In the kitchen at Beryl's, David demands, "What do you mean he's boarding here?" Beryl retorts, "Just that: the man's lost most of his money, he can't afford a hotel, so I offered to take him in. Is there something wrong with that?" David sighs heavily and sits down at the table. He then mutters, "It wouldn't have happened if you'd stayed at the farm. Why don't you come back?" Beryl replies, "No." David asks incredulously, "Why?" Beryl explains tersely, "It's that stupid nitroglycerine you're carting all over the country. David, you don't know what I went through when that truck overturned and blew-up outside Sydney; I thought you'd been killed. I'm sorry, but I can't take that - I think it's best if I stay here and lead my own life." David mutters, "If that's the way you want it." He then adds, "I still don't like the idea of Doug living here. What are the neighbours going to think?" Beryl snaps, "I don't give two hoots what the neighbours think." David growls, "I still don't like it." Beryl tells him, "You give up hauling nitroglycerine and I'll ask him to leave." David gasps, "What?" Beryl points out, "You want me to give up something you don't approve of; alright, I will - if you do the same thing." David, though, retorts, "OK, it's dangerous, but it's my life we're talking about." Beryl murmurs, "Exactly. You and I aren't responsible for each other any more, David. I can't tell you what to do and you can't tell me." David growls, "There's no getting through to you, is there, Beryl?" Doug suddenly walks into the kitchen and says, "I'll be leaving you all alone for a while tonight, Beryl. Thought I'd drop over and see Caroline." David tells him curtly, "She's been out looking for you. Even went to the hotel." Doug grins, "It's good to know she's still thinking about me." David adds, "She came home with the impression that you went off with a floozy..." Doug bursts out laughing! Beryl tuts, "Huh!"

Sometime later, Doug is standing in the kitchen at the country house with Craig and Debbie. Craig asks, "What did Beryl say?" Doug laughs, "Not a lot - she wasn't too impressed, either!" Caroline suddenly walks in from the hallway and stops in her tracks as she sees Doug standing there. He tells her, "I heard you were looking for me." Caroline just retorts, "Did you?" David nods, "David said you went down to the hotel." Caroline mutters, "To ask for a reference; nothing else." Doug muses, "I'm sorry it was business and not personal." Caroline retorts, "Well it was." Craig and Debbie look at each other. Debbie then tells Doug, "That's not true: she was going to give you back the jewellery and the fur you gave her - to show that she was willing to stand by you." Doug asks Caroline in surprise, "Is that right?" Caroline looks down at the floor and mutters, "We all make mistakes." Doug turns her to face him and explains, "That 'floozy' I left the hotel with was Beryl Palmer. I had nowhere to go; she's taken me in as a boarder." He adds, "You know something else? You've made me very happy - it's nice to know you care." Caroline, looking suddenly guilty, murmurs, "I feel like a prize idiot." Doug insists, "Don't. There's no need to, OK? And you can forget about giving everything back. I learnt long ago not to come between a lady and her mink!" Caroline nods, "Alright." Doug goes on, "Now that we've got that sorted out, how about a kiss?" Caroline, however, glances over to Craig and Debbie and smiles, "Not in front of the children!"

Janice is standing in May's room at the mansion, telling her, "I'm just about to leave." May comments, "I didn't think you were going quite so soon." Janice asks, "You haven't seen the teddy bear Fiona gave me, have you?" May replies, "No, dear. I'm sorry." Janice gives her a hug and tells her, "I've really enjoyed knowing you." May replies, "I've enjoyed knowing you." Janice then announces, "I'd better go and get my luggage," and she heads out.

