Emmerdale’s Moira Dingle means business as she warns off a surprise new rival

Poor Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) was nursing more than a bruised ego on Monday (March 4)’s Emmerdale episode, after being kneed in the groin by sister-in-law Ruby Fox-Milligan (Beth Cordingly) at Mandy (Lisa Riley)’s party.

The party descended into chaos after Ruby overheard the Dingles talking about some of them having to get tested for the BRCA gene, which Chas (Lucy Pargeter) has discovered she has. Inquisitive Ruby wanted to know what it was all about, obviously angry to have been kept out of the loop as her husband Caleb (William Ash) is one of those affected.

Cain got annoyed that Ruby was once again derailing a family event, after the huge storm she caused at Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper)’s wedding to Tom King (James Chase), so he asked her to leave. Ruby, however, was not going to go quietly and in the ensuing argument she administered a swift knee to Cain’s delicate areas, leaving him doubled up with pain.

In private at home at Butlers, Moira (Natalie J. Robb) was seeing the funny side of what happened, teasing her husband that his voice was ‘a bit higher than it used to be.’ Cain told Nate (Jurell Carter) what had happened and Moira said, ‘All I’m saying is, it’s a good job our family is complete!’

Our love for Moira grows more and more everyday!

It’s one thing seeing the funny side in private, but you can’t mess with Moira’s family and get away with it.

She was trying to have a quiet drink in the Woolpack with Tracy (Amy Walsh) later, and Ruby came in with Nicky (Lewis Cope) and immediately started making snide remarks about ‘desperate scrubbers throwing themselves at married men,’ aimed in the direction of Tracy who has, of course, previously had an affair with Caleb.

Tracy retorted that the village was also full of ‘Desperate housewives clinging on to men who lost interest years ago.’ One all, but Moira also wanted a little word with Ruby.

‘You go near my husband again, you’ll have to deal with me,’ she warned. ‘But, unlike him, I’ll hit back.’

That was enough to silence Ruby, who went off with Nicky to sit at a table.

Moira and Tracy couldn’t understand why Ruby was sticking around in Emmerdale, as she obviously hated the place and everyone in it.

‘What the heck is she still doing here?’ Tracy wondered.

Viewers are aware that Ruby is pursuing her own agenda, which is basically to get her hands on as much of Caleb’s money as she can – and to get him away from the village. She’s enlisted Kim Tate (Claire King)’s help with this, but has also been busy on her own behalf.

She told Caleb that, because she couldn’t sleep, she’d busied herself with a little look at his laptop and discovered some hidden files. She knew he was hiding something about his financial affairs, and he agreed to tell her everything.

After they’d looked through Caleb’s accounts together, Ruby was obviously pleased with what she saw and wanted some champagne. Nicky wondered what she was celebrating.

‘My future’s never looked better,’ she told him.