The Hardacres

Sam is hopeful that his latest venture on the docks will not only help his old friends but also give Joe some much-needed purpose. Saunders laments Sam's impulsive purchase, especially upon discovering the poor state of the business and that it is encumbered by a controlling Board. Nevertheless Sam steams ahead, and makes Joe a manager, along with old pal Fred. Joe struggles to get to grips with his new responsibilities, and is jealous of Fred, feeling very much in his shadow. Joe's temper eventually gets the better of him, leading to a poor decision that will plague his conscience.

Mary and Sam mask their nerves as Harry sets off to a prestigious boarding school, but Mary quickly finds distraction in a surprising proposition from Lady Emma and Adella. Mary is swept up into a whirl of preparations for her first real society party, with Liza reluctantly roped into providing the musical entertainment, alongside Adella. It's hard to say who is more unimpressed out of the two of them, but an unlikely friendship begins to form, in spite of their poor first impressions of each other. Ma, meanwhile, has a party of her own to host, and sparks begin to fly between her and the handsome groundskeeper, Victor.

In spite of Mary's careful preparations under Emma's watchful eye, and the moral support of old friends Lena and Betsy from the docks, the tea party doesn't go to plan. Liza resents being paraded in front of the society ladies. Tensions below stairs lead to a disaster in the kitchen, forcing Mary to think quickly and save the day with a uniquely Hardacre plan…

Now Mary has been accepted into the charitable ladies' circle, she's excited to join them on an outing to one of their philanthropical endeavours – which Ma decides to gate-crash! However Mary and Ma are dismayed to come face to face with a place that holds painful memories from their past. Old wounds are reopened and although Ma tries to gloss over it, Mary thinks it's time for Ma to acknowledge the truth.

Meanwhile, Sam is set on the backfoot after the conservative Mr Hugill from the board comes to visit.

Liza seeks to make amends with Adella after getting her into trouble at the tea party, and asks for Adella's help in becoming a proper lady. Adella happily accepts the challenge, as she's keen for a distraction from her bore of a suitor, Lord Hugo Bathurst. Adella is also having fun toying with a lovestruck Joe Hardacre.

Emma is horrified with Adella's new found interest in the Hardacres and is determined to secure the match with Lord Hugo as soon as possible. She plans to host a sophisticated soirée so they can invite Lord Hugo and keep the Hardacres as far away from the evening as possible. But Adella spots an opportunity for some devilment and invites them anyway.

The Hardacres head to the soirée. Despite opting for a night at the pub with Victor, Ma also finds it difficult to hide from her past mistakes. Meanwhile, back at Hardacre Hall, Dryden recruits Maggie to hide away the Hall's treasured possessions for safekeeping.

At the soirée Liza tries out her new lady skills and Emma desperately tries to push Adella towards Hugo and away from Joe, but to no avail. Disaster strikes when Lord Hugo insults Liza and Joe springs to her defence and challenges him to a fight…

The board threatens Sam with an ultimatum, while Mary continues to receive the cold shoulder from the society ladies after the disastrous soiree. Joe's conscience is put to the test, and he is forced to make some difficult decisions. Meanwhile, Ma suspects something is wrong with Liza.

Inspired by Ma's advice, Mary and Sam look to their Hardacre values to put things to right. But soon the family are met with another bombshell that has repercussions for everyone in Hardacre Hall. Can they all pull together and make the best of it?