Hillary Wallis was Gloria Pollard's researcher, whom Gloria had been having an affair with.
After Gloria was prepared to return to London, her husband Eric, who loved having her back in the village, forged a plan to prolong her stay by leaving a message for Hillary, inviting her to stay in the Dales for a couple of days. When Hillary turned up, Eric was shocked to discover she was actually a handsome young man. Hillary remarked in a longing way far from Eric's presence that he missed Gloria, making it apparent that they were having more than just a working relationship.
Eric quizzed Gloria about why she made out Hillary was a woman. Panicking, she lied that Hillary was gay. Feeling unthreatened, Eric invited Hillary to dinner, where he got drunk and made suggestive comments about Hillary's sexuality. While his back was turned, Hillary made a pass at Gloria, but she made it clear that she wasn't interested.
Determined to keep their affair secret, Gloria insisted to Hillary that he stay at the B&B, but Hillary turned on the charm. Their embrace was nearly caught by Eric's business partner Steph Stokes, who was certain something was going on. Plotting against the couple, Steph went for a drink with Hillary and coaxed the truth out of him, and then blackmailed Gloria out of £2,500. Gloria got her own back by unearthing Steph's criminal past, which included a six-month prison sentence for fraud. Hillary gave her a congratulatory kiss, but Gloria reminded him it was over between them, and asked him to leave the village in order to keep her marriage on track.
Seeking revenge on Gloria, Steph went to a local newspaper, approaching them with a story about a married local MP having an affair with a toyboy. Using Hillary as bait, Steph persuaded him to try one last time with Gloria. With a reporter and photographer, she followed Hillary, who arranged to meet Gloria outside the village hall. As they bade farewell to one another, their goodbye kiss was caught on camera. The following morning, the story was splashed out in the paper for all and sundry to see, including Eric, who was devastated.