pooled in her somewhat glassy eyes.

The two paramedics exchanged a worried glance.

“Ma’am, it’s important that you tell us exactly what happened,” the young male paramedic said firmly. “Your husband’s condition is critical.”

Neha’s head drooped and her shoulders sagged. “I hit him,” she said matter-of-factly. “We were arguing, and I hit him. He fell and hit his head on the coffee table and…

As Neha’s voice dissolved into silence, the two paramedics looked to each other.

“We need to get the police involved,” the older female said to the younger male.

The male nodded, already pulling out his radio to call for backup. “We’ve got a critical patient and a potential assault case. I’m requesting police assistance.”

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Ashbourne House,
Glendale

In the drawing room of Ashbourne House, James Harrington-Jones sat perched on the edge of the mixed wool blend Chesterfield sofa, silently scrolling through his phone as he tried to keep his mind preoccupied. The events of the past 36 hours had shaken him to his core, and as his son Nick fought for his life, James couldn’t help but feel anxious – something he wasn’t used to. While his wife, Julia, refreshed upstairs, James tried desperately to keep his thoughts and emotions in check. Shortly, they planned to head back into London to try and persuade Nick’s fiancée, Jasmine, to allow Julia to see her son, but, while James didn’t want to admit it, he was doubtful Julia’s desperate pleas would be heard or answered.

The silence and peace of the drawing room was interrupted by a persistent knock on the front door. James frowned and glanced at the grandfather clock that stood proudly against the wall opposite. He didn’t have time for interruptions.

“Magda,” he called out loudly, hoping to catch the housekeeper’s attention.

There was silence.

“Magda! There’s someone at the door!”

The rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock was the only response to his laziness. There was another knock, this time more urgent. Irritated, James rose from the sofa, stuffed his iPhone into the pocket of his chino trousers, and moved through the ground floor towards the front door, muttering unmentionables under his breath.

Pulling the heavy oak door open, James’ eyes widened while his brow furrowed with concern. “Natalie,” he said, instantly noticing his personal assistant’s obvious distress and the trails of mascara-stained tears that lined her porcelain-like cheeks. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

Natalie Sinclair sobbed heavily, her shoulders jumping with each sharp intake of breath, as she stood at the threshold, wringing her hands. She looked up at her boss from under her black bangs with the most heartbreakingly sad eyes, almost as if it were a look that she had perfected to a fine art.

“They’ve thrown me out,” she said with a breathlessness that was designed to invoke pity.

James frowned and instinctively stepped forward, placing a comforting hand at Natalie’s elbow and rubbing her arm with his thumb. While the simple gesture would be seen by many as a small act of comfort, for the two lovers it spoke of a deeper connection. “What? Why?”

“I don’t know,” Natalie lied with a performance that would garner a standing ovation from Bette Davis. She dabbed at her eyes, careful not to disturb the distorted makeup that amplified her distress, and sniffed back tears that now seemed to have suddenly dissipated. “I got home, and Dad was throwing my things out of the house. He was yelling about me doing something to Charlotte. But I have no idea what he’s talking about, James, I swear.”

James felt the unusual feeling of sympathy. Narcissistic, if not bordering on psychopathic, the billionaire wasn’t usually in tune with the feelings of others, but there was something about the nineteen-year-old’s distress that spoke to James and broke through his usual barriers.

“Come here,” he said, inviting Natalie in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her petite frame and held her tightly. She returned the embrace, and the two lovers stood silently intertwined in the doorway.

“I just don’t know what I’ve done wrong or what I’m going to do,” Natalie said softly, milking the moment as she rested her chin on James’ shoulder. Her eyes were now dry, and her distress had remarkably dissipated in an instant, not that James could see.

James held her closely and rubbed her back to soothe her. “Shh. We’ll sort this out, and, in the meantime, you can stay here.”

Natalie retreated with feigned surprise and misted her eyes for dramatic effect. “Oh, no,” she rebuffed, somewhat overdramatically, and shook her head. “James, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Don’t be silly. I insist. Besides, it will be nice having you close.”

James fired a knowing wink in Natalie’s direction before embracing her with another hug. As the raven-haired woman allowed herself to be consoled – once again resting her chin on James’ broad shoulder – her fake tears melted into a smirk that reeked of malevolence.

