Bruno registered the comment. He’d heard Alex and Carina arguing hundreds of times, and knew that this was an integral part of their relationship, but during this summer he had picked up something different in Carina’s tone. Something that worried him.

Chapter 3

3

Autumn 2017

‘Last one,’ says the Pole who has introduced himself as Pawel and seems to be the boss. He folds up the final cardboard box and stows it in the van.

‘Are you sure I can’t offer you something?’ Anna says. She speaks slowly, conscious that her stammer tends to be more prevalent when she is speaking a language other than Swedish.

The man holds up his hands and shakes his head. ‘No, thank you. Mr Klein told us to go back when we finish.’

‘OK – thank you so much!’

Pawel beckons his three colleagues and they pile into the van with the Polish registration plates. Anna remains on the step, watching until the taillights are swallowed up by the trees.

‘Excellent service,’ Agnes says behind her. She sounds unexpectedly upbeat, although the slightly ironic tone she adopts in self-defence is there as usual.

‘Absolutely.’ Anna looks at her watch. ‘Furniture and rugs in place, boxes unpacked and taken away, and it’s not even lunchtime. And on a Saturday too.’

Call-me had handed over the keys the previous afternoon. When the removal truck arrived, they set up the beds and unpacked a few essentials without talking more than necessary. After the men had left, Anna and Agnes had eaten a scratch meal surrounded by boxes and furniture, then Agnes had shut herself in her room with Milo and the laptop. She didn’t reappear until Klein’s Polish workers knocked on the door this morning, but in spite of the fact that they’d woken her, she’d helped out without moaning or sulking. She’d even seemed to welcome the contact. Almost. It might be wishful thinking, but after only one night at Tabor, Anna thinks that their relationship has improved slightly. As if the old house has a calming effect.

‘Plus they built all the flat-pack furniture,’ Agnes says. ‘Without having a load of screws left over like when Dad . . .’ She falls silent, looks away. Her smile vanishes. A hidden landmine neither of them had placed there, yet it kills the conversation.

‘Are you hungry?’ Anna asks, trying to maintain a cheerful tone of voice. ‘I’m going to do some shopping.’ She leaves the question hanging in the air. Agnes doesn’t answer. She simply goes into her room and closes the door behind her.

*