For a moment he fell silent, but then he gave Erica a triumphant smile.
‘You know what? I think we just cracked the boys’ alibi.’
FJÄLLBACKA 1970
Inez was keen to please her mother. She knew that Laura always wanted the best for her daughter and sought to make sure that she would have a secure future. Yet Inez couldn’t help feeling a certain aversion as they sat on the good sofa in the drawing room. He was so old.
‘With time you’ll get to know each other,’ said Laura, giving her daughter a firm look. ‘Rune is a good and reliable man, and he’ll take care of you. You know that I’m in delicate health, and when I’m gone, you’ll have no one left. I don’t want you to be as alone as I have been.’
Mamma placed her dry hand on top of Inez’s. Inez could recall only a few occasions when she’d felt her mother’s touch.
‘I realize this may seem a bit sudden,’ said the man sitting across from them, eyeing Inez as if she were a prize-winning horse.
It may have been unkind of her to think that way, but Inez couldn’t help it. This was definitely sudden. Mamma had been in hospital for three days because of her heart, and when she came home, she had presented this plan: that Inez should marry Rune Elvander, who had been widowed a year earlier. Now that Nanna had died, the two women were all alone.
‘My dear wife said that I should find someone to help raise the children. And your mother tells me that you’re a clever girl,’ the man went on.
Inez had a vague sense that this was not how things were supposed to happen. It was the early seventies, after all, and women had much greater opportunities for determining their own lives. But she’d never been part of the real world; she had only shared in the perfect world that her mother had created. And there her mother’s word was law. If Laura decided that it would be best for Inez to marry a fifty-year-old widower with three children, she was not allowed to question that decision.
‘I’m planning to purchase the old summer camp out on Valö and establish a boarding school for boys. I need someone at my side who will help me accomplish this. Are you a good cook?’
Inez nodded. She had spent many hours in the kitchen with Nanna, who had taught her everything she knew.
‘All right, then it’s settled,’ said Laura. ‘Of course we ought to have a proper engagement period, so how about a quiet wedding around Midsummer?’
‘That sounds excellent,’ said Rune.
Inez didn’t speak. She was studying her future husband, noticing the wrinkles that had started to form around his eyes and the thin, resolute lips. Streaks of grey were visible in his dark hair, and his hairline was receding. So this was the man she was going to marry. She hadn’t yet met the children; she knew only that they were fifteen, twelve, and five years old. She hadn’t met many children in her life, but no doubt it would be fine. At least, that was what her mother claimed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Percy was still sitting in the car, staring at the approach to Fjällbacka, but he wasn’t really aware of the waves or the traffic. The only thing he saw was his own fate, and how the past was merging with the present. His siblings had made an effort to be polite when he phoned. It was considered only proper to behave decently, even towards a man they had defeated. Percy knew full well what was concealed behind their deprecating words. That sort of malicious joy was the same, whether a person was rich or poor.
They told him that they had bought the manor, but he’d already heard the news. Attorney Buhrman had found out that Sebastian had gone behind his back. Using the same phrases that Sebastian had spoken, they explained that the manor was going to be turned into an exclusive conference centre. It was regrettable that things had turned out this way, but they wanted Percy to move out before the end of the month. Naturally the move would be overseen by their lawyer to make sure that Percy didn’t take anything that was included in the sale of the property.
He was surprised that Sebastian had actually decided to put in an appearance today. Percy had seen him drive past, heading up the hill to Leon’s house. Suntanned, his shirt unbuttoned, wearing expensive sunglasses and with his hair slicked back. He looked the same as always. And no doubt he wasn’t feeling any different, either. It was just business, as he was fond of saying.
Percy cast one last glance at his face in the mirror on the visor. He looked like hell. His eyes were bloodshot from too little sleep and too much whisky. His complexion was ashen. But his tie was perfectly knotted. That was a matter of pride with him. He snapped the visor closed and got out of the car. There was no reason to postpone the inevitable.
Ia leaned her head against the cool pane of the window. The cab ride out to Landvetter airport in Göteborg would take just under two hours, maybe more, depending on the traffic, and she wanted to try to sleep during the drive.
She had kissed him before she left. He was going to have an awful time managing without her, but she hadn’t wanted to be present when everything exploded. Leon had assured her that it would be fine. He said that this was something he had to do, otherwise he would never have any peace.
Again she thought about that day when they’d driven along the steep roads in Monaco. He had been about to leave her. The words had poured out of his mouth. He had rambled on, saying that things had changed and that he no longer had the same needs, that they’d had many good years together, but now he’d fallen in love with someone else, and that she was bound to find someone who would make her happy too. She had taken her eyes off the winding road to look at him, and while he continued to spew out platitudes, she had thought about everything that she’d sacrificed for his sake.
When the car swerved, she saw his eyes open wide and the flood of meaningless words stopped.
‘Keep your eyes on the road when you’re driving,’ he told her. She saw a certain nervousness on his handsome face, and she could hardly believe it. For the first time in their life together, Leon was afraid. The feeling of power was intoxicating, and she stomped on the accelerator, noticing how the sudden burst of speed pressed her body against the seat.
‘Slow down, Ia,’ Leon pleaded. ‘You’re going too fast!’
She didn’t reply, just stomped even harder on the pedal. The little sports car could barely stay on the road. It felt as if they were floating, and for one brief moment she was utterly free.
Leon had tried to grab the steering wheel, but that only made the car swerve all the more, so he let go. He kept begging her to slow down, but the terror in his voice made her happier than she’d felt in a very long time. The car was practically flying.
Up ahead she saw the tree, and it was as if some outside force seized hold of her. Calmly she turned the wheel slightly to the right, aiming straight for that tree. As if from a great distance, she heard Leon’s voice, but then the rushing in her ears drowned out everything else. The next instant there was total silence. It was so peaceful. They were not going to be separated. They would be together for all eternity.
She was surprised to find that she was still alive. Next to her sat Leon with his eyes closed, his face covered with blood. The fire was swiftly gathering force. Flames began licking at their seats and reaching towards them. The smell of smoke filled her nostrils. She had to make a quick decision. Should she surrender and allow both of them to be engulfed by fire, or should she rescue herself and Leon? She looked at his handsome face. The flames had reached his cheek, and she watched with fascination as they scorched his skin. Then she made up her mind. He was hers now. And that was how things had been ever since, after she’d dragged him out of the burning vehicle.