Still no Milo. Tomorrow she’s going to have to tell Agnes that the dog her father gave her, the last link they have to Håkan, is probably dead. Suddenly she bursts into tears, with no warning. She and Agnes wept together earlier, but this is something completely different. She wraps her arms around her knees and rests her head on them, sobs so hard that she can hardly breathe. She wishes that Håkan was still inside her head, that he would say something reassuring, tell her that everything is somehow going to be all right. Tell her she’ll be able to get through this setback. But Håkan has left her and Agnes, and he will never come back. Just like Milo.

She cries for several minutes, until she begins to feel a little better. Something cold touches her hand. She wipes her eyes and looks up.

It’s Milo, his head on one side, looking as if he’s pleased to see her, but isn’t quite prepared to admit it. She grabs his collar, pulls the stupid dog close and hugs him as tightly as she can. Milo doesn’t protest, and after a few seconds he begins to lick her cheeks.

She hears footsteps on the gravel. Mats Andersson is slowly making his way across the yard.

‘So, you’re back,’ he says, glancing towards the kitchen.

‘Only me. Agnes will be staying in hospital for a few days.’

‘Oh.’ His mouth turns down in disappointment. ‘How is she?’

‘Pretty good, under the circumstances.’

Mats nods. ‘Aunt Elisabet told me about the accident, so I drove down. The police had put up that blue-and-white tape all over the place. While I was standing there, he came running.’ The big man points to Milo, who is still sitting on her lap. ‘He was cold and wet and hungry, so I took him home to Änglaberga, gave him a bath and fed him.’

‘Thank you so much. Agnes will be delighted. I was . . .’ She pauses, clears her throat. ‘We were afraid he’d ended up at the bottom of the river with the car.’

Mats shakes his head. ‘Not this little guy. He’s way too tough for that.’

‘Would you like to come in?’ she says. ‘Not that I have anything to offer you.’

He shakes his head again. ‘No, I need to get home – I have things to do.’ He leans forward, rubs Milo between the ears with an enormous hand, then turns away. Milo whimpers, wriggles free and runs after him.

‘Mats, wait!’ Anna gets to her feet and beckons him. ‘Would you like to visit Agnes in hospital tomorrow?’

His face lights up beneath the shaggy beard. ‘Can I?’

She nods, makes a decision. ‘Actually, could I ask you to take Milo with you? It’s probably not in accordance with the hospital regulations, but it would make all the difference to her.’