-:-

Upstairs, in the master bedroom, Julia sat at her dressing table, checking her appearance in the mirror one final time. She gently pushed and poked at her trademark tight chignon bun, smacked her lips, and brushed the tip of an index finger against the cheekbones to ensure her makeup was just so.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know,” she said as she glanced down at her iPhone that was sitting beside her on the tabletop. The call screen showed Charlotte, and the speaker button was illuminated. “If we hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, thanks, Julia. Take care and let me know how you go with Jasmine.”

“I will, darling. Ciao.”

Julia jabbed a finger at the phone screen and ended the call. She sat staring at her reflection for a moment and let out a deep exhale of breath, absorbing the details of the bombshell that her sister-in-law had just dropped. Julia knew from her own experience that Natalie was bad news, but to hear what she had been subjecting Charlotte to sent a shiver down her spine. That was evil. Julia smacked her lips one final time and rose from the stool. She passed through the bedroom and moved along the landing, headed for the grand, sweeping staircase.

“James, you won’t believe this! Lottie just phoned and said that Nat—”

At the top of the stairs, Julia stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of James and Natalie hugging in the doorway. Her lips twitched, and her blood pressure instantly rose. “What the hell is she doing here?”

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Honeysuckle Cottage,
Glendale

Emma stood at the kitchen sink with her hands submerged in the warm, soapy water, but her mind was elsewhere as she stared blankly out of the kitchen window. She mindlessly washed the delicate teacups and saucers – a gift from her late grandmother – as she processed Queenie’s earlier revelation about the daughter that she was forced to give up for adoption seventy years ago. Emma’s heart broke for her elderly friend, as she knew only too well the shadow such a thing cast over one’s life. She soon found her thoughts drifting to Nick, and Emma wondered how he was doing. Jasmine had banned her and Julia from visiting him in the hospital, blaming them for the car accident that had very nearly claimed his life. Emma couldn’t blame Jasmine, but she still felt it was an unfair accusation to lob at the two women who cared for him most. She let out a long, calming exhale of breath as she felt the familiar surge of sadness and anxiety begin to bubble within her, and she tried hard to push the thoughts from her mind.

There came a sudden but not overly powerful knock at the front door. The village G.P. rinsed the teacup that was decorated in the most beautiful hand-painted blue periwinkle pattern and placed it gently on the draining board. She wiped her sudsy hands on the tea towel, curled a mischievous lock of her long brunette hair – that had escaped her loose ponytail – behind her ear, and moved through the downstairs of her quaint cottage towards the door.

“Marion.”

“Hiya, Em.” Marion Atkins smiled the kindest of smiles at her friend as she stood at the threshold, offering an open mind and a listening ear. “I thought you could use a friend.”

A warmth tingled through Emma’s body, starting in her toes and moving up to the top of her head. After everything Marion had been through with her own son on the weekend, she had still found time to come and see Emma, and that made her almost want to cry with appreciation.

“Please, come in,” she said as she stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

Marion’s black Skechers sneakers were quiet against the wooden floor as she moved through the hallway and into the living room. Having never been inside Emma’s home before, she looked around the small room and admired her colleague’s unique style that seamlessly blended her sleek modern furnishings with the property’s classic Victorian architecture. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

Emma’s cheeks blushed with pride. “Thanks.” She gestured to the sofa, and the two women sat at opposite ends of the greyish-blue three-seater. “How’s Lee?”

“He’s okay,” Marion replied with a heavy breath that seemed more of relief than exhaustion. “I’ve just come from the hospital, and with a bit of time and rest, he should make a full recovery. But more importantly, how are you?”

Emma couldn’t answer; she didn’t know how. Everything was a mess, and the thought of losing Nick before she even had the chance to get him back properly ripped her heart in two. She looked to her lap, anxiously wringing her hands as her eyes very quickly filled with tears.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Marion shuffled along the sofa and wrapped Emma in a strong and caring hug.

Emma welcomed the embrace and allowed herself to break. She sobbed heavily, and fat teardrops plopped onto Marion’s shoulder, leaving dark splotches on her powder blue blouse. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, Marion.”

Marion tried to soothe Emma by smoothing her hair and softly swaying back and forth as they hugged, just like she used to do to Jasmine when she was upset as a little girl. “You have nothing to be sorry for, d’you hear me?” Marion said. She held Emma at arm’s length and looked into her eyes as she stroked her cheeks with open palms and wiped away her tears. “I can only imagine what you’ve had to endure all these years.”

