Stig’s eyes flash dark. ‘Nina was the one who ended it. She met someone else.’ A hint of pain passes over his face, but he forces a smile. ‘Someone who made her laugh – a clown.’

I stifle a laugh. ‘Really?’

Stig grins. ‘No, not really. She fell in love with the lion tamer.’

I smile, despite the awfulness of everything, and our eyes meet. His face is soft in the glow of the fire. For a moment I almost forget Yrsa and Olav – but the image of their frozen faces is right there, just behind my eyelids.

Stig gives me a sideways glance. ‘So what about you? Not found your lion tamer yet?’

The room is suddenly hot. I shove the blanket off my legs. ‘Something like that.’

He puts the plate on the floor, then takes off his coat and lays it on the sofa. I think about the different emotions I felt when I touched it … there was such anger and jealousy.

‘Stig, can I ask about your dad?’

‘Sure.’ He seems a little surprised, but doesn’t sound defensive.

‘You said you came to Skjebne with him?’

‘Yes. We came just after Mum threw him out. It was great, mostly. We went hiking and fishing every afternoon, once his hangover had worn off. He told me about the dreams he’d had when he was younger, before he got married and had a kid.’

‘Like what?’

Stig’s face brightens, as if thinking about it makes him happy. ‘Travel, build a boat. I remember we saw this old building for sale by the harbour. We talked about doing it up and turning it into a guesthouse.’

‘But you never did?’

Stig gives a hollow laugh. ‘The place is still for sale. It was good to dream though. I thought if we started something out here together, he might stop drinking. I don’t know – it felt like a somewhere we could be happy.’

It’s strange to think that Stig must have been on the island at the same time as me. I might have passed him and his dad out walking. I gaze into the fire, remembering. ‘I had the best summers here too. Dad would come out as well sometimes, when he wasn’t working. He used to call Mormor an outrageous eccentric and they’d play practical jokes on each other. Back then, even Mum would laugh and join in. I remember this one time, Mormor woke me up in the middle of the night just to have a picnic in the midnight sun.’

‘She sounds like fun.’

‘She was.’

A log shifts in the stove and our words die down with the flames.

Stig’s voice is quiet. ‘I didn’t say before, but when I overheard the women at the harbour talking about this place being empty, I felt I had to come.’

I wait for him to go on.