A few moments later, May heads through the gap in the wall where the bookcase is and walks into Fiona's room. Fiona, looking surprised, mutters, "I do wish you would knock or call or something when you come through that stupid thing." Ignoring this, May tells her, "Janice is about to leave." Fiona just shrugs, "Oh." She adds, "Look, I've just made a fresh pot of tea." May, though, retorts, "You're as upset about the girl leaving as I am; the trouble is you're too stubborn to admit it." Fiona asks lightly, "Is that so?" May suggests, "Why don't you bend a little and forgive her? After all, she's apologised for what happened." Fiona, though, asks curtly, "How long will it be before the same thing happens again? - and it will, because we both know what Janice is like." May protests, "She thought she was doing the right thing. She wasn't acting out of spite." Fiona growls, "No. More like stupidity." May sits down and continues, "She's going to miss you. She came to my room looking for the present you gave her - the teddy bear" Fiona asks dismissively, "Why would she want that?" May replies, "Because you gave it to her. You were the only person who ever gave her a toy of any description. Obviously it means a great deal to her. And the fact that she doesn't want to leave without it says quite a lot, don't you think?" Fiona just sits there, staring into space.

A short time later, Janice descends the stairs in the corridor. Fiona suddenly emerges from her room and, a sad smile on her face, asks, "Haven't you forgotten something?" She holds out the teddy bear and Janice smiles warmly, "Thankyou. I was looking for her everywhere, but I couldn't find her." Fiona explains, "You left her in my flat." There's silence before both women start speaking at the same time, Janice saying, "I'm really sorry," and Fiona saying, "You don't have to go, you know." They stare at each other. Janice eventually asks softly, "Don't I?" Fiona tells her, "We all of us make mistakes - I know I do. The latest one is I've been a bit too hard on you lately. I'm sorry. Let's just forget the whole thing happened, huh?" Janice smiles, "I love you, Aunt Fiona." Fiona smiles back warmly, "I love you, too, Janice."

Some time later, Janice climbs down the stairs to find Alison about to head into Fiona's room. She demands, "What are you doing here? No one likes you, Alison, so just leave." Alison retorts, "You leave." She then knocks on Fiona's door. Fiona calls, "Come in." She's sitting at the desk in her room, adding up some figures. Alison tells her, "I'm after Bjorn's address and telephone number in Melbourne." Fiona tells her, "Just a minute..." She carries on with her adding-up. Alison, though, suddenly grabs the calculator from her and snaps, "Now, if you don't mind." Fiona glares at her and retorts, "Bjorn didn't leave any address or any telephone number." Alison insists, "You must have some idea where he's staying." Fiona tells her, "No I don't. Now, will you please leave? I've got far more important things to do than put up with your rudeness." Alison comments sourly, "What? Rigging the books so Wayne thinks you're running the boarding house at a profit?" Fiona retorts, "I don't have to rig the books to make a profit." Alison taunts, "You'll have to do something. You'll be setting up shop on the nearest park bench, otherwise." May suddenly walks in through the bookcase and demands of Fiona, "What's she talking about?" Fiona warns, "Don't listen to her, May - she's talking through her hat." Alison, though, says snidely, "Oh, Fiona, you know that's not true." She then turns to May and explains, "Unless the boarding house is making a profit within two weeks, Wayne plans to renovate it and let to people who can afford it." May gasps, "Where are we supposed to go?" Fiona says quickly, "May, it won't happen." Alison retorts, "You hope it won't. I think it will." She then muses, "I wonder what it's like living on the streets...?" She smiles nastily, says, "Bye," and walks out. May stares at Fiona in concern.

Doug and Caroline walk from the hallway into the kitchen at the country house, Caroline saying as they do so, "I'm not sure I like being used as decoration." Doug explains, "The guy we're meeting likes attractive women. You'll be helping convince him he should do business with me." Caroline asks, "Do you have enough money for the restaurant?" Doug nods, "All taken care of. You won't be washing dishes!" As they go to walk out, he adds, "You look stunning, by the way!"

Outside, Debbie is trying to hammer some nails into a piece of wood, but they keep bending! Craig takes the hammer from her and knocks them straight in! When he's done, Debbie says, "Thanks for giving me a hand on your day off. I was really starting to get behind." A man in his twenties suddenly walks over to them and says, "Hello. I'm looking for Dave Palmer." Craig replies, "He's not here at the moment." The man tells him, "The name's Ian Cox. Met Dave when I was hitchhiking down from Sydney. He said he might have a job for me in his market garden." Craig shrugs, "Not as far as we know." Debbie, looking suddenly upset, cries, "Unless he plans to get rid of me..." Ian tells her, "I wouldn't know anything about that." He then looks across the grounds and adds, "Is that Dave's truck over there?" Craig and Debbie ignore this, though, Debbie instead crying, "You think he would have said something if he wasn't happy with me."