“I never wanted to give him up.”

“I know.”

“I can’t lose him, Marion. Not now. Not like this.”

“You won’t.” Marion rubbed Emma’s arm in support. “Nick is strong. He’ll get through this,” she said and paused for a moment before offering a sympathetic smile. “How is he?”

Emma’s breathing was jagged as she tried to take in a deep breath to calm herself. She sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue from her pocket. “I don’t know,” she admitted, looking back at her friend from under her brow. “Jasmine won’t let me see him.”

Marion frowned. “What?”

“She’s banned Julia and me from the hospital. The staff won’t let us in.”

Marion pursed her lips together and shook her head. That wasn’t acceptable, especially when Nick’s life was hanging by a thread. Marion felt a pang of disappointment in her daughter’s actions, although she also understood how Jasmine could feel such a way. “I’ll have a word with her,” she replied as she took Emma’s hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re his mothers, both of you, and he needs you.”

“Thank you, Marion.” Emma smiled softly.

“So, do you feel like telling me the story from the beginning?”

Emma’s smile brightened, and she nodded. It felt good to finally be able to talk openly and honestly about the past twenty-five years, and she trusted Marion enough to let her in. “I’d like that.”

“Tell you what,” Marion said as she placed the palms of her hands on her knees and pushed herself off the sofa, “why don’t you get comfy, and I’ll go make us some tea.”

“Thanks, Marion. The tea’s in—”

“I’ll find it.” Marion interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand as she started to walk across the living room towards the kitchen. “You just rest. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

While Marion busied herself in the kitchen, Emma turned her head and looked out of the window. Through the patterned net curtains, she could see the afternoon sunshine glistening on the River Medway at the end of the lane, and she let out a long, soothing exhale of breath as she finally felt ready to open up and tell everyone her story.

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Village Green,
Glendale

Audrey Granger pulled her baby blue cardigan tighter around her body and tucked her hands under her arms as she stepped out of Willow Cottage, pulling the yellow painted door shut behind her. The commotion of sirens in the village had drawn her out, and she felt unsettled when she spotted the large yellow ambulance parked a few doors down.

Curiosity nudged her toward the village green, where it seemed everyone in Glendale had converged to gawp and gossip. As Audrey traversed the familiar yet short route down Queen Victoria Street with ease, aided by the walking stick she had been ordered to use following her recent fall, she spotted Queenie and Jack standing underneath a tree watching the events unfold.

“What on earth has happened?” She asked with a sniff as she hobbled up to her lifelong best friend and the local police sergeant.

Queenie shrugged, unable to draw her eyes away from Thyme Cottage in case she missed the slightest glimpse of action. “Dunno, but they went rushin’ in, so it must be serious.”

Audrey smiled a polite smile of greeting at Jack, but it soon faded when she noticed his red eyes and blotchy face. It was obvious the strapping man had been crying. “Jack? Are you okay?”

Jack forced a smile. “I’m good, thanks, Missus Granger.”

Queenie pursed her lips tightly and threw a knowing glance Jack’s way. “Ya know that lyin’ is a sin.”

The faint hint of amusement licked at the corners of Jack’s mouth, and he shrugged. “Yeah, well, so is being gay apparently, so if I’m already going down, then what have I got to lose?”

Audrey suddenly felt awkward with the conversation and shifted her weight from one side to the other, unsure of what to say or how to react. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable around gay people or that she disagreed with their lifestyle, but she had always felt morally torn between her religious beliefs and her personal beliefs. She couldn’t reconcile the Church’s stance on homosexuality when, in her eyes, it was nothing more than two people sharing a love. And, after all, wasn’t love what the world needed more than anything? So instead, Audrey did what she does best when it comes to matters of church and personal beliefs – she ignored them.

Queenie turned her head to her best friend. “‘e got in a scrap with yer Tom.”

“Pardon?”

Queenie held up Jack’s bloodied right hand. “Fisty cuffs between Tom an’ Jack.”

Audrey’s mouth dropped as a genuine look of shock and concern crossed her face. “Why?” She asked, unable to comprehend what would cause two of the most placid men she knew to come to such a heated confrontation. “What on earth happened?”

