The Storm Sister Read online

  ‘Right.’ I took a deep breath as I began. ‘I’m going to tell you what happened, because to be honest, I’m still confused about it.’ As we all sat down around the table, I noticed Ma standing to the side and gestured her to a chair. ‘Ma, you should hear this too. Maybe you can help explain.’

  As Ma sat down, I tried to gather my thoughts in order to explain the appearance of the Titan through my binoculars.

  ‘So, there I was, down in the Aegean Sea, training for the Cyclades Regatta next week, when a sailing friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join him on his motor yacht for a long weekend. The weather was fantastic and it was great to actually relax on the water for a change.’

  ‘Whose boat was it?’ Electra asked, as I knew she would.

  ‘I told you, just a friend,’ I said evasively. As much as I wanted to share Theo with my sisters at some point, this was definitely not the moment for it. ‘Anyway,’ I continued, ‘there we were a couple of afternoons ago, when my friend told me that another sailing mate of his had radioed him to say he’d spotted the Titan . . .’

  Casting myself back to that moment, I took a sip of my coffee and then did my best to describe how our radio messages had gone unanswered and my sense of confusion as Pa Salt’s boat had kept moving away from us. Everyone listened to my story with rapt attention and I saw a look of sadness pass between Ma and Maia. I then took a deep breath and told them that because of the dreadful mobile phone signal in the region, I hadn’t received any of their messages until yesterday. I hated myself for lying but I couldn’t bear to tell them I had simply switched it off. I also made no mention of the Olympus – the other yacht Theo and I had seen in the bay.

  ‘So please,’ I finally entreated them, ‘can somebody tell me what on earth was going on? And why Pa Salt’s boat was down in Greece when he was already . . . dead?’

  We all turned to Maia. I knew she was weighing her words before she spoke. ‘Ally, Pa Salt had a heart attack three days ago. There was nothing anyone could do.’

  Hearing how he’d died from my eldest sister made it so much more final. As I tried to stop the rising tears, she continued. ‘His body was flown to the Titan and then sailed out to sea. He wanted to be laid to rest in the ocean; he didn’t want to distress us.’

  I stared at her as the dreadful realisation hit. ‘Oh my God,’ I whispered eventually. ‘So the chances are that I happened upon his private funeral. No wonder the boat sped off as fast as it could away from me. I . . .’

  Unable to pretend to be strong or calm any longer, I put my head in my hands and took deep breaths to control the panic I felt, as my sisters gathered around me to try and give me comfort. Not used to showing emotion in front of them, I heard myself apologising as I tried to regain my composure.

  ‘It must be an awful shock for you to realise what was actually happening. We’re all so sorry for you, Ally,’ Tiggy said gently.

  ‘Thank you,’ I managed, and then muttered some platitudes about hearing Pa tell me once that he wanted to be buried at sea. It was such a ridiculous coincidence that I had come across the Titan on Pa Salt’s final voyage; the thought made my head spin and I needed some air urgently. ‘Listen,’ I said as steadily as I could, ‘would you all mind terribly if I had a little time alone?’

  They all agreed I should and I left the kitchen with their warm words of support following after me.

  Standing in the hallway, I looked around desperately, trying to navigate my body towards the comfort I craved, but knowing that whichever way I turned, he was gone and I would find none.

  I stumbled out of the heavy oak front door, wanting nothing more than to be outside so I could release the feeling of panic that was pressing on my chest. My body automatically led me down to the jetty and I was relieved to see the Laser moored there. I climbed aboard, raised the sails and released the lines.

  As I steered away from shore, I felt the wind was good, so I hoisted the spinnaker and blasted along the lake as fast as I could go. Eventually, having exhausted myself, I dropped anchor in an inlet shielded by a rocky peninsula.

  I waited for my thoughts to flow, to try and make sense of what I’d just learnt. Currently, they were so jumbled that nothing much happened and I simply stared out over the water like an idiot thinking of absolutely nothing. And wishing I could grasp something that would allow me to understand. The tangled threads of my consciousness refused to loop into the devastating facts of what actually was. Being present at what had obviously been Pa Salt’s funeral . . . why had I been there to see it? Was there a reason? Or was it just coincidence?

