‘Then there are your assistants and their areas of work. Sometimes there’s a political adviser and a personal assistant, but if 10they’re the same person then it makes financial planning easier. Do you have any names in mind?’

‘I haven’t had time to think it over properly, but there are people from both parties who have made suggestions. I think one person will be enough,’ she said.

It was quite true. There had hardly been time to draw breath since the prime minister’s call on Monday giving her a two-hour deadline to decide whether or not to take the job.

‘Then there’s the car and the driver…’

‘No, thanks,’ she said, and Óðinn looked up in astonishment.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I can drive myself,’ she said. She had strong opinions about ministerial cars. Of course there was a certain convenience about such an arrangement, and it saved time. But there was something a little too grand about being driven in a smart limousine among normal Icelanders who were paying for it. It was simply not her style.

Óðinn put the list aside and leaned back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face.

‘You realise that the only thing people miss once they’re no longer a minister is the driver? You can deal with emails on the way to and from work, you can send him to run errands for you, and he’s also responsible for your security. He’ll shovel snow off the steps, change lightbulbs, all that stuff.’

‘I’m married, you know,’ she said, and at last Óðinn cracked a smile.

‘We can discuss this later,’ he said, and although she had not meant to leave it open to further discussion, she nodded her agreement so they could continue with the list. She was desperate for a cigarette and wanted to get the meeting over with.

All the same, a full hour had passed and Úrsúla was edgy from nicotine withdrawal by the time Óðinn crossed off the final item on the list and got to his feet. She felt him loom over her as he offered his hand. 11

‘Welcome to the job,’ he said. ‘I’m here for you all the time, for anything, and I speak for the whole ministry when I say that we will do everything we can to ensure your tenure here is successful.’

She stood up and gripped his warm hand.

‘Thank you very much,’ she said. She had a feeling inside that they would work well together. He smiled and she saw the lines around his eyes deepen. For a second he reminded her of her father; not as he had been towards the end, but as she remembered him when she had been small and they had played together.

‘One more thing,’ she called after him as he was about to leave the conference room. ‘There was a woman who called here this morning with a request for the ministry to look into a case. It’s a rape accusation that seems to have been held up in the system. My secretary booked it as a formal request. Would you look into it and give me some advice on how to proceed?’