Brian gets short shrift from Elizabeth; Botticelli’s is crowded.

Radio Times: Brian wants putting in the picture.

Characters: Brian, Clarrie, David, Debbie, Eddie, Elizabeth, Jennifer

• Clarrie wonders what Eddie is up to when he offers to take her out for a meal! He’s been offered some work, clearing the shrubbery at the Country Park. Good news, eh? Clarrie wants to go somewhere special. She’s had Caroline on the phone, as she and Oliver are very worried about how depressed Ed seems. He’s just lazy, thinks Eddie, and sulking because his holiday wasn’t so good. He needs to get back to some hard work. Clarrie wonders if a Father/Son talk would do any good – it might be something Ed doesn’t want to share with her. But Eddie will handle it his way. Heart-to-hearts are obviously not his speciality!
• Brian calls to see Elizabeth with the photos of Ruairidh’s Christening. He wants her to identify all the family and friends, especially the man who seems close to Siobhán. Elizabeth suddenly realises he is only using her as a spy and tells him in no uncertain terms that she won’t do it any more. David arrives as Brian leaves and the siblings share their mutual feelings about being ‘pig-in-the-middle’. Though he does feel some sympathy for Brian over his not seeing his son, Brian is back with Jennifer and should stop messing about.
• Jennifer has treated herself to a new hairdo in preparation for her night out. Debbie is scathing about the value of such trimmings. Jennifer tries to convince her that both she and Brian are making the effort to save something worth saving. She tells Debbie that she is making life impossible for herself and must let them just get on with it.
• Later on David and Brian discuss what went on at Lower Loxley. Brian chides himself for being so stupid, and declares that from now on, even though he’ll always want to know about Ruairidh, he loves Jenny. Its her he must concentrate on.
• Eddie has treated Clarrie to Botticelli’s, no less! Lynda and Robert are there too. Brian thinks half the village are here tonight – he saw Oliver and Caroline come in when Jenny was in the loo. The couple talk affectionately about themselves touching on their miseries but thinking positively about how things are going now. Adam being back has been a Godsend for them both, but what are they going to do to help Debbie?