‘And what’s next on the minister’s agenda?’ the reporter asked in a jovial voice. This was clearly one of those light-hearted items that were so important for every news bulletin.

‘I’m going shopping, and then cooking for the family,’ Úrsúla replied. ‘It’s not every day that I can tell my children about such an exciting day at the office.’

She smiled, and Pétur could see a trace of the original, unspoiled 181soul, the face of the child who laughed and shrieked when he and her father had joked with her or sung her a song. Then the news bulletin was over, and Pétur got to his feet. The item had been recorded in the afternoon darkness, so it hadn’t been that long ago. If he was quick, he’d have a chance of catching her. Having spent so much time in the boot of her car, he knew exactly where she normally shopped for groceries.

78

‘I was going to give you full marks for that piece of PR,’ Eva said. ‘And then it turns out you really are going to cook dinner for the children.’

Úrsúla laughed. ‘I’m not always devious,’ she said.

They walked together from the helicopter hangar and over to the car park. There was a bitter tang of fuel in the frosty air, and somewhere in the background the chug of heavy machinery at work could be heard; compared to the roaring dim she had endured for most of the day, it seemed like a mellow undertone.

‘It’s exactly that human side, or maybe we should say the feminine side, that you need to show,’ Eva said. ‘You need to let yourself laugh more often, show a milder side in television interviews, and put some emphasis on being a mother and a wife, not just a minister.’

Úrsúla sighed. ‘So is that really how far we’ve come? The men are supposed to come across as decisive and women as mild? Is that it?’

‘Well,’ Eva began, and stood still, so Úrsúla knew that a long explanation was coming. ‘Women in politics have to appear decisive to be respected. But if they fall short, and negativity appears, then that same decisiveness instead triggers hatred. Now you’re in the position in which the media has tasted blood, so you’ll have to work to overcome the general impression that’s being formed 182that you’re a harridan who tramples over everyone, including innocent street people. So you need to appear mild and smile more. A smile always disarms the opposition. That interview just now was perfect. Really, it was.’

‘All right. I hear what you’re saying and accept it. I’ll bear it in mind.’

The ministerial car pulled up next to them, and Eva shook her head.

‘I’ll take a taxi home,’ she said with an arch smile. ‘You can go shopping for the family and be a perfect wife and mother for a change.’

Úrsúla laughed as she got into the car, and as she shut the door behind her, she remembered what she had meant to ask Eva, and rolled down the window.