‘Thank you. What is it?’
‘Tea. I know it is what English people drink. Three of my friends have English partners and they drink it all the time.’
Iris laughed, her annoyance dissipating. ‘That’s really thoughtful, thank you. I haven’t had a good cup of tea for ages.’
‘This is probably also not a good cup of tea.’
But it was the best cup of tea Iris had had in a long time, and it warmed her from the inside out.
‘Thank you for bringing me here today, Siggi,’ she said once she’d warmed up and could sit back and enjoy the drive through the dark wilderness back to Reykjavik, cocooned in the jeep’s warmth, with Siggi capably in the driving seat.
‘No problem,’ he said softly.
It occurred to Iris to ask about Siggi’s links to Hraunvik, to find out why he’d been so reluctant to knock on the door of the house in the first place, but she didn’t. She never enjoyed having to answer personal questions, and she knew that if Siggi had a reason he wanted to share with her, that would have happened before they were standing on the doorstep. She respected the fact that although she felt as if she’d known him a while, they were still practically strangers.
‘Where’s your next trip?’ Iris asked once she’d finished her tea and was feeling human again.
‘I am not sure. I have been thinking about Indonesia but I will wait until the autumn.’
‘Will you work for Jonas all summer?’
Siggi nodded. ‘It is a busy time and the excursions are more exciting this time of the year. In the winter, we mostly do Northern Lights trips and Golden Circle tours, you know, to see the geyser and where the tectonic plates meet. In the summer we can do diving, kayaking, climbing, hiking, all sorts of things.’
‘I’d love to see the tectonic plates. Iceland is the only place on earth where they’re visible on the surface.’
Siggi laughed. ‘I should be telling you that.’
‘Sorry.’ She felt ridiculous. Of course he would know that. Not only did he live here, but he showed people around his country for a living. ‘I’m sure you know all sorts of fascinating information about the geology here.’
‘I expect you know more than me. I have to admit, I am a person who will always do the bare minimum to get by.’
‘You could say that’s an efficient approach to life,’ said Iris, trying to sound understanding, although she was the complete opposite; wanting to know everything there was to know about anything that interested her.
Siggi gave her a self-deprecating smile and raked his fingers through his hair to push it back from his face. ‘That is one way to look at it. People don’t usually get behind the idea.’
‘I must admit, I’m not really like that.’
‘I already know that.’ Siggi was smiling while he kept his eyes on the road. It did something strange to Iris to see him smile like that. Was it thinking about her that made that smile happen?
Iris drew her eyes away from him. If he looked at her now, she didn’t know what she’d do. She must be tired. That was the only explanation.
As the lights of Reykjavik appeared in the distance, Iris asked Siggi whether he could recommend a taxi company. ‘I need to go to the IMO tomorrow.’
‘I could take you,’ he said.
‘I can’t ask you to do that. It’s just a ride. No need to wait or anything like today.’
‘The offer is there. And if you need to go back to Hraunvik, I will take you. You know more than I do about what is happening there, but if something does happen, I know how to get you home safely.’
Iris looked at Siggi, marvelling at this protective side to him that seemed at odds with the impression she had of him bending the rules of the world to suit him. What made a person who worked to live, travelling the world alone, as far as she knew at least, care about a stranger he’d just met? It made no sense. But she wanted Siggi to look after her. To take her to Hraunvik and know how to get out again if things went south.
‘Thank you. I really appreciate that. I hope I won’t be there if that happens, and hopefully no one else will be either if we can get some useful data.’
‘So, tell me Iris. What is the difference you will make by being here?’ His tone was interested rather than challenging her. Maybe he genuinely wanted to know.
‘I hope it’s the difference between people having time to move out of the way of whatever happens and not being hurried from their homes. Time to prepare when something devastating is on the horizon can make all the difference.’
‘Devastating,’ he said quietly
