‘Not on your life. English people are weird,’ Britt said.

‘How do you eat the cheese?’ Jack stirred the pan again.

‘I would rather eat anything else than that cheese, thank you.’

She held up the bag again. ‘Here, try this. Perhaps it will take the taste away.’

Jack smiled when he saw the bottles. ‘Is this the famous island beer?’

‘Yes, it’s a house-warming present.’ Britt sat down by the kitchen table. ‘Is it true that you’re selling the farm?’

‘Yes.’ Jack opened one of the beer bottles and handed it to her.

She shook her head. ‘Too early for me. Please, I’d like to know your opinion.’

Jack sniffed the bottle and enjoyed the faint smell of yeast and something slightly sweet. ‘Is it honey?’

‘God, no, that would be mjød’—she waved her hand—‘I mean mead. No, I use yeast and hops, so it’s plain pilsner, or lager, made with loving hands right here in my shed on the island.’

Jack tasted it and smiled. ‘It’s good. I mean, this is really good. Why are you making beer?’

‘I started a micro-brewery with my ex, to see if we could make some money and get him off his job on the oil platforms. Mostly I sell to a restaurant in town.’

Jack took another sip. ‘Only to one? Can you make a profit from it?’

Britt smiled. ‘Not really. I like your style. I would love to make a living from it, but at the moment it’s more of a hobby. We’ve been experimenting for a few years. That is, I have, since my ex decided island life wasn’t for him. I pay my bills being a teacher, but there are very few kids now; it’s just a matter of time before the school closes down for good.’

Jack shook the pan. ‘Why have you come here? Apart from inspecting me.’

‘I wanted to talk to you before the potato planting,’ Britt said.

‘Okay. Why?’ Jack tossed the garlic into the pan.

‘Most of the islanders don’t want you to sell this place. They are worried about the big bad wolf coming and devouring everyone. Changing the way the island has been run since the Stone Age, I guess.’

‘And you’re not worried?’

‘I think there are opportunities in change,’ she said.

Jack leaned back. ‘Who’s the big bad wolf?’

Britt laughed. ‘Oh, him. Erik Haldorsen. According to Alma, he wants to destroy the island. Meaning, if you sell to him we are doomed and will be thrown off the island half an hour later.’

She didn’t seem worried. Jack watched her. ‘Doomed, how?’

‘Erik is a property developer, an investor. He’s had his eyes on the island for years. He held a town meeting some years back and showed us plans for a wind farm on the west side, a marina right here on your land, and all sorts of other things. We would all be making a fortune from the island, he said.’ She shrugged and smiled a little. ‘Not sure if that’s true, but a little development would be nice.’