lark rise to candleford

Episode 2

Laura is still settling in to her new life at the Candleford Post Office. She is helping postwoman Mrs Macey with her rounds and making friends, when Mrs Macey learns, to her horror, that her husband has escaped from prison.

Worse still, her son has apparently befriended a mysterious stranger in the woods and comes as no surprise to learn that it is his father. Encouraged by Dorcas, Mrs Macey manages to persuade her husband to hand himself in, and reconciles things with her son. However, shaken by her treatment at the hands of the Candleford gossips (not least Zillah, Dorcas's maid), Mrs Macey decides that the time has come to leave.

Meanwhile, down the road in Lark Rise, Caroline Arless has been summoned to Court, and faces debtors' prison. Robert speaks up for her and Sir Tim eventually imposes a lenient penalty – but with a heavy warning. Caroline's 'feather the foam' philosophy needs curbing if she is to stay out of trouble for long.

Episode 3

Dorcas sets about engaging a new maid for widower Amos Wardup and his son, Young Amos. Patty is a dream come true for Amos, but Young Amos takes against her. It's not long before most of Candleford – and particularly the Pratt sisters – start to doubt Patty's motives and suspect her of being after Old Amos's money. Young Amos is the most suspicious, but it eventually becomes clear that his hostility towards Patty is not as straightforward as it first appeared – he's fallen in love with her.

Eventually, Patty and Young Amos admit their feelings to each other but, on learning of their romance, Old Amos is furious. Patty decides to leave, so that she doesn't cause any more trouble between father and son. It's going to take all Dorcas's diplomacy if there's to be any hope of reconciliation.

Elsewhere, the Reverend Ellison organises a Lark Rise concert at the request of Sir Timothy but, typically, hot-headed Robert falls out with Ellison over his children's contribution – and incurs the wrath of his family and the whole village.

Episode 4

When a strange old man appears in a woodshed, things take a turn for the worse. Mr Ashlow has come looking for his estranged daughters, Ruby and Pearl Pratt, but in the meantime he is determined to make as much money by mischief as he can, with Caroline Arless a willing accomplice. When Queenie hears that Ashlow is selling a cure for all ills, she buys some for Twister, who is growing increasingly forgetful, but is horrified when he falls into a coma. Furiously, the Lark Rise locals turn on Caroline for her part in this, but all are relieved when Twister recovers, apparently unscathed. Caroline's desperate bid to generate cash boils down to the bailiff in hot pursuit of her outstanding debts to the brewery – but how long can she stay one step ahead?

Meanwhile, Pearl and Ruby are in turmoil over the sudden reappearance of their vagabond father, who abandoned them as children and left them to fend for themselves. They are horrified to see him out in public, playing scams on the local residents, but a residual affection for their father eventually returns and they agree to take him in. Facing up to who he is and what he has done, they prepare to go public and prepare a special tea party to introduce Ashlow to Dorcas and Laura – but should they really trust him again when he let them down before?

Laura's relationship with Philip continues to blossom. However, concerned by what he might make of her family, she openly snubs her father one morning while in town with Philip. Overcome with guilt, she must work hard if she's to make amends with Robert.

Episode 5

Dorcas is thrown by the surprise arrival of a new Post Office inspector. Mr Rushton starts to unearth anomalies in the way Dorcas runs the Post Office, which are in breach of regulations, and Dorcas's respected position as Candleford postmistress hangs in the balance.

On his way back to Banbury, Rushton has a bad fall and is rushed back to Candleford, where Dorcas takes him in and nurses him back to health. They are both surprised by what they find out about each other during this period of recuperation and realise that they share common ground.

Meanwhile, Thomas is excited about giving the sermon on Sunday. However, one of the anomalies Mr Rushton has discovered at the Post Office is Thomas's failure to deliver the post on the Sabbath. Thomas stands his ground but in doing so nearly loses his job and his pension.

Over in Lark Rise, Emma is furious to discover that Robert's been carving a decorative angel on the schoolhouse, for which he is not being paid. It is a labour of love for Robert but Emma feels that the need to provide an income for his family should come first. Emma relents and Robert finishes the angel. They are both overjoyed when Sir Tim offers Robert a lucrative contract at the manor after seeing his fine craftsmanship at the schoolhouse.

Episode 6

Robert takes pity on a homeless family and takes them in. Emma's horror is nothing compared to their shock when they discover that the family have departed during the night, leaving behind their little daughter, Polly.

Lady Adelaide becomes aware of Polly's existence and soon falls in love with her. Sir Timothy, however, is extremely wary of this. He knows how badly Adelaide wants a child, but for them to adopt Polly would be completely inappropriate. Sir Timothy takes Polly to the Post Office where an out-of-sorts Zillah is lifted by the bond she forges with the child. Adelaide realises she cannot keep Polly but follows Sir Timothy to the Post Office in order to say goodbye. As it becomes apparent that there's no clear solution, little Polly's future hangs in the balance.

Thomas, meanwhile, has been having trouble sleeping and his restlessness is keeping everyone else at the Post Office awake. When Laura and Dorcas realise that it is thoughts of Miss Ellison that are keeping him up, they decide to intervene by sending her a love poem on his behalf. Miss Ellison responds with a poem of her own. Her poem ends up in Sir Timothy's possession, however, and events spiral out of control, making Dorcas wish she'd never intervened.

