It’s an effort not to push him away and run from this place, but she’s got to see this through, so she sits there without moving, for as long as she can stand it, while Rueben pours more and more alcohol down his throat. Then she strikes. ‘I need a favour,’ she says, lightly stroking his arm.

‘Anything, just ask.’ His smile turns her stomach.

She whispers into his ear. ‘Let’s go to your house. It’s more private.’

Reuben doesn’t hesitate, and grabs her hand, leading her outside, where he tries to flag down a taxi. There’s a sharp chill in the air now; they are deep into autumn, with its longer, darker nights. She can’t have this hanging over her any longer. She needs to lay it all to rest.

In the taxi he tries to kiss her, and she playfully pushes him away. ‘No, Reuben,’ she tells him, ‘not here.’ She laughs, and his eyes swallow her up. It’s all she can do not to turn away and jump out of the cab.

Sienna’s never set foot in Reuben’s house in Chiswick before, has never even seen it, and this unnerves her. She reminds herself why she’s doing this, how important it is that she sees it through. The fear remains with her though; this could all go horribly wrong.

‘Here we are,’ Reuben says as he opens the door. ‘I don’t think you’ve ever been here before, have you? How come you never came to any of Nikki’s book club nights? Jo and Eva always did.’

‘I was never invited,’ Sienna says.

Reuben nods. ‘Is that right? That’s because they were intimidated by you.’

They’re inside now, and Sienna’s surprised by how much care has gone into maintaining the character of this Victorian house. ‘What do you mean? Why would they be intimidated by me?’

‘Because of your confidence. You don’t care what anyone thinks of you, you’re just free to be yourself. Something like that. Also, you’re beautiful. Who wouldn’t be intimidated?’

Sienna says nothing. She wants to shut him up. He’s wrong about everything; he knows nothing about her.

‘Let’s have some wine.’ Reuben leads her to the kitchen diner, where he heads straight to the wine rack. Pouring two glasses, he hands her one, and she takes it with a smile.

‘I think you’ll like this,’ he says, stroking her hair.

‘There’s something I need to do first. Would you mind if I use your computer? It will only take a minute.’

Reuben frowns. ‘What? Why?’

‘I just need to check my email and my phone’s died. I’m expecting something really important from a new client. Is that okay?’ She places her hand on his chest. ‘It won’t take a moment.’