The Seven Sisters Read online

  My sisters and I all agreed she should, and with messages of support called after her, Ally left the kitchen.

  ‘How dreadful for her,’ said Marina.

  ‘Well, at least we all know approximately where Pa Salt decided to be buried,’ said CeCe.

  ‘Jesus, CeCe, is that really all you can think of?’ shot Electra.

  ‘Sorry, ever practical, that’s me,’ CeCe replied, unperturbed.

  ‘Yes, I’m rather glad we do know his whereabouts,’ countered Tiggy. ‘We all know he had a huge soft spot for the Greek Islands, the Cyclades in particular. Perhaps this summer we should take his yacht out and drop a wreath at sea, wherever it was that Ally spotted the boat on the radar.’

  ‘Yes,’ Star ventured. ‘That’s a beautiful idea, Tiggy.’

  ‘Now, girls, can anyone manage some brunch?’ asked Marina.

  ‘Not for me,’ said Electra. ‘I’ll have some salad, if there’s any green stuff going in this house.’

  ‘I’m sure we can find something to suit you,’ said Marina patiently, signalling to Claudia that she should begin preparing the food. ‘Now that Ally’s home, should I call Georg Hoffman, and ask him to come here as soon as he can?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said CeCe, before I could answer. ‘Whatever Pa Salt wanted us to know, let’s hear it as soon as soon as possible.’

  ‘Do you think Ally will be up to it?’ said Marina. ‘She’s had a horrible shock today.’

  ‘To be honest, I think, like all of us, she’d prefer to get it over with,’ I said. ‘So yes, Ma, call Georg.’

  6

  Ally didn’t appear for lunch and we all left her alone, knowing she’d need some time to comprehend what had happened.

  Marina arrived in the kitchen as Claudia was clearing the plates from the table. ‘I’ve spoken to Georg, and he’s arriving just before sunset tonight. Apparently, your father was specific in his requests, time-wise.’

  ‘Right. Well, I could do with a breath of fresh air after that huge lunch,’ said CeCe. ‘Anyone up for a quick trip out on the lake?’

  The rest of the sisters, perhaps eager to escape the growing tension, agreed.

  ‘I won’t join you, if you don’t mind,’ I said. ‘One of us should be here for Ally.’

  When the four of them had departed on the launch with Christian, I told Marina I was going back to the Pavilion, and that if Ally needed me, that was where I’d be. I curled up on the sofa with my laptop and began to read the opening chapters of Floriano Quintelas’s new book. Like his first one, the prose was exquisitely crafted and exactly the kind of narrative that I loved. It was set a hundred years ago, near the Iguazu Falls, and told the story of a young African boy released from the tyranny of slavery. Engrossed, I must have relaxed so much that I actually dozed off, as the next thing I knew, my laptop had slipped to the floor and someone was calling my name.

  Waking with a start, I saw it was Ally.

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

  ‘I guess I was,’ I agreed, for some reason feeling guilty.

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

  ‘Not at all,’ I said, trying to shake off the torpor of my impromptu afternoon nap.

  ‘Shall I make us both a cup of tea?’ Ally asked me.

  ‘Yes, thank you. The usual English Breakfast for me.’

  ‘I know,’ she smiled, raising her eyebrows slightly as she left the room. When she returned with two steaming cups and sat down, I saw that, as she lifted hers to her mouth, her hands were shaking.

  ‘Maia, I need to tell you something.’

  ‘What is it?’

  Ally put her cup down abruptly in its saucer. ‘Forget the tea. Have you got anything stronger?’

  ‘There’s some white wine in the fridge,’ I said and went into the kitchen to retrieve the bottle and a glass. Given that Ally rarely drank, I knew that whatever it was she wanted to share with me must be serious.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said as I handed the glass to her. ‘It’s probably nothing,’ she said as she took a sip. ‘But when we arrived at the spot near where Pa’s boat had been and saw it speeding off into the distance, there was another large boat still moored there.’

  ‘Well, surely that’s not unusual, is it?’ I queried. ‘It’s late June, and the waters in the Mediterranean are bound to be crowded with holidaymakers.’

  ‘Yes, but . . . this was a boat that both I and my friend recognised. It was the Olympus.’

  My teacup was halfway up to my mouth as Ally said this. I clattered it back into its saucer.

  ‘And of course, you’ve almost certainly heard what happened on the Olympus. I read about it in the newspaper on the plane.’ Ally bit her lip.

  ‘Yes, I saw it on the news.’

