Page 183 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘Do you know what happened to the diamond?’ askedTiggy. ‘The first half of the diary mentioned it frequently. But as soon as Pa settled in Atlantis, he stopped talking about it.’

‘Good point, Tigs. Was it handed back to the Eszus?’ Electra asked.

‘Your father was very protective over the location of the jewel, even with me. He hated talking about it, seeing it as a symbol of all that he had lost in his life. As for its current location...’ Georg merely shrugged.

‘Maybe he just... threw it into the ocean?’ pondered Star, sipping her white wine.

The table was quiet once again as each member of the extended D’Aplièse family drew their own conclusions about the fate of the mysterious diamond.

Merry spoke next. ‘Did he continue to search for my mother after 1993?’ she asked. ‘Did he keep travelling when you gave him a new lead, Georg?’

‘Yes, Merry. He never, ever stopped, until his failing health prevented him from taking so many flights in the mid-2000s. It is only as a result of his tireless efforts that you are sat here today.’

‘But, to confirm, he never successfully located Elle?’ Maia asked.

Georg swallowed hard. ‘Your father never found her.’

Merry gave a large sigh. ‘I wonder what happened to her.’

‘One thing I still don’t understand is how you found the coordinates that led us to Merry,’ CeCe mused. ‘The dots don’t connect. You must have received some new information a year ago that led to you engraving the armillary sphere.’

Georg nodded. ‘That’s true.’

Star leant in. ‘So, don’t leave us in suspense, Georg. What was the information?’

He hesitated, and took a moment to dab his brow with his handkerchief.

‘Was it something to do with Zed?’ Maia pressed. ‘Seeing as the coordinates led to a house his family owned?’

‘No. It was nothing to do with Zed. Girls...’ Georg took a deep breath. ‘I’m sure there is a better way of doing this. But for once, on this occasion, I find myself a little unprepared. As you know, your father’s diary ended in 1993. He did not write in it again, largely because of the fact that his life quietened down. I truly believe that the last two decades of his existence were his happiest.’

‘Is there a “but” coming?’ asked Electra.

Georg continued. ‘After that first appointment with his doctor, when we knew his health was beginning to fail, I asked him if he wanted to write down the tale of his early years, before the diary began in Paris.’ Georg paused to take a sip of water. ‘He told me that, although he had considered it many times, the memories of Russia caused him too much pain. Nonetheless, he ensured that I was ready to fill in any blanks, and answer the questions that you might have.’

‘That’s good, because I still feel like there’s so much we don’t know,’ Star lamented. ‘We don’t even have an account of what happened between Pa and Kreeg as children.’

Electra folded her arms. ‘Okay, Georg. Tell us about Russia.’

‘That was certainly my intention. But, as things have turned out, he will be able to tell you in his own words.’ He stood up and briefly disappeared inside the salon.

Maia turned to Ally. ‘Do you know what’s going on? Merry and I saw you haranguing Georg in the corridor earlier.’

Ally was resolute in her response. ‘After we watched Zed on television earlier, I saw Georg losing the plot on the deck outside. Long story short, I demanded to know why.’

‘Hang on, is this why you wanted all of us to finish the diary before dinner this evening?’ Electra asked. Ally nodded.

Georg returned with a big chunk of white paper, which he began to distribute evenly amongst the sisters.

‘What are these? Extra pages of the diary?’ Tiggy asked.

‘Not quite, no,’ Ally said.

Star was scrutinising the paper. ‘Look at Pa’s handwriting here. It’s nowhere near as good. He had arthritis in his wrists from the sailing in his later years,’ she theorised. ‘Therefore... this was written much more recently. I’m right, aren’t I, Georg?’

The lawyer gave a solemn nod.

‘When did he write this? Just before he died?’ Merry asked.