"You seem quiet," Sebastian said.

Louise glanced up. They were speeding down a country road, the red Mercedes taking hairpin turns like oil sliding around the edge of a frying pan. Sebastian took a sharp left, and she grabbed the edge of your seat. At this rate, she thought, they'd be the first people to arrive at the client's country dinner.

"Can you slow down?" Louise asked.

"Sorry." Sebastian smiled. Eased off the pedal. "Something bothering you?"

"I'm just tired," she lied.

Sebastian nodded. He'd dressed up for tonight, Louise thought; his blond hair was artfully tousled, and he was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of dark chinos. Expensive cologne clung to his clothes. Cologne, and something else — a sharp, acidic smell.

"Thanks again," Sebastian said. "For agreeing to come with me."

Louise shrugged. "Free booze, right?"

Sebastian took a right turn. The speedometer crept up, and Louise's grip on the seat tightened. "You look lovely, by the way. Can't remember if I've already said that."

She looked down at her outfit — a black dress, jean jacket, and heels — and felt her stomach tighten. Something niggled at her, and it took Louise a moment to identify it: regret. She'd been thinking of how nice it would be to dress-up for once. But now, with the way Sebastian was looking at her...

Shit.

She smiled. "It's a miracle that I found something that hasn't been covered in stains yet."

"Ah, yes," Sebastian said. "How is parenthood?"

"It's good."

He blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah." Louise's knuckles were white on the seat. "Why?"

"Well, it's just..." Sebastian's face was unreadable in the darkness, illuminated only by the white glare of the headlights. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I thought you didn't want kids. I always pictured you more as a free spirit that wants to travel the world. We're similar, that way."

The car hit a bump, and she flinched. "Don't you like kids?"

"Not really."

"But you came to Vienna's birthday," Louise pointed out.

"Louise," Sebastian said. "I came to see you."

"Oh."

Her throat was dry. Louise scrambled to think of something to say — anything to prevent him from talking — but her mind was painfully blank. Sebastian's hand was loose on the steering wheel. Almost too casual.

Sebastian took a hard right. "Do you remember the first day we met? During our interview? You were wearing a dress with daisies on it. We were talking about Toronto and your friend Ella, and I asked what songs she sang. And you just started singing, right there in the middle of the office." His mouth curved up. "That's what I love most about you, Louise. You're fearless."

Her heart was racing. "Sebastian..."

"You must know how I feel about you," Sebastian murmured. "I haven't exactly been subtle. But just in case you don't... I've spent the last three years in love with you, Louise. I'm still in love with you. And I can't keep silent any longer." There was a pause. Sebastian glanced sideways at her. "Well?"

"I didn't know," she lied. "I had no idea that you felt that way."

"And now?" Sebastian asked.

There was something hard about his face, something that made her think of the way ponds in Canada freeze over in winter, trapping the fish beneath a thick layer of ice. She swallowed. Something rang in her pocket, and Louise dove for her phone. "Arabella Cavendish" flashed up on the screen.

"It's a client." She couldn't keep the relief out of her voice. "I should take this."

Sebastian's face tightened. But he didn't say anything as Louise raised the phone to her ear, hitting the green button.

"Hello?" she asked.

Muffled sobbing sounded down the line. Louise's heart sunk.

"Arabella?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jack." Sniffling noises. "We're over."

"What?"

"We had a huge fight." Arabella's voice sounded wet. Choked. "You should have seen him, Louise. He was so angry."

She switched the phone to the other ear. "What was the fight about?"

"I told him that I wanted kids."

"What did he say?" Louise asked.

"I don't know." Arabella's voice was coming in gasps. "He just kept saying that I'd lied to him, that we were a month away from getting married and he didn't even know me." A sob. "What sort of person says that to their fiancée?"

Louise closed her eyes. Part of her was oddly proud of Arabella, but the other — more selfish — part of her was reeling. It wasn't the money that was an issue, but she'd been counting on having the wedding on her CV. Especially since she'd need to look for a new job soon; there was no way she was staying at Crawley Events after Sebastian's confession.

Still.

She wasn't the sort of person that would try to convince Arabella to marry Jack Norberg. Not unless Arabella wanted to.

"Do you want to fix things?" Louise asked.

"Yes." Arabella's response was immediate. "I love him."

"Okay," Louise said. "Why don't I go speak with him tomorrow? I'm sure we can— one second." She covered the speaker as the car swerved sideways. "Sebastian, can you slow down?" She removed her hand. "Arabella? Are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Good," Louise said. "I was just saying—" The car skidded slightly, and she swore. "Sebastian. Jesus. Slow down."

Sebastian's smile was the flash of a knife blade. He pressed down the pedal, and Louise's heart sped up. He seemed to be getting some sort of sick pleasure out of scaring her, she thought. That acidic smell was becoming stronger, and it took her a moment to identify it.

Alcohol.

Fear — real fear, stronger than she'd ever felt before — sliced through her.

"Sebastian!" The word was torn from her throat. "Slow the goddamn car down or I'll—"

The car skidded.

It happened quickly; one moment, they were on the road, and the next, there were green plants hammering at their dashboard. Something cracked against the ceiling. Her head? Pain exploded, sending stars dancing in front of her eyes. Sebastian shouted.

Everything went quiet.

The red car lay in a ditch, the headlights shining like the eyes of some great beast. The night wind howled. And the Thames rumbled on as it always did, a silvery ribbon, oblivious to the car beside it.

"Hello?" Arabella's tinny voice sounded through the speaker. "Louise? Are you there?"