Her cozy apartment was a welcome relief, after so many long days on the job. She sighed, tired from the difficult day, and knowing it was not over yet.
Elsa greeted her mother warmly, took her coat, and brought her a cup of tea in the parlor. They chatted for a little while. These quiet moments at the end of the day, when they sat down and talked with each other, were some of her most cherished. They were good friends and able to discuss everything, although Hrefna tried to avoid the topic of her work with Elsa; not because she didn’t trust her daughter in confidential matters, but because it seemed of little interest to Elsa. Instead, they talked about school, music, books, relatives and friends, films, boys, sports, and just about anything else that came up.
Hrefna made her special meat stew for supper; it was a favorite of both of theirs. Still, she couldn’t help thinking about the fantastic meal she’d enjoyed the previous evening and felt a tinge of inferiority at the comparison. How wonderful it would be to have time and money to cook such a feast; as they ate, she shared the experience with Elsa.
“Dig that, a servant all to yourself,” Elsa said enviously. “This must be a big-time important guy.”
“Yes, he is,” Hrefna replied. “In some ways.”
After supper, she drank two cups of coffee, before returning to the diaries. She looked again at the last entries in book number nineteen:
July 5, 1945. Went to study the route for a road to the President’s mansion at Bessastadir for the Director of Highways.
July 6, 1945. Bought new black shoes for 58 krónur.
July 7, 1945. Sorted out papers in the office in the morning. Had coffee outside in the sunshine in the afternoon. Kirsten’s girlfriends came for a visit.
July 8, 1945. Matthías arrives tomorrow.
It was all very mundane and ordinary, and yet the diaries stopped so abruptly. She leafed back and forth through the final few pages to try and find an explanation, but there was nothing, so she returned to where she had left off, at the beginning of diary number thirteen.
Diary XIII
February 25, 1932. I have now lost all hope that the authorities will involve themselves in the construction of the railroad. Perhaps that is for the best. Private enterprise should deal with this. I have decided to set up the Iceland Railroad Company Ltd. and dedicate all my vigor to its realization…
March 4, 1932. I have asked Kristján to design the share certificates for the railroad company and devise its trademark…
June 28, 1932. I have been touring around the farms in the Flói district today, having discussions with farmers. I am having very little success selling stock in the company. Many refuse completely, while others subscribe token sums that will not get us anywhere. The occasional one who is reasonably well off makes a larger contribution. This is going to be an uphill journey.
September 15, 1932. My wife and I held a concert in our home this evening. A string quartet from the music society played a few pieces, and a young tenor sang to piano accompaniment. I asked Magnús to stay behind when the guests left, and asked if I might put his name down for some shares in the railroad. He agreed on condition that I would assist him in the business with the king. He has told me before that he is of the opinion that Iceland should become a monarchy when we sever the connection with Denmark. He wants to look for a potential king among noble or ruling families in Europe. He must be a well-educated man, married, and the father of one or two sons. Magnús thinks that Germany may be the most likely place to find such a man, but he needs help with his search. He thinks that if a suitable candidate is found, he might be invited to visit the country and be presented to the nation. He feels the population will welcome their potential king with open arms when they see that here they have an aristocrat who is prepared to reside in the country, learn Icelandic, and live with the nation in good times and in bad. I suggested that a monarchy might be too costly for Iceland, but Magnús said that need not be the case. Some royal people are so wealthy that they could to a large extent pay their own way, and even bring capital into the country. The nation would, of course, have to build a residence for the king and contribute some initial capital expenditure, but that would also be the case were the country to become a republic under a president. Magnús does not speak foreign languages and, therefore, needs assistance with his search. I said that I would think about it…
October 23, 1932. I have decided to assist Magnús with the monarchy issue. Not because of the railroad, as he came here this morning and bought shares in the railroad company without condition, but because I can see that becoming involved in this may open up opportunities for meeting foreign investors, as I now realize that I shall never acquire sufficient capital for the enterprise here in Iceland…