Page 213 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘Did Christian find her?’

Ma nodded. ‘He did. She is a singer-songwriter! Christian gave her the letter, and she told him that her father – Marcel – had often spoken fondly of the “silent boy”.’

‘Fondly!?’ exclaimed Maia. ‘Well. Who would have guessed?’

The rumble of theTitan’s engines filled the air, and Georg returned. ‘Hans estimates that we will make Delos by sunrise. I will call Claudia and inform her of our arrival.’ He paused. ‘Girls... are we doing the right thing?’

The man who had been the source of assurance for the sisters during the past year looked utterly shaken.

‘Absolutely, Georg,’ affirmed Star.

‘Can we speak to him on the phone, now? Just in case anything happens?’ asked Ally.

Georg shook his head sadly. ‘He would struggle to talk on the phone. He has hardly any strength. In fact, to save his heart, I think it is best that Claudia does not inform him of our imminent arrival.’

‘Oh God. What if he doesn’t last the night?’ Star said.

‘He will, Star. He will,’ Tiggy promised.

As theTitanapproached Delos, the tiny island was bathed in the gloaming of the as yet unrisen sun. It was rock-strewn, with patches of green and yellow grass that rose up towards the peak. This, combined with the ancient Grecian pillars that adorned the land, created an atmosphere of ancient wonder.

There was no hope of taking the Benetti into the tiny harbour, so Hans Gaia dropped anchor as close as he could, and organised a tender to take the sisters to shore. As Ally navigated the small boat – which also contained Georg and Ma – towards the jetty, a familiar figure came into view. One by one, Claudia helped the girls out of the tender, and embraced them all individually. She saved her longest hug for her brother, Georg. Their normally reserved housekeeper broke down in his arms.

‘Girls,’ she sobbed, ‘your father is a guardian angel.’

‘Take us to him, Claudia,’ Maia said.

The housekeeper led the group up a dusty path from the harbour to the foot of a large green hill, where the walkway became so thin that the sisters had to travel in single file. Sure enough, as they neared the top, an isolated whitewashed bungalow came into view. The spectacle was as magnificent as Pa had written, offering panoramic views of the classical island and the sea that surrounded it.

‘How is he, Claudia?’ Ally asked.

‘Even he is not invincible. Last week, he had another heart attack. Thinking it was his last day, I told him that Merry had finally been found, and that you were all coming to lay a wreath. It has kept him going. He has refused to surrender for his entire life... But now...’ Claudia turned to Merry and took her hand. ‘My darling, perhaps it is best if you let the girls prepare him for your arrival first. He is so very weak.’

Merry nodded. ‘Of course.’

‘Ma, would you go in first and tell him we are all here?’ asked Maia.

‘Something tells me he already knows,’ whispered Tiggy.

‘Of course,chérie,’ Ma smiled sadly. ‘I will go and see him first.’

Claudia led Marina through the front door of the cold, shadowy house and down the hallway to a bedroom at the back. ‘Are you ready?’ Claudia asked. Ma nodded, and opened the door.

On a double bed in the corner of the room, Atlas dozed, propped up by half a dozen white pillows. As Marina approached, he slowly opened his eyes, and turned to look at her. His skin was grey, and his eyes sunken. But the irises themselves contained the same brown shine which they always had.

‘Bonjour,chéri,’ she said quietly, taking his frail hand. ‘It is I, Marina.’

Atlas broke into a smile. ‘Hello, Ma.’ She wrapped him in a gentle hug, a little unnerved by just how thin he had become. Then she pulled up a wooden chair and sat by his side. ‘Marina... I... I’m so sorry. So very sorry. For everything,’ he whispered.

‘Shh,chéri,’ Marina comforted him. ‘There is nothing to be sorry about.’

‘The girls... are they all right?’

‘They arewonderful, Atlas.’

The news calmed him. ‘Do they know I am alive?’

‘Yes, Atlas, they do. And they are outside waiting to see you.’