Things were hotting up this episode as everyone was trying to hide secrets, find them out, stop a wedding, reveal the truth. John (Adam James) gets Turton (Paul Ritter) to search James's office at home and he does whilst all are at dinner. Under the pretense of searching for a particular vintage of wine which he says they're out of. He claims his twenty quid but keeps back the details of the clergyman Pope. Asking for another £20. Well more fool John for tipping them in pennies when they would rise to the occasion and want more. He finds out how James was interested in Charles (Jack Bardoe) from an early age, wasn't that well known anyway. He visits his widow and says that he is here on behalf of Charles. However he gives himself away as he didn't know that the clergyman passed away last year since Charles would've told him. She tells him to leave and says she will write to James (Philip Glenister) about his intrusion.
As Lady Brockenhurst (Harriet Walter) Maria (Ella Purnell) and Anne (Tamsin Greig) plan another visit to Charles's office, they are surprised with the arrival of Lady Templemore (Tara Fitzgerald) already seated as she found a note to Lady Brockenhurst from Maria. She tells Templemore that Maria makes a good companion. When Anne arrives she wants Maria to leave but she refuses so she changes her mind too. However Lady Brockenhurst insists she leaves and will have her escorted out. Maria is in dire straits as she doesn't want to marry John and her mother is planning the wedding and has made an announcement in The Times, which everyone has read. Later Lady Brockenhurst decides that they should break the news to Charles and to society and he will be accepted and have a better life. Which Anne will have to discuss with James first. And Sophia will be forgotten conveniently. So how can they keep his mother from Charles that would be cruel.
This followed on from Oliver (Richard Goulding) travelling to Manchester and going to the cotton mill to get info on Charles and a loom worker notices his interest when he asks if the workers are all happy here. What kind of a cotton mill was that, no dust flying around. Heck they're dirtier than that. Think North and South and all the ailments workers suffered from by breathing it all in. Oliver meets with another two men who tell him that Charles was underhand in the way he purchased the mill from a widow, who broke down and was coerced into selling. Especially since they were going to buy it. Obviously they're making this up and Oliver has them write letters so he can show his father.
When Oliver returns James isn't impressed by this and makes his own inquiries. He asks Charles who doesn't deny anything and he later tells Maria that he didn't want to get in between a father and son and make things worse for them. She doesn't believe he is capable of such behaviour and neither does Anne and Lady Brockenhurst. He meets Maria at the bookstore as she sends him a note telling him her mother is sending her to Northumberland so she can make plans for the wedding in December. Maria hates the very thought of this and everyone knows how much Charles loves Maria and approve of the match. Anne also tells James about Lady Brockenhurst's idea to reveal Charles's true identity. That would mean they could never see their grandson again, which is unbearable for them. Oliver and James argue at the club and he renounces any association with his father with everyone listening to him. Also Susan (Alice Eve) is piqued and doesn't eat breakfast. Telling Anne she doesn't know why Oliver has gone to Manchester, again would've thought that would've been apparent. But still no one got the note it seems.
Anne questions after she receives a note from Jane (Rebecca Callard) Sophia's maid telling her that Ellis (Saskia Reeves) was asking about Charles and she isn't too pleased about that. As well as questioning her about the fan and why she didn't come to her. She replies she misplaced it and thought Anne had left it behind and was asking about the hair style for her. Which Anne states she would've recalled but she tries to make Anne absent minded. She's far from it but does let ii slide. Jane has letters from Sophia and other documents which Ellis manages to get from her bag after she sends her on a tour of London. However she gets Turton to make copies since the actual letters will be missed and they'd know it was her who took them. She delivers the copies to John but only for him to tell her he wants the originals. But she's too late as Jane has already shown them to Anne. Including Sophia's marriage certificate and a letter she kept of hers since she didn't think it her place to burn anything, as Sophia had asked. John's promise of giving them a £1,00 made her run like the wind!! Ha.
John knows who Charles is now and this puts his inheritance in further jeopardy as he tells this to his father. As well as discovering who this Captain Brodsworth (Stevee Davies) was. Surprise, surprise he was an actual clergyman and although he joined the army he could still marry people. Thus their marriage was legitimate. So how come Lord Bellasis didn't know this, when he used it just to get his way with Sophia, or did he? Also Rev Bellasis (James Fleet) begs Lady Brocklehurst for money but she gives him nothing and threatens to change the financial situation straightaway if he asks for any again.
As Maria and Charles show up at Lady Brockenhurst's who is throwing a tea party, attended by Lady Templemore too, she confronts Charles saying they won't be together. Lady Brockenhurst confides in Maria about who Charles is as long as she doesn't say anything to him yet, but he will be informed soon enough. SO my only gripe with this ep is how none of them thought to make enquiries of Brodsworth!! Why would they not find out everything about him, especially since they adopted Charles out to a clergyman too! Seems some of this was just pieced together last minute, even though it was adapted from the book. You know those add-ons they do, since they tried to hide everything, why not seek out this Brodsworth to find out what he knows and whether he would spill the beans.
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