Then they fastened their coats and Nico led the way across the cobbles of Stortorget, which were just beginning to sparkle with frost, heading downhill, crossing Västerlånggatan, passing closed shops with heavy knits and wooden clogs in their windows, taking an alley so tiny they had to walk in single file to reach the broader street of Stora Nygatan. He stopped outside a dark green frontage, the glass lettered in gold with the restaurant’s name: Hörnan – the Corner. Inside, stairs plunged steeply to a cellar bistro with a vaulted brick ceiling. Candles in bottles stood on red gingham cloths and the smell of coffee enveloped Hannah and Nico as they took a table by a panelled wall.

Hannah was curious. Nico had brought her to a restaurant. Yesterday, in Burger Town, he’d eaten one French fry.

Perhaps guessing her thoughts, once they were both seated he began to speak. ‘You brought me up short yesterday with your reaction to my appearance. Scruffy clothes couldn’t be enough alone to prompt your reaction so I presume I look thin to you?’

Although her heart put in a heavy beat at the challenge in his voice she didn’t see lying would be a useful response. ‘Thin’s the right word,’ she said gravely. ‘In fact, too thin.’

His eyes flickered. Maybe he’d been hoping for another answer but he answered honestly. ‘I weighed myself in the hotel gym. I’m ten kilos under the minimum healthy weight for my height.’

A quick mental conversion told Hannah ten kilos was about twenty-two pounds. ‘Sounds about right,’ she said cautiously.

His brows lowered. ‘I’ve had a word with myself. My daughter needs me healthy so I’m going to pay more attention to my eating habits. And I’m going to try not to look as if I woke up in a ditch.’ He lifted a hand, as if to stop Hannah commenting. ‘To come clean, burger bars sometimes make me uncomfortable. That’s the food I was discouraged from eating when I was playing hockey, so I craved it. I ate it. Then I … got rid of it. It was a difficult time, changing countries and school systems. Mum wouldn’t come to the UK with Dad’s job so my parents split up and my brother Mattias stayed in Sweden with Mum. I’d always spent more time with Dad because I played hockey but I missed them horribly. I guess I was eating to comfort myself then purging to control my weight.’ Absently, he picked up a pale green menu. ‘Last night, I attached the wrong reason to you wanting me to eat. Burgers and buns sent me back in my mind to those bad old days. I expect I was withdrawn.’

Mortification dried her throat. ‘I’m sorry,’ she began.

Nico’s eyes flashed. ‘Don’t be! You made me see myself before I became downright unhealthy. I need to thank you.’