Episode 6 (Return to Cranford)

The first of two episodes in Return to Cranford, and the sixth episode overall.

Plot
August 1844

A year has passed after the final events in the first series. Matty Jenkyns has closed her tea shop and now spends her days playing with Tilly, the baby daughter of her maid Martha and carpenter Jem Hearne, while the pregnant Martha works in the kitchen. Captain Brown readies the opening of a train station at Hanbury Halt. Unfortunately, the line will end there, five miles from Cranford. Lady Ludlow refuses to sell her land, which offers the only suitable passage for the railway line.

New and old residents of the village are introduced. Mrs. Bell, a widow with two grown children, continues deep mourning fourteen months after her husband’s passing. The women of Cranford worry for the sake of daughter Peggy, who dresses in outdated clothes and has little opportunity to socialize with people her own age – including potential suitors.

Meanwhile, wealthy salt baron Mr. Buxton has returned to Cranford following the death of his wife. He brings two grown children: Eton-educated son William and ward Erminia, educated in Brussels. During several meetings, William and Peggy begin to have feelings for each other.

At Hanbury Court, Lady Ludlow is dying from bone cancer. The loyal Miss Galindo attends to her needs. Miss Galindo has tried to contact Lady Ludlow’s errant son Septimus, living in Naples for his health, to alert him of his mother’s poor health, but to no avail.

Lady Ludlow hears that her son is in London and will soon be traveling home to Cheshire. She waits for him, standing in her entry hall and refusing Miss Galindo’s offer of a chair for support, but after several hours it is apparent that he is taking his time. Already weakened from her illness, she collapses and dies before her son arrives.

Meanwhile, Martha has gone into labor. She goes upstairs as Jem is summoned to Hanbury Hall for his duties as undertaker. While he is gone, she begins to hemorrhage. Matty sends for a doctor, but none is available except for the railway’s barber-surgeon. He is unable to help, and both Martha and her baby die.

Lady Ludlow’s son Septimus arrives with his foppish Italian companion Giacomo. Their lavish lifestyle has drained Lady Ludlow’s fortune: while Septimus built a still-unfinished villa on Lake Lugano, his mother took out a mortgage on her estate through Mr. Carter. As Mr. Carter is now dead, Septimus must eventually pay back this loan to Harry Gregson with interest.

Desperate for money but refusing to relinquish what is now his estate, Septimus arranges for a carriage to fetch Harry from his school. When Harry arrives, Septimus convinces him that Mr. Carter cared little for the estate, but most desired a school in Cranford. Furthermore, selling the Hanbury estate would result in the loss of jobs and land tenancies for its many employees and residents. Septimus offers to solve this dilemma by giving Harry a bank draft of £5,000 if he will agree to abandon the mortgage. Harry will then be able to pay for the village school, while Septimus will retain the estate. In effect, Harry will lose his claim for the £20,000 that was left to him. Despite the fact that Harry is only fourteen and has had no further advice, they seal the deal by shaking hands in a "gentlemen’s agreement."

Captain Brown calls the town together and reveals that the railway will now be able to reach Cranford, as Septimus (who never intended to keep his gentlemen’s agreement to Harry) has sold the entire Hanbury estate to the railway. Harry tells Miss Galindo of his agreement with Septimus and Miss Galindo intervenes to put a stop to it.

Many residents are still vehemently opposed to the railway’s presence – including Mr. Buxton, who reveals that he owns a parcel of land previously thought part of Hanbury Park. He refuses to sell, blocking the railway’s progress.

It is clear that Cranford will fall far behind the times without the railway’s presence. The older residents remain opposed to the new ways and the threat of change, despite the fact that it will result in lost opportunities for the younger people to socialize and find work. As a result, Jem Hearne tells Matty that he and Tilly will have to leave Cranford if the railway doesn’t reach the town.

Remembering her sister Deborah’s traditional ideals, Matty realizes that she will have to modify her own positions to take care of the people she loves. She invites her friends and neighbors to accompany her on a train ride so they can see that it is not the evil force they might think it is. At first she worries that no one will come along, but as the train pulls up she sees her four friends, along with Mr. Buxton, his son and Peggy Bell. The riders have varying degrees of misconceptions as they board the train, and the jerky ride does little to dispel their fears. Still, as Matty herself begins to feel ill, others gradually relax and find themselves enjoying the trip.

In a separate carriage, William and Peggy sit alone on opposite benches. As the train lurches, they are thrown together, but William prevents Peggy from falling. He then confesses his love for her and asks her to marry him.

The train returns to Hanbury Halt, with some women expressing their excitement. Mr. Buxton’s reaction is perhaps the strongest: he tells Matty that it took great courage to try to persuade the others. He is sorry to have stood in the way of progress; thanks to Matty’s excursion, he has decided to sell his land and allow the train construction to proceed. As the episode ends, however, Matty’s face reveals that she may now regret her actions.