Jack felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment and lowered his head as he kicked away a pebble. “It’s nothing, Missus Granger. Honestly.”

Quick as a flash, Queenie looked at Jack and silently scolded him for yet another lie.

Uncomfortable, Jack let out a deep exhale and made his excuses as shame and guilt ate away at him. “I’ll see you at home, Queenie.”

As Jack walked off, Audrey couldn’t hide her confusion. Something seemed amiss, and she had known Queenie long enough to know when her best friend was hiding something from her. “What’s happened?”

“I think ya be’er sit down,” Queenie said and motioned for her friend to join her on the park bench. While the two elderly women lowered themselves onto the wooden seat, Queenie’s mind frantically searched for a way to deliver the shocking news she was about to tell Audrey about her grandson.

-:-

Across the village green, Carol tried to call Tom’s phone yet again as she paced back and forth out the front of her pub.

“Hi, you’ve reached Tom. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

Carol sighed, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The way Tom had stormed out worried her, and the fact that Kate wasn’t picking up either alarmed her.

Just then, Kate Spencer’s black Land Rover rounded the corner from London Road onto Queen Victoria Street, roared past the ambulance outside Thyme Cottage, and pulled up suddenly out the front of The Oak & Vine, only a few feet away from Carol. The driver’s side door swung open, and Kate jumped out before slamming it closed and marching to the back of the vehicle to retrieve her overnight bag. There was an urgency to her daughter-in-law’s movements that caused Carol’s anxiety and worries to surge.

“Kate?” She said with a frown and rushed towards the car. Carol’s stomach dropped when she saw the duffle bag at Kate’s side. “What’s happened?”

Kate ignored her mother-in-law for a moment and cast an eye across the village green to the bright yellow ambulance parked outside Ashwin and Neha’s. A confused frown settled over Kate’s brow, and she glanced around, taking in the scene of all the villagers out watching and gossiping about what could possibly be happening behind closed doors. “What’s going on? What’s happened?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Carol replied, frustrated at the lack of information that was forthcoming. “Have you spoken to Tom?”

As Kate finally turned her attention in Carol’s direction, her heart sank. It was obvious Kate had been crying, and Carol knew instantly that something serious had gone down between her son and his wife. Jack’s accusation, if not true, had at least caused some level of pain, and one would guess a confrontation.

“Oh, sweets, what’s wrong?”

Kate choked on an answer as her eyes drifted away from her mother-in-law whilst struggling to find the right words to communicate exactly what had happened and why. “Do you mind if the kids and I stay with you for a few nights, Carol?”

Carol’s face dropped. “So, it’s true then?”

Kate glanced back at her mother-in-law.

Carol continued, offering Kate an explanation to her question, despite the fact that she could already tell from the look in her daughter-in-law’s eyes that everything yelled in anger was true. “Jack was in the pub just before shouting the odds, saying terrible things about Tom and Lee. Beat him black and blue and—”

“I saw.”

Carol’s words caught in her throat as Kate cut her off.

“He came back to the house when I was packing a bag,” Kate said in her thick Welch accent, while her eyes began to sting with yet more tears and the prickly memories of her confrontation with Tom pierced her thoughts. “Whatever Jack said was the truth, Carol. Tom and Lee have been having an affair, and… our marriage is over.”

The declaration knocked the wind from Carol. Never had she thought she would see the day that Tom and Kate’s marriage would crumble. They were perfect for each other, or so she had thought. The idea that Tom could’ve been having an affair, let alone the fact that it was with Lee Campbell of all people, left Carol completely dumbstruck.

Kate swallowed heavily, trying to gulp away her tears. She took in a deep breath, held it for a beat longer than a moment, and let it slowly escape from her body with a calming exhale. She straightened her back, squared her shoulders, curled a lock of her wavy reddish-brown hair behind her ear, and tightened her grip on the straps of the duffle bag.

“If you don’t mind, I just want to get inside and have some time to myself before I get the boys,” she said, meeting Carol’s gaze and trying to appear cold and icy but failing.

Carol could see the pain, hurt, and betrayal as clear as day in Kate’s eyes. It was obvious there was no coming back from this, and it broke Carol’s heart in two. “Pamela’s getting them.”

Kate forced a smile, reached out, and squeezed her mother-in-law’s hand.

“Thanks, Carol,” she said with genuine sincerity. “I really appreciate this.”

