lilian begins dropping hints about rachel's past in passing conversations to her friends, indicating that she had always been forced to clear up rachel's many mistakes. she depicts rachel as a troubled and depressed child, and seems keen to divulge the reasons why. rachel is furious when michelle tells her that lilian has been dropping hints about her secret past. she confronts her mother and it transpires that rachel had fallen pregnant at 14, and lilian had forced her to have an abortion, which left her depressed for a long while after. rachel tells her mother that she resents her for forcing her into an abortion. this upsets lilian and she tells rachel that it broke her heart to lose her first and perhaps only grandchild, but there was no other option. rachel fears that lilian will divulge her secret if she stays in walford, so she orders her mother to go back to her father. lilian leaves the following day after making peace with rachel.