‘We’ll think of something.’ Hannah realised there was now no wife/nanny/cousin in Josie’s life to check Josie made her dad a gift. As if her offer promoted Hannah to a new level in Josie’s mind, she chattered all the way back. First she talked about Loren. She didn’t seem to Hannah to regard her as a child normally regarded her mother, with love and a recognition of maternal authority, but more as someone for whom allowances must be made, someone who couldn’t completely be trusted. How must it have felt for Josie to find Maria hungry and thirsty, crying hopelessly in her room? Nothing like it had happened in Hannah’s childhood and she could only imagine how scary it would be. No wonder Josie clung to the safety of Nico.

When Josie talked about her dad her tone was different. No confusion, no wariness. ‘Dad says he’ll …’ or ‘Dad says we’ll …’ littered her sentences.

And every time delivered with no doubt that whatever Dad said, it could be relied upon.

Chapter Twenty

The hospital smelled of chemicals and people, with the occasional whiff of bowel.

Nico had driven the hire car to Jönköping. Mattias was working in the museum until two and would go home to Huskvarna after visiting Lars. He, Nico and Carina converged on the ward as it opened. Carina hugged her sons, Mattias gave Nico a wintry smile and turned to his dad, lying in bed with an impressive number of wires emerging from his gown to create bleeps and graphs on various machines.

‘The doctors have told me off,’ Lars said. His hair stuck up and his face looked rumpled. His smile was marginally less tired than yesterday. ‘I have coronary heart disease and a bad diet. Once I stopped coaching professionally I let myself have all the pizzas and chocolate I once preached against.’

Not thinking it was for him to comment on someone else’s relationship with food, Nico patted his dad’s hand, noticing the age spots. ‘So, what next?’

‘Angioplasty, where they put a balloon in your arteries to widen them, and possibly stents. I’ll be here a few more days.’

‘When will these procedures happen?’ Mattias, this time.

‘Tomorrow.’ Lars pulled a comical face. ‘They’re in a hurry to fix me.’

‘And get rid of you, I expect,’ Carina joked back. But tears stood in her eyes. Nico felt torn. It was good to see his parents close again but it made him wish they’d never parted. Maybe then Mattias wouldn’t treat him like a stranger. On the other hand, if they’d stuck together then maybe he’d never have lived in England. He couldn’t imagine that, much as he loved Sweden.