Leon rolled his eyes. ‘Bonnie’s my main girl now.’ He tapped the pup on the head as she peeped out of the backpack. ‘Oh,’ he added, remembering, ‘Dad said to ask how you used to keep your hands warm in summer.’

Grandpa’s smile shrank and he hesitated. ‘He’d have been referring to the summer of ’67 when a fire destroyed the mill on the island.’

‘A bushfire, you mean?’

‘Bushfires everywhere in the south-east that year—but, no, not in this case. It was deliberately lit. The last big mill on the island burned down, and it wasn’t rebuilt. Had a big impact on the local industry and the family who owned it.’

Leon thought of the history book Grandpa had lent him. He remembered reading about a fire at a sawmill on Bruny Island. Was that the one Grandpa was referring to? ‘Did they ever catch the person who lit it?’ he asked.

‘No, he got off scot-free.’

Leon detected a glint in Grandpa’s eyes and began to understand. ‘You know who did it?’

‘Yes, I know him quite well.’ The old man’s lips and eyes flattened. ‘The boss was imposing himself on your grandmother and he had to be stopped. A woman’s honour is important. And a man in a position of power shouldn’t be allowed to take advantage. That’s why I did it. To make my point clear.’

‘But you didn’t even work at the mill.’ Leon tried to keep the shock out of his voice.

‘No, but your grandmother wasn’t the only woman over the years. That man was a predator. I saw it as a strike for the community.’

If Grandpa had been so protective of his wife, Leon thought, it must have been particularly hard for him to hear of his son’s domestic abuse.

‘How did you do it?’ Leon asked.

‘At night, when no one was around. Threw some petrol over a timber stack and struck a match.’

‘How does Dad know?’

‘Your grandmother told him.’

‘She knew too?’

‘A man shouldn’t have secrets from his wife.’

‘Was she upset?’

‘Of course, but she forgave me and stood by me. That’s commitment. That’s marriage. I was a bit of a hothead back then, but she understood.’

‘How do you feel about it now?’

Grandpa’s lips compressed. ‘There are some things in life a man looks back on with regret, and that’s one of them. I made my point, but it affected the whole town. I should have handled it differently and confronted him. It would have been enough. It would have stopped him.’

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. The pup sensed it and started wriggling. ‘Thanks for telling me, Grandpa,’ Leon said.

Grandpa nodded. ‘I hope you don’t judge me too harshly.’

‘No. We all make mistakes.’