‘Good for you,’ Olav said. ‘I’ll talk to you later.’

He walked off and Jack looked at Jens, who smiled broadly.

‘Perhaps the island is growing on you. Agnar would like that,’ Jens said. ‘Now, let’s see how you like this, my friend.’

Jack watched with interest while Jens carefully lifted the mussel package over to a paper plate and opened it. The steam filled the air, wafting the smell of herbs and lemon towards him. Jens scooped some onto another plate and handed it to him. ‘Enjoy,’ he said.

The mussels were steaming hot. They had all opened, and Jack picked one, broke open the shell to fish out the mussel and popped it in his mouth. He tasted the garlic and the herbs, but the butter made all the difference.

‘Oh, that’s fantastic.’

Jens nodded, pleased with himself. ‘Oh, yes. Simple is always best, in my opinion. Now, let’s see what you cooked up.’

Jack popped another mussel in his mouth. Amazing, he thought.

Jens bit into the pasty and chewed carefully. He frowned and chewed some more. ‘Old Cheese?’ he said.

‘Yes. I experimented a little.’ Jack wasn’t sure if he liked it himself. ‘You don’t have to eat it, you know. It’s not a wager.’

Jens ate the whole thing, then started on the second one. ‘This is marvellous,’ he said.

Jack laughed and shook his head. He felt ridiculously pleased by the praise.

‘I think someone is summoning you,’ Jens said and nodded towards a group of people on the grass.

Ninni smiled when he caught her eye. ‘Yes, I’ll think I’ll eat this over there,’ he said.

Jack walked over to her. She was quite the sight with dark curls falling in her face and a huge smile to everyone who stopped by to exchange a few words. She looked tired, he thought. The dark shadows under her eyes revealed she wasn’t sleeping well. Was it because of Karl and whatever it was he had done to her?

Jack balanced another portion of mussels and the beer, and sat down beside her.

Petter leaned over. ‘Are you enjoying yourself, Jack?’

‘Very much so. Are there always this many people?’

‘It’s most of the island’s population, plus a few visitors like me.’

Jack put down the bottle to be able to eat the mussels.

Ninni frowned. ‘How can you eat that?’

‘This is the best meal I have eaten in a long time,’ Jack assured her.

Petter laughed. ‘You can’t convince my girl of that. She hates mussels.’

Ninni’s expression lit up at Jens, who brought over a plate for her. ‘I’ve given you a bit of everything. Enjoy,’ he said, before returning to the fire.

Ninni showed Jack her plate. One of his pasties sat next to a pork chop, a baked potato and what looked like a dollop of tartare sauce. ‘See? This is proper food.’

‘I made that one,’ Jack said, and pointed at the pasty. ‘It’s completely mussel-free, so you’re in no danger.’