Ella Forster’s return was cut short in a new hour-long Emmerdale, but it appears that danger could still loom large on the village.

In recent scenes, Ella faced accusations she had drugged Chas Dingle out of jealousy over her upcoming marriage with Liam Cavanagh.

In a new episode, Ella tried to reason with Mandy Dingle, swearing she had nothing to do with Chas’s overdose or the brick being chucked through a window at The Woolpack.

When Mandy told her the brick had her fingerprints “all over it”, Ella suggested Chas could be framing her.

“I’m not budging until I speak to [Liam],” Ella insisted, proceeding to threaten Mandy until she helped her talk to her ex.

“I’m trying to get you to listen to me,” Ella continued. “Call Liam. Tell him to get here now.”

Mandy asked Liam over with an excuse. Once there, Liam realised Ella was behind the scheme and immediately asked about Chas.

Ella reassured him she hadn’t hurt his fiancée and just wanted to have a conversation. After Mandy left, Ella opened up to Liam about her suspicions, insisting that Chas had drugged herself and thrown the brick at the pub to make her look guilty.

“She’s trying to destroy me,” Ella told him. “You can’t trust her, Liam.”

Ella then professed her love for Liam, hoping they could mend things between them.

Seeing an opportunity, Liam urged her to be honest if they wanted to move on and pretended he wanted to get back together.

“It was me, I drugged Chas. I swapped the pills and I made her overdose,” Ella finally admitted, but backtracked when she realised that Liam had manipulated her and wanted her to turn herself in.

“I lied about drugging her to make you love me, that’s all,” she said.

Warned by Mandy, Chas rushed to Liam’s, telling Ella that the police had been alerted.

Ella fled, insisting she wouldn’t go back to prison for Liam or anyone else. The GP followed her into the woods and a confrontation ensued, resulting in Ella shoving Liam to the ground and him hitting his head on a rock.

Believing she’d killed him, Ella started crying in despair but was relieved when he came round.

“No one has ever showed me kindness the way you did,” she said in between sobs.

When he told her she needed professional help, Ella agreed and begged him not to press charges.

“I’ll leave you and Chas in peace,” she promised a skeptical Liam, who reminded her she couldn’t keep running from herself.

“I tried to be different. Ella was a mask, that’s all,” Ella, whose real name was Ruth, convened, saying she couldn’t escape her past.

Police sirens could be heard as she told Liam she loved him once again and swore she hadn’t hurt Chas.

After Ella was taken away, Chas was relieved but Liam looked pensive. Did he start believing Ella could be telling the truth?