David is sitting with Beryl at her kitchen table, smiling that her biscuits are really good. Beryl tells him, "Actually, I have to get some more ingredients - that's if I have enough money left after lending some to... Doug." She breaks off, uncertainly. David, looking annoyed, mutters, "It's bad enough that he's living here without him starting to sponge money off you." Beryl insists, "It was only a few dollars." David growls, "Yeah, and it'll be a few more dollars and a few more dollars..." Beryl retorts, "He knows I haven't got much. He knows he can't waste it." David tells her, "You're off your rocker." Beryl mutters, "Thankyou very much." She then goes on, "I happen to think I'm a reasonable judge of character and I think I can trust Doug. The man is down on his luck, David; it's not like you to kick someone when they're struggling." There's silence before David asks, "Do you still want to go to the shop?" Beryl nods, "Yes, I have to get Robert some new shoes." David mutters, "It's a wonder you've got the money." Beryl glares at him and growls, "I put it aside." David offers, "I'll give you a lift if you like."

Sometime later, Doug and Caroline are climbing out of Doug's car, which is parked outside a classy-looking restaurant. David and Beryl are standing on the opposite footpath and David tells his ex-wife, "Take a gander across the road. You don't eat in there and come out with much change. I thought he was down to his last dollar." A frown crosses Beryl's face as David adds, "You still reckon it's worth putting a roof over his head?"

David and Beryl arrive back at Beryl's and David puts several shopping bags down on the kitchen table. Beryl thanks him. She adds that, if he likes, they could take Robert to the park tomorrow. David, though, tells her, "I've got a trip tomorrow." Beryl gasps, "You've just come back from one. David, you shouldn't--" She breaks off and says, "I'm sorry." David asks her, "You going to take my advice and toss moneybags out on his ear?" Beryl just retorts, "I don't know what I'll do yet." David goes on, "I think I should stay here and wait 'til he gets back, then have it out with him." Beryl, though, snaps, "You'll do no such thing - he could be hours. Besides, if you are going on a trip, you'll need all the rest you can get." David warns her, "You can't let him get away with it." Beryl retorts, "I won't, but it is my problem and I will handle it."

Ian Cox is sitting at the kitchen table at the country house as Debbie and Craig stand around looking uncomfortable. They suddenly hear a car pull up outside and Craig heads out to speak to David. When he's gone, Ian comments to Debbie, "Craig seems a decent sort of bloke." Debbie nods, "He is." Ian goes on, "You like him, don't you?!" Craig is sitting just outside the back door, and as David walks round and goes to head inside, he demands, "What's the idea of giving Debbie the sack?" David looks at him blankly and replies, "You've lost me." Craig growls, "Some bloke called Ian Cox turned up; said that you offered him a job in the market garden." Realisation dawns on David's face and he mutters, "Oh hell." He then heads inside. Ian stands up and David shakes his hand as he tells him, "Good to see you again." He then turns to Debbie and adds, "Looks like I owe you an apology, Deb - Craig tells me you're a bit upset." Debbie nods, "I would like to know what's going on." David assures her, "You're not out of a job, so you can stop worrying about that. Beryl gave me some good reports, so I reckon your trial period's over: you're on permanent." Debbie beams in delight, "Thanks!" David tells her, "You deserve it - just that it's a bit too much work for one person, so you're going to need some help. That's where Ian comes into it." Ian grins, "I must admit I was starting to wonder what I was doing here!" David explains, "I was going to advertise for a bloke when I got back, but Ian mentioned that he'd be interested, so I thought I'd give him a shot." With that, he suggests to Ian that they go to the lounge and have a talk. The two of them leave the room. Craig and Debbie sit down at the table and Craig comments, "All that worry about nothing!" Debbie, still looking concerned, murmurs, "Yeah..." Craig asks, "What's the matter?" Debbie tells him, "I don't know. There's something about that Ian I don't like. Nothing specific... just this feeling." Craig smiles, "I'm glad about that. I couldn't stand competition!"

