Return to Cranford

Miss Matty's house is full of life and bustle. Her dream of having a child in the house has been realised with the birth of Tilly, daughter of her maid Martha and carpenter Jem. Elsewhere, the shadow of the railway still looms, but the line has been halted five miles outside Cranford - a disaster for the town, in Captain Brown's view. As Lady Ludlow waits for her son Septimus to return from Italy, Harry Gregson is sent away to school. Meanwhile, as Mr Buxton returns to town with his son, William, and his niece, Erminia, Miss Matty becomes concerned about another young person - Peggy Bell - who lives in an isolated cottage with her mother and domineering brother, Edward. Miss Matty decides to intervene and engineers an invitation that will bring the four young people together.

Defying his father, William finds a job with Captain Brown working on the railway that is making its way into the heart of Cranford. Meanwhile, Harry disappears from school. The ladies have high expectations of the pending visit of Lady Glenmire, but all does not go to plan. As Peggy and William are separated, a surprise wedding causes a fracture in friendships and, when tragedy strikes, Miss Matty feels she is to blame and fears that Cranford will never recover.