Page 182 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘That’s all right, Georg,’ she chuckled. ‘It can wait until another day.’

‘I have a question actually, Georg,’ said Star. ‘But I’m a little bit nervous about the answer.’

‘No problem, Star. Please, ask away.’

‘Well, when I was adopted, Pa didn’t know about my birth mother, did he? Sylvia – who left me with her mother?’

Georg shook his head. ‘Of course not, Star, no. The palace had informed Rupert that a baby had been delivered to an orphanage by Patricia Brown. The revelation that you weren’t her daughter after all, but her granddaughter, only became apparent during your own investigation of your past. Your pa genuinely had no idea.’

‘Okay, just checking,’ Star said, clearly slightly relieved.

‘It probably would have taken the shine off your miraculous adoption if Atlas had known you had a loving mother who didn’t want to give you up,’ Mouse chipped in. Star glared at him, and he looked apologetic.

‘I guess I have a similar question,’ said CeCe.

‘Please, ask it,’ Georg urged.

‘Did Pa definitely leave your details at the hospital in Broome? So that if Sarah or Francis had arrived, they could have gotten in touch?’

‘Absolutely. I even telephoned Broome Hospital on several occasions over the years to check if anyone had enquired about you.’

‘That’s good to know, thank you, Georg,’ replied a reassured CeCe.

‘What about my grandmother, Stella?’ Electra asked. ‘I know that she and Pa went on to meet. In fact, he was the one that ended up telling her half of my story.’

‘You’re spot on, Electra, yes. My team and I discovered that Cecily went on to be a teacher at a Harlem school, established specifically with the aim of sending underprivileged black children to Ivy League colleges. As you might imagine, she was the only white teacher. She was famous. People really remembered her.’

‘I bet they did.’

Georg continued. ‘Eventually, we managed to get in touch with Rosalind – Cecily’s friend who was, eventually,legallyregistered as Stella’s mother. She was able to tell us all about your grandmother... Columbia University, civil rights organisation, a career at the UN... not to mention her daughter, Rosa.’

‘My mother,’ confirmed Electra, for the table’s benefit.

‘Right. Your pa told Rosalind about the business card they had found with the child at Mother Hale’s house. Rosalind couldn’t believe it. She told him that Cecily had kept the card as a token of good luck for many years, and passed it on to Stella when she returned to Africa. Stella must have given it to Rosa.’

‘My brain is beginning to ache,’ laughed Chrissie.

‘Yeah, this is a movie in itself!’ gasped Mary-Kate, taking a swig of her rosé.

‘When we asked what had happened to Rosa, Rosalind confirmed that she had died of a drug overdose.’ Electra cast her eyes down to the floor. Tiggy put an arm around her sister. ‘I had some contacts in New York look into it. They found the...’

‘Crack den,’ Electra interjected, sparing Georg his awkwardness.

‘Yes,that placewhich Rosa frequented. We were told that someone had snatched you away when you were crying, so that the police wouldn’t come to investigate. It appears that as her final act, your mother pushed Pa’s card into the assailant’s hand. He must have left it in the basket with you. When you think about it, she saved you.’

The table took a moment to reflect on the poignancy of Rosa’s decision. The silence was broken by the first steward, who appeared from the salon and asked if her team could clear the dinner plates. ‘Yes, thank you,’ Ma confirmed. As theTitan’s finest crockery was collected, Maia could have sworn she noticed Jack’s hand subtly move across to Ally’s knee under the tablecloth. She caught her sister’s eye, and raised an eyebrow. Ally’s blush confirmed Maia’s suspicion. She smiled to herself.

‘Anyone for more vino?’ Charlie asked, receiving several nods. ‘Smashing. I’ll top up the reds. Would you mind doing white, Miles?’ Miles stood up to oblige, and Charlie’s eyes widened. ‘Bugger, sorry. You don’t drink, do you? Floriano, would—’ Miles put a hand up to quiet him.

‘No worries, Doc. Thankfully my teetotal status doesn’t prevent pouring for others.’ Charlie laughed nervously.

As the pair went around the table with the bottles, CeCe began to frown. ‘The diary finished in a really weird place, didn’t it?’

There was general agreement from the sisters. ‘Yes,’ said Star. ‘Georg, why did the diary stop in 1993?’

He looked nervous. ‘Your father intended it to stand as a definitive record of how each of you came into his life. And, of course, as an explanation for some of the odd circumstances you endured whilst growing up.’

‘Cheers to that.’ CeCe raised her refilled glass.