Lights cut through the darkness and she heard a car door slam. “Lucy?” It was Finn’s voice and she felt overwhelming relief.

“I’m here,” she called. She managed to struggle up the slope onto the road where he had left the Land Rover with its hazard lights and full beam on. His arms closed about her and she felt the urgency in him, the fear in his grip.

“I’m all right,” she said, answering his unspoken question and his arms tightened about her and she felt his mouth pressed against her hair and heard the thud of his heart against her ear.

“Thank God,” he said, and his voice was very rough. “I don’t think I could go through that again.”

“I’m so sorry,” Lucy said. “So sorry.” She clung to him.

“Don’t be.” Finn sounded fierce. “It’s not your fault.”

“There was someone on the road.” Lucy was shivering convulsively. “I’m sorry, Finn, I really wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. They stepped right out in front of me at the last minute. I didn’t stand a chance.”

She felt his body stiffen and then he released her very gently. In the darkness she couldn’t see his expression and she held her breath as she waited for his reaction.

“We need to get you into the Land Rover,” he said after a moment. “Then we can talk.”

The thudding of Lucy’s heart settled a little. She allowed him to guide her to the passenger seat and help her inside. She already felt stiff, and was scratched all over from the brambles that had cushioned her landing at the bottom of the bank, but when he wrapped a blanket about her and tucked her in, her heart almost melted at the tenderness of it. Reaction was setting in now and she wanted to cry. She sniffed hard instead and blinked back the tears.

Without a word Finn took a torch from the back of the car and snapped it on to illuminate the crash. Her stomach lurched. How had she survived that? The car was at right angles to the road and practically on its nose. Splintered branches and crushed vegetation marked its journey from the tarmac to the field below.

Finn climbed in beside her and placed the torch on the back seat. “You were lucky,” he said. She couldn’t read his tone. “Very lucky.”

Lucy found she wanted to apologize for being alive when Charlie had died; the tears crowded her throat again. But then Finn put his arms about her, very carefully, and drew her against him.

“Sorry,” he said, his cheek resting against hers. “I just need a moment. To hold you. To...” His voice broke.

“I can’t even imagine what this must be like for you,” Lucy said, pressing closer. She felt a rush of relief that Finn had accepted her word without question, but the issues they must raise for him were huge.

After a moment, Finn’s grip eased a little. “I always suspected there was more to Charlie’s death than an accident,” he said fiercely. “He was always so bloody careful.”