‘Yes, I …’ Louise paused. She didn’t really want to ask April this. She didn’t want to break the spell. ‘Look, there’s something I need to know.’ She hesitated, still dreading the consequences of this, but then ploughed on. ‘When we went clubbing last summer, and I said I thought I’d seen Niall. I … I did see him, didn’t I? I know it was him.’

April pulled a wry face. ‘Ah. I … Sorry.’ She gave Louise a doubtful, slightly humorous look. ‘That was the first time I saw him with Dina. I didn’t know whether to tell you. I was just – I was so goddamn angry with him that I stormed over, but when I got there, they weren’t kissing or anything, and I overheard them talking about money. Dina left the moment she saw me, and Niall begged me not to say anything. He said she’d offered to get him a job. That it really, genuinely wasn’t more. And I thought, you know, that might have been what I heard.’ April sighed. ‘I told him to get out of there, but I said I’d be keeping my eye on him. I felt really crappy for lying to you, but it sort of seemed more like a business arrangement than a date. You know?’

Louise studied her for a moment, and then said, ‘You still basically trusted him?’

‘Yeah, I did.’ And April nodded. ‘Ever since I first met Niall, I’ve thought he was decent. You know, the first time we met, out in Dallas, he thought I was in trouble, and he just straight off tried to help. It wasn’t sleazy like every other guy in the world. He never flirted or made any moves on me. He just – saw a human being suffering, and he decided to try and fix it.’ She gave a small smile. ‘I mean, he was flat out wrong. I didn’t need any help. But it made me like him. And I’ve always liked the way he tries to help you, too.’

Louise gave her own sigh. ‘I suppose he does. Up to a point. So … when you told me on Friday about seeing them together …’

‘Oh, I’d seen them again, like I said,’ April replied. ‘She was just all goddamn over him like a rash. Whatever political manoeuvrings in the world of pharma may have been going on, he was clearly enjoying it. I felt so torn about telling you. I thought maybe I should just give him a warning and see which way he jumped. And then you told me you were going to get pregnant …’

Louise could feel herself blushing a deep red. ‘Oh, God. I don’t know what I was thinking.’

‘You were thinking it was how you’d sort your life out,’ April replied with a shrug. ‘And if Niall hadn’t been lying to you, then maybe it would have fixed things.’