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As the car crashed down into the ditch there was a rending, splintering noise; she thought it sounded as if the end of the world had come Her windscreen shattered Glass sprayed everywhere; she instinctively covered her face with her ar her seat-belt, or she h the windscreen and her face would have been cut to ribbons

The car rocked wildly, and then settled into the long grass and weeds Through her shaking fingers, Sian saw a splash of red and thought, poppies!— only to realise after awheel

My blood! she thought with sick shock Undoing her seat-belt, she scrae of petrol and an explosion followed There was no smell of petrol, but she was in a state of panic and wanted to get as far from the car as possible

The other car hadn't stopped; either the driver hadn't seen her go into the ditch or siain; she couldn't hear a sound except the rustle of wild parsley and the melancholy call of birds

Grabbing her handbag, she set off to walk in search of help From the map Mrs Cassidy had sent her, the house couldn't be far, indeed, just five ned ironwork gates set between tall stone posts topped with carved stone gryphons, each bearing a shield

Shield House Sian riates stood wide, and at the far end of a e, timbered house with its red-tiled roof She still had quite a walk ahead of her and she was li wetly down her face frolass, no doubt She hadn't bothered to do anything about it—she felt too sick and dizzy, but she set her teeth and doggedly walked on towards the house

She was alain, parked on the drive outside the house It was e to hurry because she was afraid she was going to pass out anyit just now? It couldn't have been Cass—but it had to be either a s to say to whoever it was, anyway!

A moment later, the front door opened and Cass walked out, tall and lean and casually dressed in an open-necked shirt and cream linen summer trousers Sian stopped dead and felt odder than ever He went over to the white sports car and opened the driver's door It was his car! He , after all! How could he drive like a lunatic, force her into a ditch and drive on without even looking back? She was incredulous and appalled; she would have taken bets that it Couldn't have been Cass She had to be wrong about hih to predict hoould behave in any situation?

Serves you right for being so stupid, she told herself, taking another shaky step, and Cass suddenly caught sight of her in his driving-lass A second later he was out of the car and running towards her

'Sian! Sian, my God, what's happened to you?'

He see him away as he tried to put his arms round her 'You did, damn you!'

'I did?' His face looked al at her fixedly, and she gave hilare

'Just keep your hands to yourself—and stop wavering about!'

'Wavering about? What do you mean?' He ca at the way that hurt 'There's blood all over your head,' Cass said in a strange, thick voice 'You've had an accident!'

'Oh, you noticed at last,' she bitterly flung at hi her eyes as she tried to see hih, but two is beyond a joke, especially when neither of you will stand still!'