<P> Very soon after Jack's death, she forces Honey to give up her small daughter, Violet, and keeps her from getting a job in the town, knowing this would force Honey to leave to look for work elsewhere . May views the boys as a second chance, an opportunity to fix the mistakes she made with her own sons . While her decisions are often harsh and manipulative, May honestly believes that her decisions are what is best for the family . May can be a confusing mix of qualities . She is frequently self - serving and manipulative, but she can show moments of true gentleness, kindness, and understanding . These moments are few, but they do allow some insight into who she really is . She also allows snippets of explanation out when she talks to the boys . In one of her responses to a request from the boys, she reveals what has happened in her life to bring her to where she is now . They are flabbergasted their grandmother has survived so much and seem to show a bit of new - found respect, more so with Henry, the younger son . Hub tends to remain defiant and cynical . </P> <P> It becomes apparent that she has a serious heart condition and suffers a number of severe heart attacks . She attempted to hide her condition from the family, but it is discovered after the attacks become more severe . May is frustrated by her family's attempts to care for her and insists they are only interested in taking over the mine . She resists the advice of the doctor, her private nurse . and family whenever possible so she can attempt to control the mine . Eventually, she fires the nurse and regains her position as head of the mine . Her relationship remains rocky with Honey until Honey gives birth to Zach, in the mining office . May delivers the baby and decides to put her differences with Honey aside . Later, May suffers a stroke that leaves her partially paralyzed on one side . With the support of her family and a new nurse, she slowly recovers . She still maintains her position as head of the mine . May recovers from her stroke very well, traveling to Europe within about 18 months of the stroke . She and Grace are recovering the body of Grace's deceased husband, who was killed fighting in Spain . This is mentioned in the Christmas special . </P> <P> Grace (Kathy Greenwood) is Honey's unmarried adult sister - in - law who lives under the same roof with her domineering mother . Grace is a gentle, loving, happy, and playful soul who can appear naive or at least inexperienced at times . Grace has never left home because her mother destroys her self - confidence at every turn and frequently states Grace "could never make it for five minutes on her own". While Grace mostly obeys her mother, when she strongly believes in something, she will stand up for herself or the issue . But to experience many of the normal things in life and without experiencing the wrath of her disapproving mother, she has found that doing things without May knowing is the path of least resistance . When the boys move into their grandmother's home, Grace teaches them secrets of how to survive in the household . In return, one of the skills she learned from the boys and Honey was how to dismiss May and to simply state how things are to her face without feeling completely crushed by her . Grace was once so delicate, May barely had to say anything at all and she would have an anxiety attack . She gained more confidence, though, in speaking the truth to May . Both Grace and Honey never use harsh language with May, unlike Hub, who really could not care less if May knows the truth of his feelings . These outbursts leave room for Grace to explain to her mother where she has gone wrong and that if she keeps it up she "won't be there to hold her hand ." </P> <P> After seeing Honey's little family fight May so hard to stay together, Grace finds her courage and decides it is time for her to move out . She begins a job as a telephone operator and then a job as the local radio station supervisor . She later moves away from home and shares a house with her former sister - in - law, Toppy. Grace is involved with a series of men, but nothing ever works out between them . Once, a "true love" was mentioned, but for reasons unknown, it never worked out . Grace eventually becomes involved with a man named Van and after a short whirlwind affair, she marries him . She quickly finds out that he is actually a con man and has lied to her about everything, except how he feels about her, something she no longer cares about . He tries to win her back and for a very short time it looks as if he has succeeded, but in due course, Van discovers she is trying to run a game on him . He does not reveal that he is onto her, letting it all play out as she wanted . This con was something that Toppy tried repeatedly to talk Grace from doing . Grace's ire was so hot it was nearly beyond her . She wanted him to feel something of what she had at his hand . In the wake of her disgust, Van joins the army and goes to fight in Spain . In the moments before he leaves, his real name is revealed as James . During the fighting, he is killed . Grace is sent and then accepts a request from her dead husband to retrieve his body from Europe and to bury him in San Francisco, where he is from . Her trip occurs during the Christmas special, so neither she nor May is seen . </P>

Who played van mainwaring in wind at my back