Without another word uttered, Kate turned and headed into the pub, allowing the heavy doors to close behind her.

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Ashbourne House,
Glendale

“Well? Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”

Julia’s voice was laced with indignation as she stood at the top of the stairs, glaring down at James and Natalie as they suddenly parted from their hug and both turned to look up at her, their faces riddled with surprise and something else that Julia instantly recognised as guilt.

“Mark’s kicked her out,” James replied, clearing his throat before he spoke – a tell Julia knew meant that he had something to hide.

Julia’s lips pursed into a taut line as she slowly descended the staircase, her hand gliding along the banister. Her cold glare moved slowly from James to Natalie and back again. While her husband still looked guilty, Natalie’s expression had soured and almost caused Julia to pause. There was something menacing about it, something that left Julia without doubt that they were, in some way, headed for a bloody battle. “I know. I’ve just had Charlotte on the phone, and she’s told me all about it.” Julia reached the bottom step and turned her attention to the raven-haired nineteen-year-old. “So, are you going to tell him, or shall I?”

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Village Green,
Glendale

Audrey shuffled across the village green, past the bandstand and red telephone box that had been converted into a book exchange, and around the war memorial made of white Portland stone as she headed along the worn pavement towards The Oak & Vine. The short distance suddenly felt like miles as she struggled under the weight of the news that Queenie had delivered to her about Tom’s affair with Lee.

Watching on as the front door of Thyme Cottage opened, Carol suddenly caught sight of Audrey heading her way. Her weary steps and paleness were immediate cause for alarm. “Mum? Are you okay?”

Audrey shook her head. “Queenie just told me.”

“Told you what?”

“About Tom and Lee.”

Carol looked past her mother and fired daggers in Queenie’s direction. “Oh, did she now?”

Audrey titled all her weight onto her right hip and steadied herself with her walking stick. “I just don’t understand it, Carol. Why would Tom give up everything he had?”

Carol sighed. If only she had the answer to the question everyone was thinking. “I don’t know, Mum, and he’s not answering his phone, so I can’t ask him.” She gently tapped the iPhone against her chin as she pondered things for a moment. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind, and she took off like a flash back into the pub.

Tony, who was only a few feet away, frowned heavily and looked to his mother-in-law. “Where’s she going?”

Audrey shrugged and contorted her face before Carol reappeared holding her car keys.

“Where are you going?” Tony asked with a slight tone of concern.

“Greystone Downs,” Carol replied matter-of-factly as she stuffed her iPhone into the pocket of her jeans and unlocked her silver Renault Captur with her key fob. “I need to talk to Tom. I can’t leave it, Tony. I need to talk to him about it.”

Audrey straightened, as much as her old bones would allow, and banged her walking stick on the pavement. “Then I’m coming too,” she announced and started moving towards Carol’s car before there was a chance for things to descend into an argument.

“No, Mum, stay here. Please. Just let me sort this out.”

Audrey’s mouth puckered, and her crystal blue eyes narrowed as they zoned in on her daughter. “Tom is my grandson, and he’s going to need all the love and support he can get to get through this, Carol,” she said in her usual silvery tone, although it had suddenly taken on a commanding seriousness. “I don’t care what you say.”

“Fine,” Carol sighed in reluctant agreement. “Come on then.”

-:-

Meanwhile, upstairs in the Oak & Vine, Kate stood at the living room window, the net curtains held back in her right hand, and looked out over the village green. She watched as Carol helped Audrey into the passenger seat and then shifted her attention when she saw a stretcher being wheeled out through the front door of Thyme Cottage, while in the distance a police car drove down Queen Victoria Street. The village that had been her home for over two decades now felt so foreign, as if everything she knew and loved had been nothing but a lie. She looked around at the quaint cottages, each one worthy of being on a postcard, and at the rolling hills in the distance. Slowly, a realisation settled over her that life would never be the same again, and as she came to terms with that heartbreaking and terrifying fact, a single tear broke free and rolled down her cheek.

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Thyme Cottage,
Glendale

Neha watched on as the ambulance doors closed with a heavy thud and, as the yellow vehicle pulled away from Thyme Cottage, Glendale was illuminated in flashing blue lights and the sound of wailing sires.

“Missus Neha Patel?”

Neha turned to see two uniformed police officers – the same ones who had arrested her a few weeks earlier for drunkenly slapping Poppy Granger.

