Jack waited until Olav said it was fine. They were the last ones to leave.

‘Where’s Frikk?’ Jack said.

‘Oh, he followed Pappa. He’ll come back for me.’

Jack smiled. ‘He comes back for you?’

‘Always. Buhunds are excellent herders and Frikk likes to keep his flock together. It’s a strong instinct.’

‘Is that what he is – a buhund?’

‘Yes. It’s an old Norwegian breed. A Viking dog, if you like,’ she said.

Jack raised his eyebrows. ‘Shouldn’t the breed be called Old Norwegian Dog then?’

‘A joke! Finally!’ Ninni laughed even more when he looked overly pleased with himself.

Ninni remembered Britt’s observation and couldn’t help checking out Jack’s bottom. Oh, my God, she thought. I’m insane.

At the top of the road, Ninni closed the gate behind them.

‘Are there any animals loose now?’ Jack looked over the fence.

‘No, but it’s important to keep up the good habits,’ Ninni said.

He smiled. ‘Right, I see.’

They walked slowly away from the farm. Ninni put her hands in her pockets and had no idea what to say to him. She only hoped that he wouldn’t ask about Karl again.

‘It’s not very dark, is it?’ he said after a while.

‘Never is this time of year. Not too long now before there will only be a few hours of night, even here.’

‘And the further north you get, the lighter it gets, right?’

Ninni nodded. ‘Yes, because the further north you go, the shorter the night.’

‘Do you get the Northern Lights down here during the winter?’

Ninni hid a smile. ‘I’ve never seen them. It’s either too cloudy or we are not far enough north.’

Jack nodded, looking very serious. ‘What about the midnight sun? Will it be twenty-four hours’ sunshine here on the island?’

‘You obviously haven’t been to Scotland, have you? We’re roughly on the same latitude as Shetland. No midnight sun. Again, we’re not far enough north and even if we did get Northern Lights or the sun, it’s raining here more or less constantly.’

‘I’ve been here for some time now, and it hasn’t rained yet.’

Ninni looked up. She realised she hadn’t thought about it much, but he was right. ‘I hadn’t noticed,’ she said.

‘Because of Karl?’ he said.

Ninni scowled at him. ‘It’s not really your concern, is it?’

‘No, but I’d like to know. Out here, on the island, I’m guessing weather conditions are seriously important. If you haven’t noticed a lack of rain because of him, he must be a right bastard,’ he said.

Ninni hunched her shoulders. ‘Well, yes, he is.’

There, it was said. It was the first time she had said it out loud. It felt strangely easy.

‘What did he do to you?’ Jack sounded kind and Ninni fought hard not to show how she felt.

‘He broke my heart,’ she said in a light tone. ‘There’s nothing particularly original about it, I’m afraid.’

‘There’s nothing mundane about getting your heart broken. If someone treats you like shit, that’s hard. Did you love him?’