Declan Macey and Charity Sharma are once again united in a dangerous alliance next week as they become business partners.
Declan is forced to team up with Charity (Emma Atkins) after he admits that he can't give her any of the insurance payout for the Home Farm fire, despite his previous promises.
Here, Jason Merrells - who plays Declan - previews the latest twists in the storyline and offers his take on how long the businessman can get away with his scheming.
How is Declan feeling about the fire now that the dust is settling?
"Declan has moved on from it and blotted it out. Now everything has become about getting away with it, so he's focusing on that. He had a breakdown at Christmas, but he came out of it that night because he nearly died.
"Afterwards Declan was raw, but he was picked up by Charity and she suggested this idea. It took him a while to get behind it, but once he did, he became very focused on it. Now Declan thinks that he's done really bad things and that's him now. He's going to go forward, make the best of it for his sister and get back on his feet. Declan is a forward-focused character anyway - he's not introspective."
Does Declan feel any guilt over his actions?
"Declan feels guilty about Sam and he feels some guilt about Rachel, but I think he buries it and blocks it out. He tells himself that it's been for Megan's welfare, because someone has to look after her. If Declan went down, nobody would be there to do that."
Next week, Declan is forced to tell Charity that he can't pay her as he'd promised. How does he feel about that?
"I think Declan always knew that he couldn't pay Charity. How could he pay her? He'd have to give her £1.5 million which she'd struggle to explain. Declan would also struggle to explain why he didn't have the full £3 million to rebuild. It was so complicated that Declan knew it could never happen."
Why does Declan decide to make Charity a partner in the business?
"It's to appease her, really. Declan offers Charity a partnership because he genuinely thinks that she's resourceful. He knows her well, he likes her and they have a relationship. I'm not sure whether we'd call it love, but he's deeply connected to Charity now and he can trust her. With all of that combined, Declan thinks that it's a good bet to keep Charity close. She's a dangerous woman and it's best to keep her close rather than far away."
How does Declan feel about Charity moving in with him?
"He's happy about it - he's been trying to get in her bed since they started pretending they were having a relationship! Declan is very attracted to Charity, so it really suits him."
Is Charity pleased with the way things have turned out?
"I think they're both pretty proud of what they've pulled off, in a twisted way. It's been horrible and Charity has her doubts about what she's done to Sam, but ultimately she's got rid of the child she wanted to get rid of, and Sam is going be okay in the long-run. Charity can appease herself on that."
How does Megan react to Charity being made a partner and moving in?
"It's a huge thing to happen and Megan doesn't like it. She smells a rat and thinks that Charity has got something on Declan, which of course is true. Megan doesn't buy it and there'll be more on that later, I'm sure…"
Is Declan nervous that Charity could expose him if he got on the wrong side of her?
"He wouldn't put anything past her. It would be difficult for Charity to expose Declan without exposing herself, but there are certainly things that she could do.
"That's why Declan decides to keep Charity on side, and he does like her. He tried for the golden marriage last time with Katie, but that went badly wrong. Declan thinks this is who he is now - he's dark and devious and so is Charity, so they're probably well-suited. It's a twisted marriage made in heaven."
Dan and Ali also still know the truth…
"Yes, and I hope there is some nod to that in the story, because two people in the village that know is a ticking timebomb that's waiting to go off, however much they've been intimidated…"
Did you enjoy playing Declan's breakdown at Christmas?
"Very much so - it was a great story and it was great to take Declan to such an extreme after playing him for quite a while. I felt that it was well-plotted and it was a wonderful experience to play those scenes.
"Declan is on his way up again now. His actions can't go unpunished forever as they don't in soap, unlike real life! Somewhere along the line Declan will get his comeuppance, I'm sure - maybe lots of times. But in the meantime, he's definitely going to get back to where he was or go even further."
Were you pleased when you heard that the writers were putting Declan and Charity back together?
"Definitely - it's great working with Emma and I really enjoy it. She's great and we have a laugh. She's really good to bounce off and we've loved doing all the Macbeth-style stuff since Christmas!"
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Originally Posted by Perdita
