Phoebe may feel secure for now, but…: Susan’s imagination soars skywards.

Radio Times: Susan has been doing some maths and Freddie spectacularly fails

Characters: Freddie, Lexi, Lynda, Oliver, Phoebe, Roy

• Phoebe confides in Lexi that all is well. Her period has started. Lexi says that perhaps telling her father would be a good idea. He’d be sure to understand. Lexi leaves as Freddie appears with some news. Lily has achieved straight A’s in her AS levels. As usual, his best efforts result in straight F’s. At Grey Gables, Lynda tells Roy that Emma spoke well at the meeting, much to Jennifer’s annoyance. Lynda has a plan to use Caroline’s gift to buy a memorial bench for the hotel. Roy thinks the idea is excellent and offers to chip in and feels that Ian may like to contribute too.
• At the shop, Susan is bending Oliver’s ear about how her kefir is infinitely superior to Tom’s. Of course, hers was made with flair and attention to detail. She’s sure that Tom will need help to manage the enterprise come launch day. Oliver is miles away though, having spotted a packet of Caroline’s favourite biscuits. He tries to pay for his shopping but only has euros and his plastic cards won’t work. Susan kindly suggests payment later but he refuses and hurries to leave, without taking his shopping.
• Phoebe needs to see Adam and asks Freddie to keep an eye out for Roy and keep him away from Lexi. Her reason? They had an argument the other day about the graffiti incident. His payment is that she should put a good word in with Sonya on his behalf. She agrees but warns him again to keep Lexi and Roy apart.
• Lynda gets short shrift when she tries to talk to Oliver at Grey Gables about her idea for a bench in Caroline’s name; his mind’s clearly elsewhere. Meanwhile, at the shop, Susan tells Roy rather furtively that she believes that Oliver is financially ruined following the incident in the shop. “It’s as a result of Caroline’s gifts” she says, listing beneficiaries and amounts. Roy just can’t believe his ears.
• Freddie tries unsuccessfully to keep his charges apart. However, pretty soon things begin to take on the shape of a Whitehall farce with Roy inevitably meeting Lexi. He explains that he’s taking Phoebe to the cinema and almost invites her to join them but is cut short when she has to go and reprimand Constantin. Phoebe turns up and Roy comments that Lexi and Constantin don’t really act like a couple. With that, they go off to see their film, “Rosemary’s Baby”. A lucky escape or what?
• Back at the shop, Susan’s rumour mongering slips smoothly into top gear. Though closed, she lets Lynda in to buy breakfast things and then sets about telling Roy her latest theory. “Posh but poor” the Stirlings were, Oliver had a button hanging by a thread from his shirt earlier. Lynda, who couldn’t help overhearing, disagreed. She’s seen the “frayed edges of grief” before. But Susan has more tinder to throw on the fire. Oliver’s so poor that he will have to sell the hotel, evict the Grundys and move back to Grange Farm. So there!