“Who wants to know?” She replied with a snarl that did little to hide the fact that she was still slightly inebriated.

The female police officer let out an irritated exhale of breath. It was like history repeating itself. She stepped forward and removed a pair of handcuffs from her belt clip.

“Neha Patel, I’m arresting you on the charge of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.”

“No!” Neha screamed with a primal roar that caught the villager’s attention. “Please don’t do this! Please! I’m begging you!”

The female officer ignored Neha’s cries and handcuffed her.

“You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

As Neha was bundled into the car, the villagers of Glendale watched on in shock. From the portico of her new cottage on the far side of the village green, Rebecca Williams watched with interest. The police car drove past, and as Neha was whisked out of the village, the two women locked eyes. Rebecca raised an eyebrow as a smirk curled her lips. It finally seemed that justice would be served and Neha would pay for her actions. The thought sent a jolt through Rebecca’s body, and she couldn’t help but relish in Neha’s misfortune.

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Room 5, General Intensive Care Ward,
St. George’s Hospital, London

Ed and Doctor Carter stood silently staring at each other, neither one sure of what to say or do. Ed felt his heart pounding in his chest while blood swished in his ears, and his breathing changed to short, sharp jabs as the room seemed to distort. His two worlds had collided in yet another spectacular fashion, and he didn’t know how to explain away his reaction.

“Dad?” Jasmine asked with concern as she reached out and touched her father’s arm to get his attention.

“Hmm?” Ed was pulled back into the present and looked back at his daughter with a confused frown. “Sorry?”

“I said, do you two know each other?”

“Err, yeah. Sorry,” Ed stammered as he ran a hand over his mouth, buying himself some precious seconds. “I just wasn’t… this is Lewis. He’s married to a friend of mine.”

Lewis frowned heavily but knew this was neither the time nor the place to challenge Ed’s misinformation. “Lewis Carter,” he said, firing a half-hearted smile in Jasmine’s direction, followed by a slight nod of his head.

Jasmine returned the greeting with a smile. “Jasmine Atkins. Nick’s fiancé.”

“I remember.” Doctor Carter looked from Jasmine to Ed and back again. “I’m just about to finish my shift but wanted to see how Nick’s doing.”

Jasmine looked at her fiancé lying in the hospital bed, and her heart clenched. Hooked up to the machines and monitors keeping him alive, Nick looked nothing like the man she knew and loved. “No change.”

“That’s to be expected,” Doctor Carter replied. “Like we said, it will be a slow process.”

“But he’ll be okay, right?” Ed asked.

Doctor Carter gave a reassuring nod, even though he didn’t entirely believe it himself. “He’s made it this far,” he said. “He’s certainly a fighter.”

Suddenly, without warning, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor stuttered and began blinking with erratic spikes, as alarms pinged and warning lights began flashing. Doctor Carter’s eyes shot up to the screen as his expression shifted from calm to alarmed. He hurried forward and banged a fist against the emergency call button before carrying out an assessment on Nick as the monitor’s luminescent green spikes blinked faster and more alarms began pinging and ringing. Panic erupted.

“Nick?” Jasmine held a hand to her mouth as the small room immediately filled with doctors and nurses, each one causing her to shuffle back until she was practically out the door. “Dad?”

Ed held an arm tightly around his daughter’s shoulders as he watched on in horror. “What’s happening?”

“You need to give us some space,” Doctor Carter yelled back at them, glancing in their direction briefly with a pale look of worry that would stay with them forever.

“Lewis?” Ed asked. “What’s happening?”

“Get out of the way, Ed!” Doctor Carter yelled.

Jasmine began to sob and tremble. “Dad? What’s happening?”

As the medical staff huddled around Nick, doing everything they could to save his life, a chilling single beep sounded as the erratic spiked chart flashing on the monitor screen suddenly became a flatline.

–  G L E N D A L E  –

Ashbourne House,
Glendale

“Tell me what?” James said as his eyes darted from Julia to Natalie and back again while his mind scrambled to keep up. “What is going on, Julia?”

Julia and Natalie exchanged charged glares as the two women remained locked in a silent battle of wills. Natalie curled her hands into fists and dug the tips of her nails into the palms of her hands, while Julia’s mouth tightened and loathing leeched out of her pores.

