Page 179 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

She shook her head. ‘I really appreciate you sitting in here with me for the last few hours, Floriano. It must have been very dull just watching me read.’

‘My love, I would stay awake whilst you slept for a week if it made you feel safer.’ He planted a tender kiss on her forehead. ‘Have you all the answers you were hoping for?’

Maia rubbed her eyes. The answer was a most definite ‘no’. She still knew nothing of Pa’s time in Russia, or the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Kreeg Eszu’s mother. ‘The diary ends over a decade ago, in 1993.’

Floriano perched beside her on the bed and took a swig from the beer bottle. ‘Do you know what happened to the diamond?’ he asked.

Amongst all the other drama, the location of the gem had slipped her mind entirely. ‘Do you know, it’s hardly mentioned after the 1950s. Who on earth knows where that ended up.’

Floriano stretched out as he pondered the diamond’s fate. ‘How curious. I wonder if it ever made its way back to Kreeg?’

‘Perhaps we’ll never know. Anyway.’ Maia stood up. ‘I want to go and check on the others before dinner.’

Floriano grabbed her hand and kissed it. ‘All right, my love.’ Maia went to leave, but he pulled her back and planted a final, tender kiss on her stomach. ‘Your boys are proud of you.’ Floriano’s words caught her a little off guard, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

‘Thank you. I’m a little worried about Electra. The diary confirmed she was addicted to crack cocaine from birth.’

Floriano’s eyes widened. ‘Meu Deus!How awful.’

‘Oh, and then there’s CeCe,’ Maia continued, ‘whose mother was abandoned by her father and died alone. Or Ally, whowas separated at birth from her twin because her mother wanted a boy.’

‘Maia, I—’

‘Or Tiggy, actually, whose family prophesied our individual arrivals in Pa’s life.’ Floriano’s jaw was practically on the floor. ‘So yes, I suppose there is a lot to unpack.’ She made for the door, opened it, and just before she left, added, ‘And Ma was once a prostitute.’

Ally D’Aplièse and Georg Hoffman descended theTitan’s main staircase, making for the lower deck on which Atlas’s private on-board study was located. As they approached the door, Georg removed the only existing key from his pocket.

‘If you wouldn’t mind, Ally, I will go in alone. I want to make sure that at least some of his wishes are respected.’

‘That’s fine, Georg. I’ll just be out here,’ Ally replied.

‘Thank you. Back in a moment.’

Georg entered the study, and Ally took her mobile phone out of her pocket. She was glad to see Hans had anchored them within range of a mast, and that a text had come through from Jack.

Hey, you okay? You looked a little stressed earlier. Here if you need me. x

In spite of everything she had recently learnt, Jack’s kindness relieved some of the pressure she was under. She pondered how to reply... This was not something she could explain in a short text, nor should Jack know about the situation before her sisters.

Sorry, just a bit frazzled. Will explain later, if you want to meet in my cabin after dinner? x

The response was immediate.

It’s a date x

Inside the study, Georg inhaled the smell of the leather-bound books that lined the shelves which he so closely associated with his employer. His eyes travelled around the room, glancing at various trinkets Atlas had picked up from his explorations of the globe: a Stetson hat from Mexico, an ice hockey puck from Finland and a fortune cat from China, which still waved jovially from its position on the desk. All were painful reminders of the fact that, ultimately, Georg had failed his best friend. Each time he or his team had managed to sniff out a trace of Elle Leopine, Atlas had never failed to follow the scent, however faint it may have been.

Georg took another, smaller key out of his breast pocket. Unlocking the desk’s central drawer, he retrieved an envelope, which he had certainly not anticipated doing on this voyage. He closed his eyes and thought back to the last time the pair of them had been together in this room.

‘The final pages are complete, Georg,’ Atlas said quietly. His breathing was heavy, and becoming more laboured by the day.

‘Well done, old friend. Your story is finished.’

Atlas gave a wheezy chuckle. ‘Well, very nearly, I imagine. The doctors say it could be any time from now. They predict no longer than three months.’

‘You have spent your entire life defying logic, my friend.’

‘True. But immortality is perhaps one hurdle too far.’ He smiled. ‘In any case, it is all done now. The loose ends are very nearly tied up. But, Georg...’