The plot thickens for Jennifer. Helen looks into adoption procedures with Pat’s glowing approval of Rob.

Radio Times: Jennifer turns detective once again, and Pat’s opinions change over time.

Characters: Carol, Helen, Hester, Jennifer, Lilian, Pat, Peggy

• Peggy’s revelations about Hester’s odd statement stoke Jennifer’s long-held suspicion about Carol’s hand in John’s death. Peggy refutes Jennifer’s conclusions, explaining that Hester’s deteriorating mental state accounted for several anomalies in conversation during the course of that afternoon. Jennifer is unconvinced and insists on giving Peggy a lift to her Bridge session at Carol’s, where she is sure to encounter Hester.
• Helen seeks Pat’s opinion on Rob adopting Henry. She’s worried that Pat and Tony may take offence if Henry’s surname is no longer Archer. Pat thinks it is a very sweet offer, especially as the idea came from Rob. Pat makes a comparison with Alistair having adopting Daniel and the solid unit they and Shula became. Helen becomes emotional and leaves to get a breath of fresh air, leaving a puzzled Pat. Helen later does some preliminary research into adoption procedures, which involve lengthy local authority, welfare, and police national computer checks. Helen also wonders whether they contact the child maintenance service, after all the trouble with Jess. Pat cannot imagine that anything incriminating would be found on Rob.
• Jennifer contacts Lilian on her retreat to let her know there is no need to rush back to take Peggy to Bridge. This disrupts Lilian’s plan which had been an early getaway, leaving Kate for the rest of the week. Jennifer introduces herself to Hester, commiserates over the loss of her husband and fishes for information about John’s death. On the brink of a disclosure, Carol announces the Bridge game is set up which triggers a convoluted discussion about an Agatha Christie plot. The moment is lost. Back home with Lilian, Jennifer does her homework on the Christie novel and finds that Hester cited it word for word. Nothing wrong with her memory as far as Jennifer is concerned, so is Carol exaggerating its decline for her own ends? An exasperated Lilian warns Jennifer to leave well alone.