03/02/2022

Poorly Chris is worried about work piling up. He’s missing Martha and is concerned about Alice. Susan counsels him not to rush things or stress about Alice, who has Brian and Jennifer keeping an eye on her. Chris asks if Susan might call on Alice. Alice guesses she’s being checked up on, but when Susan declares it’s clear how well Alice is coping, she’s pleased. They agree it must be hard for Chris missing Martha so much. Alice asks when Susan will take Martha to visit Chris, but Susan has a better idea, and later Alice visits the flat herself with Martha. Chris is very happy to see his little girl.
Roy confides to Kate that Phoebe seems edgy. Kate informs him Phoebe has a new boyfriend, Salil. Roy remembers him from Oxford but thought they were just mates. Kate’s excited, both for Phoebe and by a conference she’s heard about. She approaches Phoebe with a request: her friend Burdock, the conference organiser, wants Phoebe and Rex to give a talk on rewilding. To Kate’s disappointment, Phoebe hedges – she’ll need to speak to Rex, who may be too busy. Frustrated by Kate’s bulldozing attitude, Phoebe talks to her dad, who admits to being confounded by her unpredictable mood. Phoebe apologises. Roy tentatively asks about Salil, which upsets Phoebe. She confides that her mum has it wrong. Phoebe’s been offered a job in the Highlands. But she’s worried about abandoning Rex and her Ambridge commitments. And how is she ever going to break it to her mum?