‘It’s about showing your strengths,’ she said, ‘instead of making light of the weaker points.’

She erased all the stuff about university degrees and political positions, and being interested in a ‘steady relationship’, and punched in a few words that would help Gréta start to reel them in. She handed the phone back and smiled with satisfaction as Gréta read the description of herself out loud, with wonder in her voice.

‘“Strong-minded, culturally aware, financially independent, solidly built lady who dreams of a princess to pamper, share laughs with and have fun together.”’

‘Let me know how many swipes you get,’ Stella said. 35

13

His nest was sheltered and dry. The temperature was just below zero but his padded boiler suit kept the cold out. He pulled the hood up before falling asleep and woke up with his whole body comfortably warm. As long as it stayed dry you could get through a heavy frost. This was something he knew from experience. He took a small torch from his breast pocket and shone its beam on the scrap torn from the newspaper. Úrsúla and the Devil. It was too painful a thought to imagine that this innocent creature had fallen into his grip. He was relieved that he had sent her a warning by leaving the note in her car. He hoped she would take notice of it. Once upon a time she had taken notice of everything he said, looking up at him with wide eyes, her face one big question as she waited uncertainly for a sign that he was joking or not. If he laughed, then so would she, out loud and with all her little heart. Now and again he had got things wrong, told her something confusing or even things that children shouldn’t get to hear. The wretched booze didn’t bring out the best in people, and in that respect he was no better than anyone else.

He opened a crack and peered out of his nest. He needed to pee, and to walk and stretch his legs, but he didn’t want anyone to see him making his way out of his hiding place. This was his personal foxhole and the best place to keep a watchful eye on her, and he didn’t want to be kicked out of it. Nobody seemed to be about, so he slipped out and set off through the snow, which crunched under his feet. The old churchyard was at the end of the street and he could pee there.

The guy in the little corner shop was amiable and heated up his sandwich under the grill, adding that coffee came free with it. So he made the most of the offer and gulped down three mugs with milk, crumbling a few lumps of sugar in there as well while he waited for his sandwich. He paid with the small change the lad at Hlemmur had given him. As soon as he was outside the shop, he 36bit into the sandwich. It was piping hot, so the melted cheese burned his lip, but he liked seeing the steam rising from it into the cold air.