Episode 7

The residents of Lark Rise rally round resident Susan Braby when they realise her husband, Sam, has hit her. Sam is normally a gentle and well-liked man, but has been known to turn nasty after too many drinks. The Lark Rise residents' loyalty to Susan is shaken when she reports Sam to Sir Timothy and has him arrested. Many people think Susan is selfish to risk leaving her family without a breadwinner. Upset and lonely, she refuses to live on the charity of people who condemn her for standing up for herself, and she leaves the village for the workhouse.

Sam is horrified at himself for hitting Susan, but becomes increasingly hurt and frustrated by her determination to have him punished. Susan will only consider forgiving him if he gives up drink altogether and he thinks her demand is unfair. Emma visits Sam in prison and persuades him that giving up alcohol would be the right thing to do for him and his family. When Sam is released, he takes a vow of temperance and is reunited with Susan and his children.

Sir Timothy has commissioned Matthew to make new gates for the manor. Adelaide becomes frustrated at how much time her husband is spending with Dorcas and decides to cancel the order for the gates.

Timothy is furious that she has gone behind his back in this way, and they have a huge argument. Adelaide leaves the house and wanders through the fields. Eventually she collapses in the woods. She is found there by Queenie, who straightaway observes that Adelaide is pregnant. Adelaide is ecstatic.

Episode 8

A violent storm hits Lark Rise and Candleford and the arrival of a new teacher, James Delafield causes divisions in the two communities.

Mr Delafield has some books delivered to the Post Office which cause a stir. When Dorcas takes the books to him, they initially rub each other up the wrong way but the tension soon turns to chemistry. It seems that Sir Timothy might have a serious rival for Dorcas's affections…

However, elsewhere in Candleford, Mr Delafield's radical political views raise concern that he might damage young minds. In Lark Rise, meanwhile, he endears himself to the residents by setting up evening classes for the older boys to continue their education and by reviving an old tradition: holding a “penny reading” at the school, which is attended by all.

Alf is managing to keep his family together with the support of his Lark Rise friends. At the penny reading, he tries to impress Laura by reading her favourite poem, but is it enough to draw her attention from Philip? The night ends in panic as Twister, who has been minding the Arless children, becomes confused and takes them to the pub for some brandy. It's a race against time for the villagers to rescue the children from harm.

Back in Candleford, the residents have taken things into their own hands and insist that Mr Delafield is relieved of his position. Sir Tim isn't convinced, but is forced to act when the Pratts write to the school board. Timothy tells Dorcas about the letter and she goes to warn Delafield, urging him to leave rather than see his reputation ruined...

Episode 9

When Queenie finds an embroidered panel on a grave, the residents of Lark Rise and Candleford are intrigued. The panel is beautiful and yet has been lying undiscovered for many years. Twister hears that the panel could be worth £5 and dreams of the new life the money could buy him. Meanwhile, Dorcas and Sir Timothy set about getting to the bottom of the mystery of who created the panel.

Alf and Philip's rivalry continues. Alf's boast that he is skilled enough to poach in the manor grounds undetected leads both him and Edmund into danger. Robert wants to raise an honest son who respects nature, but despite his insistence that Edmund must not get involved in poaching, Edmund looks up to Alf and tries to emulate his daring attempts at poaching. While Alf manages to catch himself a pheasant, Edmund is seriously injured by one of Philip's traps.

Caroline returns to Lark Rise from her stay in prison and is determined to mend her ways. She constantly forces herself to bite her tongue and suppress her excessive urges in order to prove to herself and her children that she is reformed.

Dorcas tries again to bring Thomas and Miss Ellison together, but they both reject her invitation to a matchmaking tea at the Post Office and instead arrange to take a private walk together.

Episode 10

Twister finds Edmund in the woods on a cold, wet night and brings the injured boy home. Edmund recovers from his injuries, but Twister caught cold during the search and develops a fever. Convinced he is about to die, he gives away his prized possessions, then tries to retrieve them when he recovers.

Tensions between Dorcas and Sir Timothy continue to grow and painful truths about the past begin to surface. Trying to sustain a love that crossed the boundaries of class proved too difficult when Dorcas was young and she refused his proposal of marriage. A bitter argument gives way to a tender embrace, which Lady Adelaide witnesses from afar. However, Dorcas decides that she can no longer go on living and working so close to Sir Timothy, Her staff are devastated when she announces that she intends to sell the Post Office and go travelling.

Philip becomes increasingly possessive of Laura and she expresses doubts about their relationship. He vents his frustration on Robert, demanding that he tell Sir Timothy the identity of the poacher. Robert's refusal forces Sir Timothy to sack him from his work at the manor. It's the last straw as far as Laura is concerned; she tells Philip she never wants to see him again.

On Zillah's birthday, all her friends and locals are at the Post Office to help her celebrate. The party turns out to be full of surprises – both pleasant and sad. Sir Timothy tells Dorcas that his family must come first and he and Lady Adelaide are leaving for London. Thomas confesses he has not posted the deeds to the Post Office, so the sale isn't final and she can stay put. Caroline's baby makes an unexpected early apperance. But joy turns to sorrow when they discover that Zillah has quietly died.