Anisha and Alistair seem to be moving towards an understanding; Emma and the world seem to be moving as far apart from each other as possible.

Radio Times: Emma’s resolve is broken

Characters: Alistair, Anisha, Chris, Clarrie, Ed, Emma

• Alistair discovers Anisha waiting with the horse that is due for surgery today. She explains that she’s been keeping her distance as she needed time to herself. Alistair admits that he was wrong to hide his past but hopes that she can forgive him. She has reignited his interest in his work and he hopes that they can look to the future together. Making no comment, she starts to prepare for surgery.
• Chris calls in at the dairy to pass on some good news to Susan, but she’s not there. Still, Clarrie is overjoyed to hear that he’s paid off all of his loans, and is now the sole owner of the forge. Chris and Alice are planning a party but he wonders if Oliver’s financial situation might put a damper on things. He says that according to Susan, the Grundy’s tenure at Grange Farm may be ending soon. Clarrie just hopes that Emma hasn’t caught drift of the rumours.
• Anisha is having difficulty with the surgery. She needs more time. Alistair deepens the horse’s sedation and offers advice borne of years of similar experience on cattle. With one last try, Anisha is finally successful. At Grange Farm, Chris invites Ed and Emma to the party. Not seeing Emma, he makes a comment about her contribution at the meeting. She overhears and can’t believe that he would say such a thing. She was sticking up against the “village snobs.” The visit turns into a bit of a disaster and Emma stomps off to see to the children.
• With the horse recovering, Anisha offers her thanks to Alistair. She thanks him too for being straight with her earlier. She asks where his problems started and he tells the story of Matt’s injured horse, Hassett Harrier. All it needed was rest, but Matt refused to pay the veterinary bills and wanted it put down. Alistair refused. He and Shula re-mortgaged in order to pay off his debt to Matt and be rid of him. Anisha has the full story and now understands.
• At Grange Farm, tempers reach boiling point. Chris insists that the village doesn’t need further building sprawl. Emma retorts that as a business owner, he’s bound to know what’s best. He insists that she’s just jealous and should stop bleating on about having three jobs and stop insulting his mother-in-law in public. Clarrie walks in on the argument just as Chris mentions the rumour about Oliver, spread by Susan. Emma screams that riff-raff or not, no one is going to come between her and her own home. Calling him an “arrogant git” she hurtles off upstairs.
• Clarrie goes to pour oil on some very troubled waters, only to find Emma tearing up her scrapbook of dreams. Fallon managed to find help with her deposit and Chris happened to marry money but nothing ever happens for them. She doesn’t want to “just survive”. She wants the security of her own home. How could Chris be so hateful? How could he stick up for Jennifer and not his own sister? Clarrie suggests that the best way out is to keep working hard and try to ride life’s changes. Emma is certain that she’s not going to go the party under any circumstances.