It's night time, and Janice walks into Fiona's room at the mansion and tells her, "I'm back." She then holds out a bottle of champagne, causing Fiona to smile in surprise, "Oh, wow!" She then asks, "You walked into a bottle shop and bought a bottle of champagne with your attitude to people who drink?!" Janice suggests, "Maybe I should only disapprove of people who drink to excess?" She adds, "Anyway, I just wanted to give you something, that's all." Fiona smiles, "Thankyou. It's very thoughtful of you. We'll have it with dinner - a little something extra to cheer May along." Janice muses, "Yeah, she's very depressed, isn't she?" Fiona explains, "May comes from a very poor family, and like a lot of people in a similar situation she's never quite got over the fear of ending up poor again. While she had her savings she was fine - she had her own little bit of security - but now they've gone, and with the threat of having to find somewhere else to live and leaving all her old friends behind..." Janice murmurs, "I didn't realise. It must be awful for her."

May is sitting in her room, staring into space. There's suddenly a knock on the door and Janice and Fiona walk in, Janice smiling, "May, dinner's ready." May, though, just turns and glares at Fiona and asks, "Why didn't you tell me?" Fiona asks, "Tell you about what?" May retorts, "About Wayne's threat." Fiona explains, "I didn't want you worrying. Anyway, you'd be rushing around switching off lights, turning off everybody's hot water... anything to save money." May asks, "Isn't that what we should be doing?" Fiona tells her, "There are other ways to cut costs, May." May mutters, "You didn't tell me because you wanted to put off the bad news for as long as possible." Fiona, however, assures her, "There isn't going to be any bad news. Wayne has never got the better of me before and he's certainly not going to get the better of me this time." May just murmurs, "I won't come for dinner, if you don't mind. I'm rather tired, so I'll just have some tea and toast and make an early night of it." Fiona, however, tells her tersely, "May Walters, I have gone to the trouble to prepare a three-course dinner and I'm not having you pull out at the last minute." May, though, tears welling in her eyes, says quietly, "Sorry, Fiona, but I just don't feel up to it. And I'm too tired to argue. Now please, if you don't mind I'd rather be on my own." Fiona accepts this and tells her gently, "Alright, if that's the way you feel. Goodnight, then, dear." May replies, "Goodbye." She quickly corrects, "Goodnight." Janice looks at Fiona in concern and the two of them leave the room. When they've gone, May bursts into tears.

Doug is leaning against the lounge room doors at Beryl's, a smirk on his face, as Beryl rants, "Imagine how I felt I front of David. A couple of hours earlier I was defending you, saying you were down on your luck; that's why I lent you the money. The next thing, you're lauding it at some fancy restaurant." Doug explains, "I was using your money to impress a businessman." Beryl snaps, "So now he thinks you're a generous host. Wonderful. How does that get you back on your feet?" Doug smiles, "The man likes me. We're about to sign contracts that are going to get me off and running again." He adds, "You didn't come out of it too badly, either." Beryl demands, "What are you talking about?" Doug explains, "I gave your alphabet biccies a plug. He thinks they're a great idea - so much so that he wants to place a big order for his chain of shops." Taking a sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket, he adds, "All you have to do is sign the contract." He hands it to her and tells her, "You've got to have faith, Beryl. I told you you wouldn't regret loaning me the money and I was right, wasn't I?"

The next morning, Fiona heads into May's room at the mansion, holding a tray of breakfast things and saying loudly, "Wakey wakey! Room service! Rise and shine!" She suddenly becomes aware that the room is empty. Janice runs into the room with a small flower arrangement, but Fiona, looking worried, tells her, "May's not here."