  Gradually, as my heart rate began to slow and my brain eventually started to function again, the stark reality hit me. Pa Salt was gone, and there probably was no rhyme or reason. And if I, the eternal optimist, was going to get through this, I simply had to accept the facts for what they were. Yet all the normal touchstones I used when something dreadful happened seemed null and void, empty platitudes that were swept away on the tide of my grief and disbelief. I realised that whichever way my mind led me, the familiar paths of comfort had disappeared and nothing would ever make me feel better about my father leaving me without saying goodbye.

  I sat there in the stern of the boat for a long time, knowing that another day was passing here on earth without him as part of it. And that somehow, I had to reconcile the dreadful guilt I felt for putting my own happiness first, when my sisters – and Pa – had so desperately needed me. I’d let them all down at the most important moment of all. I looked up to the heavens, tears streaming down my cheeks, and asked Pa Salt for his forgiveness.

  I gulped down some water, then lay back in the stern to let the warm breeze dance over me. The gentle rocking of the craft soothed me as it always did, and I even dozed a little.

  The moment is all we have, Ally. Never forget that, will you?

  I came to, thinking that this had been one of Pa’s favourite quotes. And even though I continued to blush in embarrassment at what I’d probably been doing with Theo when Pa drew his last breath – that stark juxtaposition of the processes of life beginning and ending – I told myself it wouldn’t have mattered to him or the universe if I’d simply been having a cup of tea or been fast asleep. And I knew that, more than anyone, my father would have been very happy that I’d found someone like Theo.

  As I set sail back to Atlantis, I felt a little calmer. There was still, however, one piece of information I had left out of the description I’d given my sisters of how I’d come across Pa’s boat. I knew I needed to share it with someone to try and make sense of it.

  As with all large groups of siblings, there were various tribes within the whole; Maia and I were the eldest and it was to her that I decided to confide what I’d seen.

  I moored the Laser to the jetty and made my way back up to the house, the weight on my chest at least feeling lighter than it had when I’d left. A breathless Marina caught up with me on the lawn and I greeted her with a forlorn smile.

  ‘Ally, have you been out on the Laser?’

  ‘Yes. I just needed some time to clear my head.’

  ‘Well, you’ve just missed everyone. They’ve gone out on the lake.’

  ‘Everyone?’

  ‘Not Maia. She’s shut herself away in the Pavilion to do some work.’

  We shared a glance, and even though I could see how much Pa’s death was weighing on Ma too, I loved her for always putting our worries and cares first. She was obviously very concerned about Maia, who I’d always had an inkling was her favourite.

  ‘I was on my way to see her, so we’ll keep each other company,’ I said.

  ‘In that case, can you tell her that Georg Hoffman, your father’s lawyer, will be here shortly, but he wants a word with me first, for what reason I can’t imagine. So she’s to come up to the house in an hour’s time. And you too, of course.’

  ‘Will do,’ I said.

  Ma gave my hand a loving squeeze and set off back towards the main house.

  Whe
n I reached the Pavilion I gave a gentle knock on the door but received no reply. Knowing that Maia always left it unlocked, I let myself in and called her name. Wandering into the sitting room, I saw my sister curled up asleep on the sofa, her perfect features relaxed, her glossy dark hair naturally arranged as though she was posing for a photo shoot. She sat up with an embarrassed start as I approached her.

  ‘I’m sorry, Maia. You were asleep, weren’t you?’

  ‘I guess I was,’ she said, blushing.

  ‘Ma says that the other girls have gone out, so I thought I’d come and speak to you. Do you mind?’

  ‘Not at all.’

  She’d obviously been deeply asleep and to give her time to come to, I offered to make us both some tea. When we settled down with our steaming cups, I realised my hands were shaking and I needed something stronger than tea to tell her my story.

  ‘There’s some white wine in the fridge,’ Maia said with an understanding smile, and went to fetch a glass of wine from the kitchen for me.

