Lydia left Shieldinch in fear of Lenny.
Lydia Murdoch is a hypocrite. She's happily lived a very comfortable life on Lenny's ill-gotten gains for years while pretending she doesn't really know about his work. Of course Lydia's not stupid, she knows full well that everything she has was bought with dirty money and this knowledge is something she is finding it harder and harder to live with. The reason Lydia is struggling so much with this burden is that she is not a bad person. She's a loving mother and she'd be a great pal if only someone would give her a chance, it's hard to find friends when your husband is so hated. Lydia keeps a stiff upper lip but she's easily hurt and her tricky relationship with Amber is a constant source of disappointment to her.
Lydia is lonely. She wants to be liked and while she might seem to look down her nose at Scarlett Mullen she's green with envy over Scarlett's pals and happy family. The truth is that Lydia is afraid of loneliness and rejection and she's been forced to deal with both in spades. In her darkest moments Lydia's got grave concerns about her marriage. She'd never admit it, even to herself, but Lydia can't help but wonder whether Amber has replaced her in Lenny's affection. It doesn't make her feel any less for her daughter but it does make her afraid that the day will come when Lenny doesn't need her anymore.
Lydia's dad was an illegal bookie. She's been au fait with the slightly dodgy side of things since she was a kid and didn’t see her dad's work as a problem; he was just working for his family and not the tax man. Lydia's father eventually could afford a private school and all was rosy in the garden until Lydia fell pregnant to one of her father's business associates. Then fifteen, Lydia was head over heels in love but the man rejected her. Lydia's parents put the child, a son, up for adoption and never really forgave her for what they saw as letting them down. It was Lydia's first taste of rejection and left her terrified of being rejected again.
A few short years later, when an affair with Lenny Murdoch resulted in Lydia falling pregnant, it felt like history repeating itself. Lenny surprised Lydia by sticking by her and he's been sticking by her ever since. Lydia has repaid Lenny's loyalty by standing by him even though he repeatedly lets her down. She fought hard to win back Amber's affection but together the two women left Lenny and set up on their own. As a parting shot, Lydia sold the boatyard land Lenny had bought, for a fraction of the money he paid for it. She used the money to pay off her immediate debts and get Amber out of Shieldinch for a break where they could plan their next move.
Lydia made a success of life without Lenny, rebuilding her relationship with Amber and making Hola turn a decent profit for once. She rejected Lenny's pleas to come home until he enticed her with the greatest gift yet - he had found her adopted son and brought him home. The only problem was that the boy wasn't Lydia's son. When Lydia discovered the truth, she vowed to put a stop to Lenny once and for all but nothing could prepare her for the tragic events which led to Ewan's accidental death.
Aware that their lies about Lenny's involvement in Ewan's death could crumble at any second, Lydia and Malcolm were on tenterhooks. As the shaky evidence crumbled, Lenny was released from prison and Lydia's nightmare began. The only way to escape a life of looking over her shoulder was for Lydia to leave Shieldinch, alone.
