A Woman of Substance ending explained: How does Emma get her revenge?

*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for the final episode of A Woman of Substance.*

As well as being a series mapping out the life of Emma Harte and her various trials and tribulations, a large part of that is the very fact that the Fairley family have continued to be a thorn in her side over the years.

Starting out as a penniless maid working at Fairley Hall was one thing but then, when she discovered she was pregnant with Edwin's (Ewan Horrocks) baby and forced to leave under a cloud of mystery, she naturally felt betrayed that the man who had promised a life with her simply fled.

Over the course of the eight episodes of A Woman of Substance, we see Emma embark on a wonderful career journey of her own and she goes from success to success. However, with the war having impacted her majorly – both personally and professionally – there are some major changes to be made.

The final episode sees her cross paths with the Fairleys once again, but how do things end up for Emma in the past and in the '70s? Read on to find out.

A Woman of Substance ending explained

'70s Emma (Brenda Blethyn) turns up in Yorkshire and professes that it's good to be home, but it's only as she's being driven up the expansive driveway that we realise that her 'home' she's referring to is also Fairley Hall.

It's her birthday and she's gathered all her family at the home for a special kind of celebration but when she appears in front of her family, she immediately asks if all of the traitors are present.

We then go back to the wartime timeline and see that Edwin has made it out of the conflict, paying a visit to Mac on the train carriage. Mac informs him that Emma's husband has died but also makes it known that she's doing well for herself. Once he's home, Edwin's family are happy to see him and his aunt Olivia (Lydia Leonard) explains that his father Adam (Emmett J Scanlan) has been in a state of depression due to depleting funds and owing money to various people.

She tells Edwin that Fairley Hall is now up for sale after overpromising to get the big army uniform contract secured. Seeing as Emma owns the mill, it's an even trickier situation and he simply can't fulfil the order. She then tells Edwin that all of that will now be on his shoulders, now that he's back from the war.

Calling for Priya (Hiftu Quasem), Edwin immediately stops his aunt and tells her that he's been thinking about their relationship and just wants to let her go, owing to the fact that they clearly don't love each other. However, when Priya appears, she surprises Edwin in a major way and reveals that she is actually pregnant.

Edwin starts to glean information about Emma from his brother and when he goes to the moors to throw away a locket containing her picture, he actually stops himself and instead, runs home to tell his father and brother that he's thought of a plan to make Emma the solution to their problems.

That evening, we also see Mac and Emma (Jessica Reynolds) reunited and they have a big heart-to-heart about the time he's been away. It's clear that they've got a deep connection as Emma confesses to feeling relieved when she learnt that it wasn't Mac who had been killed, even though it was her husband that was. That conversation is one that Mac's pregnant wife overhears, with Mac and Emma assuming she's sleeping.

The following morning, as she's chatting to a customer, she's surprised to see Edwin walk into her shop. Of course, Edwin then spots Edwina, his daughter, there and Emma tells her to go to another room.

Edwin professes his love to Emma and proposes marrying her, telling her he made a mistake all those years ago and that he wants to make peace to end their ongoing feud. He says that although the Fairleys have the big uniform contract, they don't have any cloth or a mill – but she does. He asks for a working partnership to fulfil the contract, laying out the financial terms that would help them both. Ultimately though, he asks for a truce. Once he walks out of her shop and to his brother, his intentions become all too clear as he tells him that "she bought it", clearly just lying once again.

Unfortunately, Emma falls for Edwin's charms again and pays a visit to Fairley Hall to discuss business with the rest of the family. When she arrives, she pays a visit to Murgatroyd (Robert Wilfort), who is actually proud of how far she's come. He also tells Emma about what he's heard, seeing as the Fairleys just think of staff as the wallpaper of the house. He says that Edwin has got Emma where he wants her and the partnership isn't what it seems, something that obviously angers Emma beyond belief.

That day, Olivia then informs Adam that she's leaving him after he made her believe that she was responsible for Adele's death. She says she needs to get away in order to grieve, something which takes Adam by surprise.

How does Emma get her revenge on the Fairleys?

Spending some time thinking on the moors, Frank (Lenny Rush) confronts Emma about her decision-making and just tells her to trust her gut. She does so and runs back home to draft a new plan. She arrives back at Fairley Hall and greets the family, eventually sitting down to confront them all about what she's found out about their double-crossing. She's discovered that when she gets one pound for every uniform, the Fairley's will be getting five, making the 'partnership' unequal.

She tells Adam that she paid a visit to Lord Acton, who is in charge of the contract, and told him about the Fairleys' underhanded tactics that would also leave the workers without a living wage and soldiers with subpar uniforms. She told him that she won't be supplying the Fairley's with any material and so, he gave her the money upfront to ensure she can fulfil the order herself.

In her confrontation, Emma tells Adam of her anger related to the way he treated her parents. She then confronts Olivia about stealing her dress designs and then, Gerald, not telling them explicitly about the fact that he raped her but nevertheless, telling him that he's a "dangerous monster".

She then makes her way to the head of the table and reveals what she's spent the contract money on, nodding to Murgatroyd as she does so. He opens the door to Mac, who walks in and joins Emma with a key. Emma reveals that she's actually bought Fairley Hall and serves the family their eviction notice, telling them all to leave.

Later on, we see that Edwin follows Mac and Emma as they leave the house. He tells them that because he's now involved, he's more angry about this feud than ever. He threatens Emma and says that when he has his own family, they too will carry on this feud and try to regain control of the house.

Does Emma confront her family about their betrayal?

In the '70s, in the same spot as that tremendous takedown, Emma is standing before her own family at her birthday party. She confronts her children about their betrayal and offers them a way out – remain penniless and continue to feed lies to the press or accept a cheque of £1 million each, a small amount compared to what they would've received. She tells them that she's buying them and that by accepting the cheques, they're not to go up against her again.

She then reveals that the heir to the businesses will be her granddaughter Paula (Mara Huf). Although they've had their ups and downs, Emma tells Paula that she's proven herself to be a worthy successor – but it's something that clearly makes Paula uncomfortable.

Emma then tells Edwina (Rosie Cavaliero) the truth about her father, saying it isn't actually Mac as she's been made to believe, but is actually Edwin Fairley. Edwina appears quite happy to learn that she's a Fairley, which is precisely what Emma didn't want. That conversation is one that Paula overhears and Emma finds her outside the house, upset. Emma tells Paula that she trusts her completely but just as she does, she's called over by none other than Jim Fairley (Toby Regbo), who appears pleased with himself.

The worst possible thing happens as Jim reveals that he and Paula eloped and got married in secret. But not only that, Paula also reveals that she's pregnant and Jim reminds Emma that whatever is Paula's, is now all his too. That means that the families will once again be tied and also, that Jim will stand to gain control over Fairley Hall once again, just like his grandfather Edwin had vowed all those years ago.

A Woman of Substance continues on Thursday 12 March at 9pm on Channel 4 and is available to stream as a boxset.

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