He coughed, irritated at the direction his thoughts had taken, and stood up. He had allowed himself to be sidetracked into looking at photographs of Áróra instead of continuing as he had intended, building up a picture of Ísafold’s life over the last few years.

He opened the glass doors out to the patio and slipped off his socks. As he stepped onto the lawn, he enjoyed the cool feeling of his toes in the thick, soft grass. He walked back and forth a few times. The grass was dark green in the evening light and resembled a covering of felt. Only the untamed patch by the rocks stopped the garden from being perfect.

Daníel walked over to the converted garage and peered in through the window. Lady Gúgúlú was hunched over the sewing machine, concentrating on the glittering, sequinned material she was running through it. He tapped lightly at the window and waved as she looked up.

‘Isn’t it time for you to come outside for a smoke, my good woman,’ Daníel asked when she appeared in the doorway, and saw that she was ahead of him and already had a cigarette packet in her hand.

‘It gives me the shivers when someone refers to me as a good woman,’ Lady Gúgúlú said as she took out a cigarette and lit up. ‘There’s something very old about being a good woman.’

‘Apologies. No offence intended.’

‘Madame sounds better. There’s a bit of Parisian glamour to being a madame. A good Icelandic woman suggests someone in curlers and the apron she got at a Women’s Institute raffle somewhere in the countryside. And she’d be somewhere around seventy.’

‘I’ll bear that in mind, madame,’ Daníel said with a stiff bow, and Lady Gúgúlú inspected him thoughtfully.

‘But you can just call me Lady. Considering we’re on first-name terms.’102

Daníel bowed a second time and mined doffing an imaginary hat.

‘Anyway, what are you after?’ she asked, blowing out a couple of smoke rings.

‘Not sure exactly,’ Daníel said. ‘Just wanted to see you.’

‘Are you lonely?’

‘Yes. I think so. It’s weird not having anyone to share a coffee break with. That’s the only thing I miss now that I’m on holiday, the coffee breaks.’

103

42

Áróra put on a short black dress, decided to take a chance on bare legs, then put on high-heeled sandals and added a coat. In the hotel’s lobby she turned back and fetched a scarf from her room. She would need it when the sun began to set and the evening became cool.