Demelza (played by Eleanor Tomlinson) was making the most of being with her husband Ross (Aidan Turner) at the start of tonight’s instalment of Poldark.

However, it wasn’t long before Ross was off to the capital to try and free former comrade Ned Despard (Vincent Regan) who was serving time in prison.

Ahead of his leave, Ross instructed Demelza to deal with the ruckus being caused by the locals as they were struggling to meet ends meet due to a lack of work in the Cornish village.

One resident who was vocal about her anguish was Tess Tregidden (Sofia Oxenham) who went head-to-head with Demelza in the opening scenes of the last season of the BBC drama.

If anyone will hold you to it, Tess Tregidden will

Zacky Martin

Trying to take charge, Demelza promised Tess and the other residents she was going to do all she could to make matters better for them, but Ross’ wife was given a stern warning.

“Beggin’ your pardon mistress, but it’s a mistake to make promise. If anyone will hold you to it, Tess Tregidden will,” Zacky Martin (Tristan Sturrock) told her.

Demelza simply replied: “I intend to honour my promise.”

Still angered, Tess and several other villagers were seen trying to intimidate Demelza later in the episode whilst she was out on her own for a walk, with the two women eye-balling each other.

Although Demelza walked away from the confrontation unscathed, she was left unnerved by the feeling someone was taunting her in the middle of the night.

Wanting to broker peace with Tess, Demelza granted the volatile villager an opportunity to better her life by asking the fiery character to be a farmhand at the Poldark property.

Tess agreed to the offer of work, but later, it seemed the villager was still out for blood when a fire ball was thrown through a broken window of a room where Demelza and her children were sleeping.

Demelza managed to extinguish the fire, but couldn’t help feel her new farmhand had something to do with her near death experience but Tess fiercely denied any involvement.

Tess’ superior acknowledged her innocence, but as Demelza walked away, the fiery character was seen looking more shady than ever.

At the end of the episode, Demelza was seen leaving Nampara to reunite with her husband in London and in a preview for next week’s episode, Tess gets a little too settled in her new role.

The new farmhand is seen telling Prudie Paynter (Beatie Edney) she is the mistress of the house in her superior’s absence, who scoffs at her.

Another shot sees Tess holding up one of Demelza’s garments to herself, as she says: “Stranger things have happened.”

With Tess seeming more unhinged than ever, could she be enacting revenge on Ross for letting the townsfolk get into such a state about their wellbeings by trying to murder his wife?

Or could she simply be hoping to replace Demelza, who was once Ross’ kitchen maid before they fell in love?

Speaking of her character, Tess actress Sofia said: “Tess is hugely bitter of those who have it easier than her, especially people like Demelza who once walked in Tess’s shoes.

“The resentment from Tess is so strong that the more Demelza tries to help her, the more Tess ends up hating her.”

Does Sofia’s words seal Demelza’s fate as it seems the two women will clash in the future?

Poldark continues Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.

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