Clare Dewar, bitterly resentful that Emma has abandoned her to marry Paul, dies without making peace with her daughter, and leaves her estate in the dubious hands of a stranger. Mick intervenes just in time, saving Emma's inheritance when illness and the threat of German measles to Eileen's baby prevented her from acting alone.
Meanwhile, in her haven on the Isle of Wight, Emma's Aunt Emily cultivates a unique Christmas Rose, guaranteed to bloom at a time of bleak scarcity in gardens - a sign of hope and future promise.
