Toby works late into the night, looking stressed and miserable. His eyes scan the figures he’s working on the page: what’s he looking for? His pall descends further as he enters the hotel, only to bump straight into Lucian. The latter is his usual charming self, but there’s an edge of steel underneath as he maintains that he needs Toby needs to work harder.
Meanwhile an unwelcome visitor arrives at the hotel: and Garland is panicked.
The hotel prepares for 50th anniversary celebrations: Lady Hamilton’s getting into the spirit, but she can’t help Toby’s anxiety. He attempts to talk to her about Lucian, but is interrupted by the man himself: there seems to be no escape.
Happy news for Max as Garland summons him and informs him that he’s letting him off work early, something he’d never be so lenient over, were it not for a very special occasion.
Adil attempts to corner Toby and bring him back from the edge of doing something terrible, but Toby’s raging. It’s looking more and more unlikely that they’ll ever reconnect – or that Toby will find anywhere to turn. His last hope lies in Garland, who snaps into actions.
Emma’s still confused about the men in her life – she and Betsey talk about love in war. The tension between Joe and Freddie is palpable: will it spill over? And loved up Lady Hamilton is none too pleased to hear about Garland’s objections to Lucian: she puts up a steely face but it’s hit a nerve: when she makes investigations of her own, things get serious, very quickly.
Meanwhile, sparks fly downstairs, as the 50th anniversary celebrations kick into life. Betsey and Sonny, blissfully in love, start the band off loud – enough to nearly drown out the sirens that start to blare overhead. As Garland frantically staves off unwanted attention from the police at the hotel and Emma is pushed to make a final decision, it becomes clear that it’s not a drill.
Written by TomSouthwell on Feb 6, 2017