  Having taken a gulp, I gathered my strength and told her about seeing Kreeg Eszu’s boat near Pa’s two days ago. To my surprise, she turned pale, and even though I had been rattled by the Olympus being so close, especially now I knew what had been happening on the Titan, Maia seemed far more shocked than I’d expected. I watched her attempt to recover herself, and then, as we chatted, try to make light of it and supply me with some solace.

  ‘Ally, please, forget about the other boat being there – it’s irrelevant. But the fact you were there to see the place where Pa chose to be buried is actually comforting. Perhaps, as Tiggy suggested, later in the summer we can all take a cruise together and lay a wreath on the water.’

  ‘The worst thing is, I feel so guilty!’ I said suddenly, unable to hold it in any longer.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because . . . those few days on the boat were so beautiful! I was so happy – happier than I’ve ever felt in my life. And the truth is, I didn’t want anyone to contact me, so I turned off my mobile. And while it was off, Pa was dying! Just when he needed me, I wasn’t there!’

  ‘Ally, Ally . . .’ Maia came to sit next to me, stroking my hair back from my face as she rocked me gently in her arms. ‘None of us were there. And I honestly believe it’s the way Pa wanted it to be. Please remember I live here, and even I had flown the nest when it happened. From what Ma has said, there really was nothing that could have been done. And we must all believe that.’

  ‘Yes, I know. But it feels as though there are so many things I wanted to ask him, to tell him, and now he’s gone.’

  ‘I think we all feel that way. But at least we have each other.’

  ‘Yes, we do. Thank you, Maia,’ I replied. ‘Isn’t it amazing how our lives can turn on their heads in a matter of hours?’

  ‘Yes, it is, and at some point,’ she said with a smile, ‘I’d like to know the reason for your happiness.’

  I thought of Theo and enjoyed the comfort it provided. ‘And at some point, I’ll tell you, I promise. But not just yet. How are you, Maia?’ I asked her, wanting to change the subject.

  ‘I’m okay,’ she shrugged. ‘Still in shock like everyone.’

  ‘Yes, of course you are, and telling our sisters can’t have been easy. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to help you.’

  ‘Well, at least the fact that you’re here now means we can meet with Georg Hoffman and begin to move on.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ I said, checking my watch, ‘I forgot to say that Ma has asked us to be up at the house in an hour. He’s due here any minute, but he wants to have a chat with her first apparently. So,’ I sighed, ‘can I please have another glass of wine while we wait?’

  5

  At seven o’clock, Maia and I walked up to the house to meet with Georg Hoffman. Our sisters had already been waiting a while on the terrace, enjoying the evening sun, but tense with impatience. Electra, as usual, was covering her nervousness by making sarcastic comments about Pa Salt’s flair for drama and mystery, when Marina finally arrived with Georg. I saw he was tall, grey-haired and dressed immaculately in a dark grey suit – the epitome of a successful Swiss lawyer.

  ‘Sorry to keep you so long, girls, there was something I had to organise,’ the lawyer said. ‘My condolences to you all.’ He shook each of our hands in turn. ‘May I sit down?’

  Maia indicated the chair next to her and as Georg sat down, I sensed his tension as he twisted his expensive but discreet watch around his wrist. Marina excused herself and went into the house to leave us alone with him.

  ‘Well, girls,’ he began. ‘I am so very sorry that the first time I meet you in person is under such tragic circumstances. But of course, I feel as though I know each of you very well through your father, and firstly I must tell you that he loved you all very much.’ I watched as genuine emotion crossed his features. ‘Not only that, but he was passionately proud of who you have all become. I spoke to him just before he . . . left us, and he wanted me to tell all of you this.’

  He looked at each of us kindly in turn, before turning to the file in front of him. ‘The first thing to do is to get the finances out of the way and reassure all of you that you will be provided for, at some level, for the rest of your lives. However, your father was adamant that you should not live like lazy princesses, so you will all receive an income which will be enough to keep the wolf from the door, but never allow you to live your lives in luxury. That part, as he stressed to me, is what you must all earn yourselves, just as he did. However, your father’s estate is held in trust for all of you and he has given me the honour of managing it for him. It will be down to my discretion to give you further financial help if you come to me with a proposition or a problem.’