Alison - wearing her dressing gown - opens the front door at Charlie's to find May standing on the step, dressed up in her finery. May says, "Good morning, Alison. I wonder if we might have a chat." Alison, looking taken aback, starts to protest, "Look, May--" May interrupts her, though, and insists, "I won't take up much of your time." Alison sighs heavily and closes the door. She heads into the lounge room and asks May, who follows her, what she wanted to chat about. May explains, "It's about the boarding house." Alison, sitting down amongst the morning newspapers, mutters, "I thought as much." May tells her, "I thought you might talk Wayne out of renovating and throwing out all his old tenants." Alison asks dismissively, "Why would I want to do that? The boarding house is of no interest to me." May points out, "You and Wayne work for the same company." Alison retorts, "Which has nothing to do with the boarding house. That's Wayne's baby. I couldn't care less what he does with it." May mutters, "I thought you might help out of a sense of decency... the business with the young sailor: having an affair with a married man... a lot of people thought it wasn't very ladylike of you. They'd hold you in a great deal more respect if you made up for it." Alison mutters, "By talking Wayne out of renovating?" May points out, "It couldn't do you any harm." Alison stares at her and then says bluntly, "No. Now, if that's all you came to talk about, why don't you leave?" May, looking upset, murmurs, "It's not much I'm asking. We're talking about people. Where are they supposed to go if Wayne throws them out? They have nowhere." Alison retorts, "That's not my problem." May, tears welling in her eyes again, murmurs, "No, it's our problem. No one cares about the tenants. We can't afford huge rents out of our pensions. Have you ever tried to live on what they hand out every week? You pay your bills... you buy some food... There's never anything left over and now Wayne wants to throw us out." With that, she turns and storms out, leaving Alison looking concerned.

In the kitchen at the country house, David is talking on the 'phone, saying, "I'll give you a call when I get back. Bye." He hangs up and tells Caroline - who's sitting at the table - "No doubt about that boyfriend of yours - Doug: he's charging Beryl commission for lining up customers for her biscuits and using it to pay back the loans you gave him." Caroline asks, "What's wrong with that?" David retorts, "Now Beryl owes him money." He goes on bitterly, "Blokes like that always finish up on top all the time." Changing the subject, Caroline suggests that she'd better have a shower if she's going job-hunting. David asks her to give Craig a call when she goes past his room. Caroline heads off. Debbie comes in from outside and tells David that they've almost run out of fertiliser. David asks, "How many bags you got?" Debbie replies, "About 2½." Ian comes in as David suggests that he'd better go and get some. Ian asks, "Going to take the truck?" David, though, replies, "It's full of nitro, mate. Don't drive that stuff around more than I have to." He picks some keys off a hook on the wall, but Debbie tells him, "I think you've got the wrong keys - those are for the truck." David laughs, "A man's going senile!" He picks up another set of keys and then heads out. Debbie turns away and doesn't notice as Ian lifts the truck keys off the hook...

A short time later, outside, Debbie watches as David drives off in his ute. Ian walks up behind her and then walks past her. She calls to him, "Ian - the market garden's this way." She indicates the opposite direction. Ian just calls back, "Yeah, I know." Looking suddenly concerned as Ian approaches David's truck, she calls, "Ian, what are you doing?" Ian retorts, "Just going to take a little ride, aren't I?" Debbie gasps, "You can't do that." Ian mutters, "Just watch me." He unlocks the cab and opens the door as Debbie protests, "It's David's truck." Ian replies sarcastically, "Bright little number, aren't you?" He then grabs her and starts bundling her into the cab, telling her nastily, "You can come too - I can't leave you around to call the cops." Debbie, who's struggling to get away, starts crying, "Ian, leave me alone. Ian..."

Inside, Craig walks into the kitchen, looking bleary-eyed. He hears the truck engine running outside and he opens the back door in surprise. He heads outside, but as he approaches the truck, it pulls away. He murmurs, "Hey, what's going on?" He starts running towards it, but it's too late. Looking fearful, he yells, "Debbieeeeeeeeee.........."