Okay, I've copied and pasted my theory from my spoilers. I'm actually getting a bit confused myself about what's guesswork and what might be a spoiler 
From my 1st spoiler: But modern day husband (Mark) was friends with 1980's Amy's brother Scott and they seemed to be the same age.
Mark would have to have been born in either 1968 or early '69 to be Ruth's son from an affair she was having on the day Alice died and that would make him about 18 or 19 in 1987, by which time I would have expected him to be off at university (I'm making an assumption about that because he and Nisha seem to have good jobs and be fairly well off to buy the house etc). Amy's brother Scott isn't that old, he's still at school.
Also Alice has been dead for six months when the series starts, so if her mum got pregnant on the day she died she would be six months pregnant. Since she and her husband hadn't had sex since Alice died I'm sure someone in her family would have realised. After all, they are all pressurising them to try for another baby and her mother in law is watching her like a hawk. Even if she wasn't showing she would pick up on symptoms.
I do think it's possible that Ruth had an affair or a one night stand, she clearly feels guilty that she wasn't there for Alice, I just don't think that she got pregnant then.
We have seen her have sex with her husband 'now' though so perhaps Mark could be their son, Alice's full brother, not raised by her, but perhaps by his dad or his grandparents. He did grow up in the village though and I'm sure someone would have mentioned to him that his sister was dead and his mum was gone, especially if she was in a mental home. Maybe that's why he wanted to come back, but he doesn't seem to be doing much to find out about her, it's more secret things with Olive at the moment.
And from my second: Just did some digging on ITV Player. Alice died on 21st November 1967 so six months later would be 21st May 1968. If Ruth were to get pregnant on the day Alice died (since we are assuming she was with another man on the day Alice died) then the baby would be born somewhere in August 1968.
So the baby would be 19 in 1987. Mark could be a year or two older than Scott, so that baby (if there is one) could be him. But I still think Ruth would be aware of her pregnancy and showing signs of it, if not a bump then morning sickness or something and the MiL would have guessed what it was.
She's not one to dismiss signs like that as being upset, she'd know Ruth was pregnant. And she'd be raving about it and setting the priest on her or throwing her out.
And I stil think that the Mark in 1987 was the same age as Scott and his friends, partly because of my going off to uni theory and partly because Scott might be sixteen at a push but I think he's a little bit younger than that and I can't see a 19 year old hanging about with a fifteen year old or younger, even in a little village.
Basically I am agreeing that Mark could be Ruth's son but probably not from an affair she was having before or on the day Alice died. I think there are too many reasons against that, such as her not showing as being six months pregnant and having no symptoms and him having to be a few years older than his friends and not seeming to know that his sister died and his mother was sectioned when he grew up in the village and probably would have heard gossip.
From my 1st spoiler: But modern day husband (Mark) was friends with 1980's Amy's brother Scott and they seemed to be the same age.
Mark would have to have been born in either 1968 or early '69 to be Ruth's son from an affair she was having on the day Alice died and that would make him about 18 or 19 in 1987, by which time I would have expected him to be off at university (I'm making an assumption about that because he and Nisha seem to have good jobs and be fairly well off to buy the house etc). Amy's brother Scott isn't that old, he's still at school.
Also Alice has been dead for six months when the series starts, so if her mum got pregnant on the day she died she would be six months pregnant. Since she and her husband hadn't had sex since Alice died I'm sure someone in her family would have realised. After all, they are all pressurising them to try for another baby and her mother in law is watching her like a hawk. Even if she wasn't showing she would pick up on symptoms.
I do think it's possible that Ruth had an affair or a one night stand, she clearly feels guilty that she wasn't there for Alice, I just don't think that she got pregnant then.
We have seen her have sex with her husband 'now' though so perhaps Mark could be their son, Alice's full brother, not raised by her, but perhaps by his dad or his grandparents. He did grow up in the village though and I'm sure someone would have mentioned to him that his sister was dead and his mum was gone, especially if she was in a mental home. Maybe that's why he wanted to come back, but he doesn't seem to be doing much to find out about her, it's more secret things with Olive at the moment.
And from my second: Just did some digging on ITV Player. Alice died on 21st November 1967 so six months later would be 21st May 1968. If Ruth were to get pregnant on the day Alice died (since we are assuming she was with another man on the day Alice died) then the baby would be born somewhere in August 1968.
So the baby would be 19 in 1987. Mark could be a year or two older than Scott, so that baby (if there is one) could be him. But I still think Ruth would be aware of her pregnancy and showing signs of it, if not a bump then morning sickness or something and the MiL would have guessed what it was.
She's not one to dismiss signs like that as being upset, she'd know Ruth was pregnant. And she'd be raving about it and setting the priest on her or throwing her out.
And I stil think that the Mark in 1987 was the same age as Scott and his friends, partly because of my going off to uni theory and partly because Scott might be sixteen at a push but I think he's a little bit younger than that and I can't see a 19 year old hanging about with a fifteen year old or younger, even in a little village.
Basically I am agreeing that Mark could be Ruth's son but probably not from an affair she was having before or on the day Alice died. I think there are too many reasons against that, such as her not showing as being six months pregnant and having no symptoms and him having to be a few years older than his friends and not seeming to know that his sister died and his mother was sectioned when he grew up in the village and probably would have heard gossip.
am I making sense?Alice overheard her mum and grandad talking and ran?
