Elizabeth eases Roy’s burden. Lynda is triumphant about a way to beat Route B.

Radio Times: Lynda makes a breakthrough. Meanwhile, things are tense at Lower Loxley.

Characters: David, Elizabeth, Lynda, Roy, Ruth, Shula, Susan

• Everyone who comes into the Post Office today manages to steer the conversation round to Jennifer’s party. Susan being apparently the only person in the county who hasn’t received an invitation, this is increasingly annoying. She suffers Elizabeth’s mention, then Shula’s but finally snaps with Lynda.
• At Lower Loxley, Roy’s mood has not improved.
• At Brookfield they are looking through the online reactions to the SAVE video; not all the comments are supportive though one is rather poetic. Shula reports some recent donations but this money won’t go far if they need to bring in experts. Perhaps they could get a solicitor to work pro bono; Usha might be able to suggest someone.
• Elizabeth has been thinking about the situation at Lower Loxley and has decided to recruit an assistant manager, on a short term basis, to provide extra help for Roy and herself while they concentrate on Loxfest. She assures him it is nothing to do with what happened between them. However it isn’t well received: Roy sees it as a judgement that he can’t cope; it’s Elizabeth’s decision and he feels he will just have to live with it. She can’t win!
• With a metaphorical fanfare of trumpets, Lynda bursts into the Brookfield kitchen. She has great news. She spotted on the video a Brown Hairstreak butterfly, one of the country’s rarest. Dr Finnegan of the Borsetshire Wildlife Trust is excited. If it can be verified that the Brown Hairstreak breeds on Route B, Lynda thinks it is the end of the road for the road.