Page 26 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘Bloody hell, Mum. It’s so much to take in. Particularly after all you’ve been through in the last few weeks. How are you feeling?’ Jack asked gently, his arm around my shoulder.

‘Sick, at first. But better now, after a good sleep. I also met a man called Miles...’

‘Electra’s boyfriend?’

‘That’s it. And he was very reassuring. Georg’s making copies of this diary to give to everyone, so they can all read it simultaneously.’

‘You’re really this Pa Salt’s biological daughter then?’ Mary-Kate asked.

‘So it would seem. Atlas is my father. And your grandfather.’ A silence hung in the air.

‘Oh yeah, of course! Although you two are, like, actually, properly, officially related to him,’ said MK, referencing the fact my daughter was herself adopted. She ran her hands through her long blonde hair. ‘This is nuts!’

‘Christ, no wonder Georg was so desperate to get you on board, Mum. You’re... we’re Pa Salt’s flesh and blood,’ stumbled Jack.

‘Has all this been, you know, verified?’ asked Mary-Kate.

‘Do you mean DNA tests? That might be a little hard to organise, given where we are and what we’re here to do.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t imagine there’s much need for that anyway.That woman in the charcoal drawing is the spit of you, Mum. I guess you’ve got no information on what happened to her?’ Jack enquired.

‘I do not. I’m hoping that the diary will provide some answers.’

‘Yeah. I hope it’ll tell us a bit more about Argideen House in Cork, too.’

Mary-Kate pointed to the ceiling. ‘What about everyone up there? How d’you reckon they’ll take it?’

‘I don’t know. It’s important to remember that I didn’t seek to be here. Those women searched the world to find me, quite literally.’ I looked around the grand cabin, taking in its ornate chandelier and bespoke walnut headboard. ‘I’ve no wish to claim any ofthisfrom them either.’

Jack looked crestfallen. ‘I’ll be honest, Mum. I think revealing to Ally that I’m her secret nephew might just trump her failing to tell me she had a baby son.’

‘Oh, don’t be daft, Jack. Ally was adopted. She’s the daughter of a musician from Norway. There’s absolutely no blood relationship there whatsoever,’ Mary-Kate reminded him firmly. ‘Anyway, that’s hardly the takeaway here. Are you all right, Mum? Is there anything we can do to support you?’

‘Oh, you know, steal a lifeboat if the other six decide to throw me overboard.’

‘For what it’s worth, I think there’s very little chance of that happening,’ said Mary-Kate, putting a reassuring hand on my back. ‘They’re all pretty lovely. What’s your plan, by the way? Are you just going to go right up and tell them?’

‘I think I have to,’ I sighed. ‘Keeping any sort of information to myself doesn’t seem fair. As I’ve said to everyone, this Atlas is a stranger to me. But he’s everything to them.’

‘You know, Mum, you’re amazing. Everything you’ve beenthrough – are stillgoingthrough – and you’re putting others first.’

‘Thank you, Mary-Kate. And hey, your dad always made me promise that I was to have a whirlwind adventure if anything ever happened to him. And here we are.’ The three of us joined hands, and sat together for a moment. ‘And it’s what Dad would have done, too. He was about the most selfless individual on God’s green earth. Lord knows, we know exactly what they’re going through up there. So, if I – ifwe– can help these six young women at the most difficult moment of their lives, then we will.’ I squeezed Jack and Mary-Kate’s hands tight. ‘Are people just milling around?’

‘No, actually. Everyone’s sat up there for a late breakfast. We said we’d join them after we’d had a chance to come and see you.’

‘Well then.’ I took a deep breath, slapped my knees and stood up. ‘Let’s go and say hello.’

Jack and Mary-Kate led me back up through theTitan. With my two children forming a miniature phalanx around me, I felt comforted. Whatever was about to happen, they were here to protect me.

The yacht’s central staircase took us through great lounges, dining areas and the office space that Georg had mentioned to me when I was on the jet. Now I was rested, I could truly appreciate what a floating fortress the ship actually was.

After ascending no fewer than three flights, we reached the top of theTitan, which was comprised of a small salon encased in lightly tinted glass. Some of the panes had been slid back, allowing the bright French sun to pour in.

‘Are you ready, Mum? It’s just through here,’ Jack said, giving me one of his reassuring grins.

My heart began to thump a little harder as I heard a cacophony of voices.This is what it must have felt like to befed to the lions, I thought. In amongst the crowd, I heard Georg’s measured tones, and it provided me with the confidence I needed to step over the threshold. Mary-Kate took my hand and gave it a squeeze, as the three of us passed through the door.

The table was completely full, and a sea of faces greeted me.