A day in the company of James and Leonie. Yawn!

Radio Times: Robert has parental concerns. Meanwhile, there is news for Roy.

Characters: Elizabeth, James, Leonie, Lynda, Robert, Roy

• Robert has his nose to the grindstone finishing the set for Lynda’s Elizabethan evening but he plans to break off to cook for James and Leonie this evening. He and Lynda fear that Leonie spending so much time at the Dower House is giving James the chance to boss her about.
• However, at Lower Loxley the said James and Leonie are enjoying Deck the Hall and the German Market. James expresses concern about Ma looking stressed – concern that Leonie clearly doesn’t share, indeed she is rather dismissive of the idea.
• Elizabeth and Roy are drooling over the dairy plans. Also, Shires Brewery have offered substantial sponsorship of Cranford Crystal and the Rare Breeds – if they change the name to the Shires Rare Breeds unit. Progress at last. As for the dairy plans, it all depends how the project is viewed by the Commercial Relations Manager from the bank; he is coming on Thursday.
• At Ambridge Hall over dinner it is soon clear who is doing the bossing, also that it was Leonie’s idea to go to Lower Loxley. She has a brainwave about vegetarian food for the Elizabethan show: the latest exotic vegetable from the new world – potatoes; James is fulsome in his praise for her creativity.
• Back at the Dower House James finds a rather nice bottle of Cognac waiting for him, left not by Ma but by Matt. How kind of him, though James finds it a bit strange, knowing that he never was Matt’s favourite person; Leonie thinks Matt just needed time to see what a wonderful person James is (her words, not mine!).