  None of us said anything as we listened intently.

  ‘This house is also part of the trust, and Claudia and Marina have both agreed that they are happy to stay on and take care of it. On the day of the last sister’s death, the trust will be dissolved and Atlantis can be sold and the proceeds divided between any children you all may have. If there are none, then the money will go to a charity of your father’s choice. Personally,’ Georg commented, finally laying aside his lawyerly formality, ‘I think what your father has done is most clever: making sure the house is here for the rest of your lives, so you know you have a safe place to return to. But of course, your father’s ultimate wish is for all of you to fly away and forge your own destinies.’

  All of us sisters exchanged glances, wondering what kind of changes this would bring about for us. For me, I supposed, my financial future at least would not be affected. I had always been independent and worked hard for everything I had. As for my destiny . . . I thought of Theo and what I hoped we would continue to share together.

  ‘Now,’ said Georg, snapping me out of my thoughts, ‘there is one further thing that your father has left you, and I must ask you all to come with me. Please, this way.’

  We followed Georg, uncertain of where he was taking us, as he led us around the side of the house and across the grounds until we eventually reached Pa Salt’s hidden garden, tucked away behind a line of immaculately clipped yew hedges. We were greeted by a burst of colour from the lavender, lovage and marigolds that always attracted butterflies in the summer. Pa’s favourite bench sat underneath a bower of white roses, and tonight they hung lazily down over where he should have been sitting. He had loved to watch us girls play on the little shingle beach that led from the garden to the lake when we were younger, me clumsily attempting to paddle the small green canoe he had given me for my sixth birthday.

  ‘This is what I wish to show you,’ said Georg, once again pulling me out of my reverie as he pointed to the centre of the terrace. A striking sculpture had appeared there, resting on a stone plinth about as high as my hip, and we all gathered round to have a closer look. A golden ball shot through by a thin metal arrow sat amidst a cluster of metal bands that wound intricately around it. As I noticed the outline of the continents and o
ceans delicately engraved on the encased golden ball, I realised it was a globe and that the arrowhead was pointing straight to where the North Star would be. A larger metal band looped around the globe’s equator, engraved with the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac. It looked like some kind of ancient navigational tool, but what did Pa mean by it?

  ‘It’s an armillary sphere,’ Georg stated, for the benefit of all of us. He then explained that armillary spheres had existed for thousands of years and that the ancient Greeks had originally used them to determine the positions of the stars, as well as the time of day.

  Understanding its use now, I took in the sheer brilliance of the ancient design. We breathed words of admiration, but it was Electra who cut in impatiently. ‘Yes, but what does it have to do with us?’

  ‘It isn’t part of my remit to explain that,’ said Georg apologetically. ‘Although, if you look closely, you’ll see that all of your names appear on the bands I pointed out just now.’

  And there they were, the script defined and elegant on the metal. ‘Here’s yours, Maia.’ I pointed to it. ‘It has numbers after it, which look to me like a set of coordinates,’ I said, turning to my own and studying them. ‘Yes, I’m sure that’s what they are.’

  There were further inscriptions beside the coordinates and it was Maia who realised that they were written in Greek, commenting that she would translate them later.

  ‘Okay, so this is a very nice sculpture and it’s sitting on the terrace.’ CeCe’s patience was wearing thin. ‘But what does it actually mean?’ she asked.

  ‘Once again, that is not for me to say,’ said Georg. ‘Now, Marina is pouring some champagne on the main terrace, as per your father’s instructions. He wanted all of you to toast his passing. And then after that, I will give you each an envelope from him, which I hope will explain far more than I am able to tell you.’

  Mulling over the possible locations of the coordinates, I walked back to the terrace with the others. We were all muted, trying to take in what our legacy from our father meant. As Ma poured us each a flute of champagne, I wondered how much of this evening’s activities she had already known about, but her face was impassive.