The Paradise - 2 ª Season

A year has passed, Lord Glendenning has died and Moray is working in Paris. Recently married to the philandering Tom Weston, who has a young daughter Flora, Katherine, now owner of the Paradise, summons Moray to return and revitalize the store, which is losing trade. On arrival back he proposes to Denise, who is still employed at the Paradise, and Audrey proposes to Edmund. New staff number shop-girl Susy and store-man Nathaniel, the former in love with the latter, unaware that he is a saboteur for Fenton, a rival tradesman seeking to buy the Paradise. Katherine is aware that Weston also wants the sale and urges Moray to make a success of the grand reopening. Suspicious of Nathaniel's actions, Denise exposes him, leading to his dismissal and a hugely profitable first day under Moray's management. Seeing its potential Weston calls off his deal with Fenton.

A former business associate of Moray in Paris, the middle-aged but glamorous Clemence Romanis arrives to sell fireworks to the Paradise. She is independent and feminist, encouraging Denise's ambition and almost talking Audrey out of her marriage to Edmund, since married women cannot work in the store. She is also extremely flirtatious, aware that this way she can reel in the womanizing Weston for the fireworks contract. Jonas, feverish and debilitated, returns to the Paradise, having bribed a policeman to let him escape the charge of killing Bradley Burroughs. Dudley is appalled but grateful when Jonas prevents Weston from discovering him in a compromising position with Clemence. Ultimately Denise learns that, beneath her confident façade, Clemence is lonely and desperate for affection following an unhappy Lesbian affair. She sells her fireworks to Weston and moves on whilst everybody tips Denise to replace the newly-wed Audrey as department head.

With Audrey gone Weston backs Clara - on whom he has cast a lustful eye - as her replacement whilst Katherine champions Denise, whom Moray warns against being a pawn in the bickering couple's game. He believes that both will be satisfied if she fails - as it also hurts him. This makes her the more determined to apply, with herself and Clara making the final short-list. Before the interviews Denise is suspicious that Jonas seems to be in league with Weston whilst Dudley helps Flora overcome schooling problems with her father. When Weston cancels the staff's annual outing - to the music hall - Denise counters by getting the staff to put on their own show. It is a huge success and, for showing her flair for organization, the promotion is hers.

A ragged middle-aged woman Ruby comes to the Paradise in search of shop-girl Susy, the daughter she gave away as a child to spare her her mother's alcoholism. Susy is not pleased to see Ruby and takes it out on Flora, leading to her dismissal. However the newly promoted Denise shows diplomacy in negotiating her reinstatement and mother and daughter part friends. Moray has a secret meeting with Fenton, who suggests they take over the Paradise, Fenton supplying the funds if Moray can provoke discord between the Westons. Initially reluctant Moray becomes more persuaded when he learns that Weston wants to buy all the shops in the street to make the Paradise England's largest department store. Meanwhile Jonas, finding that Weston is prone to bouts of pain and rage, gains his confidence to exploit the fact.

As Denise introduces democracy to her department Weston opens a food hall, causing Fenton and Moray to worry about his expansion plans. The Paradise begins selling clocks and watches with Lord Glendenning's magnificent pocket watch a centre-piece donated by Katherine. She tells Moray that by tradition it should have passed to her husband but she kept this from him as her father always wanted Moray to have it. Jonas seizes on this to make Weston jealous but Weston has his own agenda to cause strife between Denise and Moray and proposes that she visit Paris without him for inspirational ideas.