Matt takes an interest in Grey Gables. Adam fails to take an interest in what Debbie is doing.

Radio Times: Caroline sizes up the competition.

Characters: Adam, Brian, Caroline, Ian, Jennifer, Lilian, Matt

• Caroline is still edgy over her attempt to buy Grey Gables, and this isn’t helped by Ian’s telling her that there are rumours of Redgate Manor’s interest. He thinks it could be a good solution; it’s a small chain and they run their hotels much like Grey Gables. Caroline isn’t convinced, though, and her jangled nerves jangle even more when Matt Crawford appears and tells her loftily that he’s meeting his agent there for a look round.
• Relations between Adam and Brian are increasingly strained. Adam suggests having one lambing a year instead of two, to give him time for the other work on the farm, but Brian won’t listen, and has a go at Adam for not making any progress with Matt over the Estate contract
• Lilian’s not pleased with Matt, who has no time to talk as he sets off on another business deal, accompanied, of course, by Jade, who, thinks Lilian, sees rather more of Matt than just his diary.
• Jennifer has had an exhausting morning finalising her designs for Tom’s Gourmet Grills and Pat’s carrot bags. Brian patronises her wonderfully, then proceeds to say, in Adam’s hearing, what a wonderful job Debbie is making of the Hungarian enterprise. When Jenny asks whether he’ll be around to have lunch when Debbie arrives home, Adam is evasive.
• Adam takes some venison up to Grey Gables, where he hears of Matt’s interest, which is news to an increasingly frustrated Lilian. When he gets back to Home Farm, he finds Caroline there, trying to find out what Brian knows about Matt’s thinking. Brian warns her to be careful