  ‘Don’t you think it’s strange that Pa had obviously picked this particular place in which to be laid to rest? And that probably, at about the same time, Kreeg Eszu was choosing to take his own life close by?’

  Of course I thought – for more reasons than I could ever tell Ally – that it was a ridiculous, almost obscene coincidence. But anything more than that? It couldn’t be.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, doing my best to hide my distress. ‘It is. But I’m sure there’s no link. They didn’t even know each other, did they?’

  ‘Not as far as I’m aware,’ said Ally. ‘But what did we know about Pa’s life beyond this house and his yacht? We met so few of his friends, or his business associates. And it stands to reason that they may well have come across each other in the past. After all, they were both hugely rich and successful men.’

  ‘Yes, Ally, but I’m sure that this was simply a coincidence. After all, you were in the vicinity too on your boat. Delos is simply a very beautiful island that many boats head for.’

  ‘Yes, I know that. But I can’t get the thought out of my mind that Pa is lying alone on the seabed there. And of course, at the time I didn’t even realise he was dead. Let alone that he was somewhere beneath that incredible blue sea. I . . .’

  I stood up and went to put an arm around my sister. ‘Ally, please, forget about the other boat being there – it’s irrelevant. But the fact you were there to see the area where Pa chose to be buried is actually comforting. Perhaps, as Tiggy suggested, in the summer we can all take a cruise together and lay a wreath on the water.’

  ‘The worst thing is’ – Ally was sobbing now – ‘I feel so guilty!’

  ‘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 . . .’ I stroked her hair back from her face as I rocked her gently. ‘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,’ I said ruefully. ‘But at least we have each other.’

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

  ‘Yes, it is,’ I agreed fervently. ‘Anyway, at some point, I’d like to know the reason for your happiness.’

  ‘And at some point, I’ll tell you, I promise. But not just yet. How are you, Maia?’ she asked me suddenly, changing the subject.

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

  At seven o’clock, Ally and I walked back to the house and found our sisters sitting in the late evening sun on the terrace.

  ‘Has Georg Hoffman arrived?’ I asked them as we both sat down.

  ‘Yes, but we’ve been told to wait here. He and Ma have disappeared off somewhere. Typical Pa Salt, mysterious to the last,’ Electra commented acerbically.

  The six of us sat waiting tensely until Georg eventually appeared on the terrace with Marina.

  ‘Sorry to keep you so long, girls; there was something I had to organise. My condolences to you all,’ he said stiffly, reaching out his hand around the table and shaking each of ours in the usual formal Swiss manner. ‘May I sit down?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said, indicating the chair next to me. I studied him, dressed immaculately in a dark suit, the creases on his tanned face and his receding silver-grey hair telling me he was probably in his early sixties.

  ‘I’ll be inside if anyone needs me,’ said Marina with a nod, before walking off in the direction of the house.

  ‘Well, girls,’ Georg said. ‘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. The first thing I must tell you is that he loved you all very much. 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.’

  I was surprised to see a glint of tears in Georg’s eyes – I knew how unusual it was for a man such as he to show any emotion, and I warmed to him somewhat.

  ‘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.’

  All of us remained silent, listening intently to what Georg was telling us.

  ‘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 may have among you. If there are none, then the money will go to a charity of your father’s choice. Personally,’ Georg commented, ‘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.’

  I watched the other sisters exchanging glances, unsure whether they were pleased with Pa’s decision or not. For myself, I realised that practically and financially, little had changed. I still had the Pavilion, for which I paid a nominal rent to Pa, and my career would provide comfortably for any other immediate needs.

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

  Georg stood up and, instead of walking towards the front door of the house, he traversed the side of it and we followed him, like lambs after a shepherd, through the gardens. Eventually, we arrived in a hidden garden that sat behind a wall of immaculately clipped yews. It looked directly onto the lake, with a spectacular uninterrupted view of the sunset and the mountains on the other side.

  From the terrace that sat in the centre of it, there were steps leading down to a small, pebbled cove where we sisters had swum often in the summer in the clear, cool waters. I also knew that it was Pa’s favourite spot in the gardens. If I couldn’t find him in the house, I’d usually find him sitting here, with the sweet smell of lavender and the scent of roses emanating from the well-tended flower beds.

  ‘So,’ said Georg, ‘here we are. And this is what I wish to show you.’

  He pointed to the terrace and we all stared at the strange but beautiful sculpture that had appeared in the centre of it.

