Áróra walked along the shore all the way to the small-boat harbour, where fishermen were working on their boats, and on two of the pontoons there were children dangling hooks on lines. She smiled to herself. This would have been just the kind of thing her parents would have argued about. For her father, the freedom children had to do as they pleased would have been a wonderful thing, while her mother would have pointed out that it was incredibly dangerous for children to be playing by the sea unsupervised. Áróra stopped for a moment at the end of the pontoon and watched two boys haul in their line. As a fish appeared 73on the hook, their cries of delight carried over the quiet harbour. ‘Cod!’ one of them called out in triumph, lifting a hand for the other to slap in congratulation. Their pride in this achievement was clear, even from a distance. This was something that children in Iceland could experience, the independence and pride that came from doing things for themselves without having to rely on adults for help.

As Áróra thought about it, she realised this was how she had taken the decision to dig into Hákon’s affairs. She had thrown caution and doubt aside, and made a start. She had allowed instinct to lead her, without taking into account what anyone else might think. Maybe her nature was more Icelandic than she had imagined.

She walked back into the town and strolled along a shopping street to the coffee shop where her cousin Ellý had suggested they meet. They arrived at the door at the same moment, one from each direction. A smile spread across Ellý’s flushed face as she pushed a pram ahead of her.

‘Lovely to see you,’ she whispered, taking care not to wake the baby in the pram as they hugged.

Áróra peered under the hood to see a tiny head in a crocheted cap peeking from under the duvet.

‘We can park him here,’ Ellý said, placing the pram by the coffee shop’s window and putting on the brake.

Áróra hesitated. This was one of those Icelandic habits that she found hard to deal with.

‘You’re going to leave him out here? On his own?’

‘He’s fast asleep,’ Ellý said. ‘He has his dad’s lungs, so there’s no chance I won’t hear him when he wakes up.’

She picked up her handbag from the basket under the pram and went up the coffee shop’s steps.

‘We can go for a walk until he wakes up,’ Áróra suggested, and Ellý shook her head.

‘I’m going to go crazy if I don’t get coffee,’ she said, pushing 74open the door. ‘I didn’t leave the house yesterday, or this morning. So a little time for me is overdue.’