“She was blackmailing me,” Julia said with a bitterness that sent a chill down James’ spine and caused him to break out in goosepimples. “She overheard you, me, and Mother talking in the library about Nick’s parentage, and she used that morsel of information to blackmail me for one hundred thousand pounds.”

“What?” James’ face drained of colour as he looked at Natalie, who couldn’t meet his stare.

“Don’t worry,” Julia continued, gleaning enjoyment as she watched her husband’s raven-haired personal assistant shrink in front of her eyes. “I didn’t pay. But Mother did. She thought it would keep her quiet, but it didn’t work, did it, Natalie? She demanded another hundred grand before the engagement party, or she would tell Nick the truth. Only fate stepped in before she had a chance.”

“Is this true?”

Natalie didn’t respond to James’ question; instead, she stared at Julia, trying to find a way out of the messy situation she had suddenly found herself in.

Julia moved from the staircase and across the foyer to where James and Natalie stood at the open front door. She steadied herself to deliver the knockout blow that would finally eradicate Natalie from their lives for good. “And Charlotte’s just told me that she was sending your sister messages on Instagram from anonymous accounts. Threatening messages. That’s why Mark threw her out.” She trained her ruthless glare on Natalie. “You really are the most wicked piece of work.”

Natalie pulled her mouth tight, and her eyes narrowed. There was little she could do but play the best defence possible – offence. “It was just a bit of fun that got out of hand, that’s all.”

“Just a bit of fun?” Julia spat with all the bitterness of a lemon. “Charlotte was terrified! She thought she had a stalker. You sent her a photo of the house and said, ‘Home sweet home’. You’ve terrorised her for weeks! She thought the psycho had found her.”

Natalie rolled her eyes and brushed away Julia’s statement as if it were an annoying fly. “She always was overdramatic.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” James stammered as he looked at his secret lover in disbelief. A mixture of confusion and anger bubbled inside him as he began to suspect that their clandestine relationship had been some devious plan all along.

“Oh calm ya farm, James,” Natalie groaned, unbothered by her boss’s growing anger.

Suddenly Julia’s phone began to ring, and as she removed it from her handbag and looked at the screen, her heart stopped for a moment.

Jasmine

“Jasmine?” She said, accepting the call. Suddenly her face dropped. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

While Julia headed across the foyer and into the drawing room without excusing herself, James glared at Natalie.

“It’s a simple misunderstanding, that’s all,” Natalie said with a coolness that tipped James’ anger over into rage.

He clamped hold of her arm with a crushing grip that seemed to damage the nerves in her elbow and marched her through the open front door.

“Get your hands off me!” Natalie yelled, struggling against James’ strength.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re unhinged!”

“Let go of me, James! You’re hurting me!”

“I’ll do more than that if you’re not careful!” James snarled with a tone that struck fear into Natalie’s heart before he shoved her away from him with such a force it sent her crashing down onto the gravel driveway with a heavy thud. “And don’t bother coming back tomorrow. You’re fired!”

Natalie scrambled to her feet and straightened herself as James moved back into the house. He grasped the door, and as he swung to slam it, Natalie lunged forward and blocked it. “I don’t think you want to be so rash, James.”

Taken aback by the sudden and powerful movement of his young lover, James frowned heavily. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Removing something from her pocket, Natalie tapped at her phone a few times and then held the device up, turning it to face the screen in her boss’s direction. After a few seconds of trying to process just exactly what it was Natalie was showing him, James’ face dopped, and he was horrified to see a video playing on the screen of them having sex.

“You recorded us?” He mumbled in disbelief as he watched himself move back and forth on top of Natalie in her bed.

Natalie’s mouth curled with delighted satisfaction. “It certainly looks that way.”

Guilt and shame ripped through James’ body. He couldn’t watch anymore, but he also couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. “That’s illegal!” He snarled through gritted teeth as he looked around to make sure Julia or Magda didn’t see or hear. “You do realise you’ll do time for this.”

“But that would involve you telling the truth,” Natalie purred with wicked joy. “And we both know honesty isn’t exactly your strong point, James.”

As Natalie stopped the recording and returned the device to her pocket, James sized the manipulative teenager up for a moment. “What do you want?”

“Ah!” Natalie began with a wicked smirk. “Now there’s a question.”

NEXT TIME…

• The Harrington-Jones family receives news.