  Gathering round, we studied the object in fascination. It consisted of a stone plinth rising to just below hip height, with an unusual circular structure set on top of it. As I peered at it, I saw that the shape was made up of an intricate series of slender, overlapping bands, enclosing a small golden ball at their centre. On closer inspection, I realised that the ball was in fact a globe, with the outline of the continents engraved upon it, and that it was skewered by a slim metal rod with an arrow at one end of it. Around the circumference was a further band, depicting the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac.

  ‘What is it?’ asked CeCe, speaking for all of us.

  ‘It is an armillary sphere,’ said Georg.

  Seeing that we looked none the wiser, Georg continued. ‘The armillary sphere has existed for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks originally used them to determine the positions of the stars, as well as the time of day. These,’ he said, indicating the golden bands encircling the globe, ‘all depict the equatorial, latitudinal and longitudinal lines of the earth. And the meridian line, which encircles all of them, and has the twelve signs of the zodiac inscribed on it, runs from north to south. The central rod points directly to Polaris, the North Star.’

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ breathed Star, bending over to take a closer look.

  ‘Yes, but what does it have to do with us?’ asked Electra.

  ‘It isn’t part of my remit to explain that,’ said Georg.

  ‘Although, if you look closely, you’ll see that all of your names appear on the bands I pointed out just now.’

  We all bent in closer, and saw that Georg was right.

  ‘Here’s yours, Maia,’ said Ally, pointing to it. ‘It has numbers after it, which look to me like a set of coordinates,’ she said, turning to her own and studying them. ‘Yes, I’m sure that’s what they are. It’s what we use to navigate on the sea all the time.’

  ‘And there are inscriptions too, but they seem to be engraved in a different language,’ commented Electra.

  ‘They’re in Greek,’ I said, immediately recognising the lettering.

  ‘What do they say?’ asked Tiggy.

  ‘I’d have to get some paper and a pen and write them down to work them out,’ I said, looking closely at my own inscription.

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

  ‘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.’

  Once again, we followed him back through the gardens, all of us stunned into silence. Arriving on the terrace, we did indeed find two chilled bottles of Armand de Brignac champagne and a tray of crystal flutes. As we settled ourselves, Marina clucked around us and poured some for each of us.

  Georg raised his glass.

  ‘Please join me in celebrating your father’s remarkable life. I can only tell you that this was the funeral he wished for: all his girls gathered together at Atlantis, the home he was honoured to share with you for all these years.’

  Like robots, we all lifted our glasses. ‘
To Pa Salt,’ I said.

  ‘To Pa Salt,’ the rest of my sisters chorused.

  We all took an uncomfortable sip, and I looked up to the heavens and then out to the lake and mountains beyond and told him I loved him.

  ‘So, when do we get these letters?’ asked Ally eventually.

  ‘I’ll go and get them now.’ Georg stood up and left the table.

  ‘Well, this has to be the most bizarre wake I’ve ever attended,’ said CeCe.

  ‘Trust Pa Salt,’ Electra said with a wan smile.

  ‘Can I have some more champagne?’ asked Ally.

  And Marina, noticing we’d all drained our glasses, topped us up.

  ‘Do you understand it, Ma?’ asked Star nervously.

  ‘I know nothing more than you do, chérie,’ she replied, her usual enigmatic self.

  ‘Well, I just wish he was here,’ said Tiggy, her eyes suddenly filling with tears, ‘to explain in person.’

  ‘But he isn’t,’ Ally reminded her quietly, ‘and somehow I feel this is fitting. For something so awful, he made it as easy as possible. And now we must take strength from each other.’

  ‘You’re right,’ agreed Electra.

  I looked at Ally and wished that I could find the right words – as she always seemed able to do – to rally our sisters.

  By the time Georg returned, the champagne had relaxed us all a little. He sat back down and placed six thick cream-coloured vellum envelopes on the table. ‘These letters were lodged with me approximately six weeks ago. And in the event of your father’s death, I was instructed to hand one to each of you.’

  We all eyed them with equal amounts of interest and suspicion. ‘May I have a refill of champagne, as well?’ asked Georg in a voice that sounded strained.

  I realised then how difficult all this had to be for him too. Telling six grieving daughters of their father’s unusual legacy would have taxed even the most pragmatic individual.

  ‘Of course, Georg,’ Marina said, as she poured a glass for him.

  ‘So,’ said Ally, ‘are we meant to open them now, or later, when we’re alone?’

  ‘Your father made no stipulation on this point,’ Georg replied. ‘All he said was that you should open them whenever each of you is ready and feels comfortable to do so.’