He pointed and Jack looked. A girl of about twelve was using both hands to hold onto a school standard that looked far too heavy for her.

Her face lit up when her father waved at her. She had one of those bunads on. Behind her followed lines of children, all dressed to the hilt, waving flags, singing and yelling.

‘Looks great,’ Jack said.

‘You bet she does. Strong too. Those standards are bloody heavy and she has to carry it all the way through town. Okay, stay close to me; I’ll get you across.’

Jack followed him as he held up a hand like a traffic constable. The band stopped walking, creating a bit of a ruckus behind them as some children walked into the ones in front. Jack ran across. He turned to wave at the policeman, but he was already lost in the crowds.

Jack pulled his suitcase behind him. The noise from the parade faded. He thought about what had happened the day before. He’d been on his way from the airport to the lawyer’s office when he’d hit that girl. God, he could have killed her. That would have been something for the papers, he thought. Sacked Chef At One Of London’s Hippest Restaurants Kills Norwegian Woman.

At the lawyer’s office everything had been very clinical. An hour later, he’d stood outside again with a large brown envelope in his hand – the papers that proved he was the rightful owner of Agnar Berget’s farm. He couldn’t bring himself to think of Agnar as his father. It was too odd.

Jack put his hand in his pocket and felt the key. One key for a whole farm. It was … weird.

Perhaps he could call his dad from the boat. He knew the trip would take about thirty minutes.

He stopped on top of the bridge to have a look around. The harbour was filled with all sorts of boats, everything from small motorboats to large ferries, even a few rowing boats. Not one without a flag or two, he noticed.

Along the pier there were restaurants, already filled with people. So not everyone was taking part in the parade, he thought, and started walking again.

Someone pointed out the ferry for him and he found a place outside. The weather was sunny and windy. He was surprised. In Bergen he’d been told that in Haugesund it was always raining.

Not today, he thought, feeling the sweat on his back.

He stayed on deck until it got too windy. There were a few people on board. They looked at him, but no one talked to him.

Jack rang his dad, who answered at once.

‘What’s that noise?’ Paul asked.

‘Boat engines, I think. I don’t really know.’

Paul laughed. ‘How are you liking it so far? Did you meet the lawyer?’

‘Yesterday. He gave me an envelope and a key. One key for a whole farm. I’m guessing it’s filled with rotten outbuildings and a house the wind blew upside down.’