When Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) started to get too close to the truth about Tom King (James Chase)’s treatment of Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) n Emmerdale, the evil Tom responded by putting a plan into place to take Belle away from the Dales and her family.

Secretly he applied for a job in Wales, in a very remote location which he assured his new employers would suit his wife down to the ground. Belle is currently unaware of this plan but has gone with Tom on what she believes to be a holiday in a little cottage.

Despite Charity’s suspicions, Tom plan might never have come to light if it wasn’t for a mistake made by the new receptionist at the vet’s, Ella Forster (Paula Lane).

It was Ella’s first day at the job in Monday (July 22)’s episode and she wasn’t feeling great, having just been in hospital with concussion after a car accident and finding out she’s pregnant. So it wasn’t surprising that she made a mistake. She sent an email that was supposed to be for Tom to all the other vets – an email about a job offer in Wales.

In the Woolpack, Charity overheard Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) talking about his surprise that Tom was already thinking of leaving the Emmerdale vet practice. She felt there was something not right about the whole situation, with Tom and Belle having been seen driving away previously even though they were due to go to Cain (Jeff Hordley) and Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb)’s for dinner.

Lydia (Karen Blick) advised Charity that Belle and Tom had a right to privacy and didn’t have to tell the family about their every move, but Charity knew that was not how pre-Tom Belle would have behaved. She was worried.

She called Cain and confided her fears, telling him there was ‘summat evil’ festering underneath Tom’s aftershave.

Cain said he was ‘just posh,’ but Charity wasn’t convinced. ‘When he smiles at me all I’m seeing is these bare teeth underneath,’ she said. And it reminded her of the most horrible period of her own life, her suffering at the hands of evil Mark Bails (Rocky Marshall).

‘I think the fact that Charity has, over the past 20 years, experienced levels of abuse from certain people she’s been with – most of all Bails – she recognises the signs,’ Emma Atkins told us. ‘I think that’s when Cain decides maybe she’s got a point, actually. I think he believes her.’

Charity went on to explain to Cain how coercive control worked and why Belle hadn’t said anything about what was happening to the rest of the family. And she had a warning: they didn’t have long to do something to save their beloved Belle.

In upcoming g episodes we’ll see the two of them unite to try to find Belle, discovering her location in Wales and setting off to the cottage. When they get there, they’re confronted by a scene of total horror – and in flashback we’ll discover what happened.