Penny Thornley was an old flame of Lewis Archer, who was under the alias of "Hugh". They got engaged, but he disappeared with £10,000 of her money while they were away in France. Five years later, their paths crossed again on a train in Lille, where Lewis had taken Audrey Roberts away for a holiday. When Lewis saw Penny again he ran, and due to the crowds at the train station she didn't manage to follow him. When Penny returned home that evening, she saw Lewis' picture in the Gazette, as Audrey had reported Lewis missing. Penny decided to pay Audrey a visit to tell her what had happened and to warn her about Lewis, but Audrey explained that Lewis had changed, much to Penny's disbelief.