Ash arrived in the village of Enderford, following her lead on the distinctive pink soap box. She entered a charming shop called Martha’s Garden and immediately recognized the same soap packaging on display, confirming she was in the right place.

A young shop assistant greeted Ash. When Ash produced the soap box, the assistant confirmed the products were made for the shop by a local woman. Ash asked if the shop belonged to Martha; the assistant said Martha was her boss and away on a “mystery mission,” likely returning after lunch.

Ash then showed the assistant a photo of Nick Radcliffe and asked if he had been in the shop. The assistant identified the man as “Al,” short for Alistair, Martha’s husband. She added that Alistair had supposedly gone to the Midlands to care for his mother with Alzheimer’s and had not been seen since before Christmas, leaving Martha to manage the shop and children alone.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Ash claimed Alistair was a friend of her father who had given her the soaps and fibbed about buying them in Mayfair. She declined to purchase more and left the shop.

Outside, Ash processed the implications: Nick/Alistair was married to Martha, had children, and was lying to both Martha and Nina. Feeling she finally had concrete proof of his deception, she texted Jane from the train with the news.

Jane responded with shock and quickly followed up that she had a number for Emma Greenlaw, asking if Ash wanted to contact Emma or if Jane should do it.