91Èȱ¬

Now Assistant Secretary at the Admiralty, Sir Arthur Hill continues to climb the greasy political pole. But, ambition aside, Hill is caught in the grip of a compelling delusion.

Infected by jealousy, he becomes convinced that his wife, Lady Sarah, is in love with Garrow and his son is not his own.

Despite Lady Sarah's desperate attempts to convince him of her fidelity, Sir Arthur throws her out of their home, refuses to allow her to see her son and instigates humiliating legal proceedings against her.

For Sir Arthur, it is not enough to destroy his wife's life, he's determined to destroy Garrow as well – as a barrister and as a man.

"At the start of this series, Sir Arthur's pretty convinced that Lady Sarah has had an affair with Garrow, even though she's told her husband it's not true," says Rupert.

"Lady Sarah and Sir Arthur separate and then he finds a law which means that they can never be together – Sir Arthur can sue Garrow for everything and totally ruin him. And I've got the establishment behind me, aiding me if you like.

"This is a scandal – back then, society was very small so everyone would know about this. The fact that it could become more public would be a consequence of satisfying Sir Arthur's paranoia about Garrow.

"This series has a theme of property throughout it from me seeing my wife as property to the issue of slave trade. It's an historic view that people were property.

"I think the idea of a woman as a possession is completely egotistical and I'm not sure Sir Arthur loves Lady Sarah – it's his pride and ego that are under attack.

"I think these old stories are really fascinating. The law wasn't mature at this stage and was firmly in favour of the establishment.

"It could be twisted so easily which makes the story of Garrow all the more significant, giving the common man a voice and justice. It's a lovely heroic story set against revolution and independence."