Page 227 of The Missing Sister

‘That’s wonderful, Mary-Kate. It’s traditional Irish music, is it?’

‘God no, Mum,’ she giggled. ‘It’s modern stuff. Eoin says that there’s a huge live music culture down here and across Ireland. I suppose it helps that there are so many pubs. We have nothing like this in NZ.’

‘Certainly not in the Gibbston Valley, no. Will you take him up on it?’

‘I can’t, can I? I’m presuming we’ll all be heading back to Dublin soon. Have you thought about when?’

‘To be honest, I’m just living from day to day at the moment, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t stay on here for a bit, Mary-Kate, even if Jack and I leave.’

‘Maybe,’ she shrugged. ‘Who knows? If someone will give me a lift at some point today, I might go to his studio and listen to the type of stuff he writes. Oh, and changing the subject, Mum, I had another email from Michelle yesterday. She’s sent a photo that was taken of the two of us just after I was born. I... well, if it wouldn’t hurt too much, would you mind taking a look at it for me? I just want to make sure that the baby in the picture looks the same as the ones you have of me at that age. So there’s no doubt or anything. I mean, I know all babies look the same but—’

‘Don’t worry, darling, I’ll know immediately if it’s you or not,’ I confirmed. ‘Whilst we’re waiting for Jack to come back, why don’t we go up to your room and you can show it to me?’

Upstairs, it took me one glance to know that the newborn child lying in her mother’s arms in the photograph was now my daughter.

‘You were even wrapped in the same pink blanket when you were given to me and your father.’

‘How old was I?’

‘No more than a few hours, sweetheart. That photograph was probably taken just before she had to say goodbye to you. It must have been very hard for her.’

‘She said in the email that the weeks afterwards were terrible – that she coped by thinking I would be given a better life than she could have given me at the time. I think she feels really guilty, Mum.’

‘Do you resent her for making the decision she did?’

‘I don’t think so, but that’s partly because I was lucky enough to come to you and Dad and have such a great upbringing. She wants to... well, meet up whenever I feel ready to.’

‘Do you think you will?’

‘Maybe, yes, but I don’t want to become part of her family or anything; I have my own. I know it sounds weird, but she was so young when she had me – if I do end up having any kind of relationship with her, I’d see her more as an older sister. I mean, Jack’s only a few years younger than she is. Sooo...’ Mary-Kate looked at me with a glint in her eye. ‘Seems like I’m out of the running for being the missing sister, Mum. Jack told me last night about the coordinates that had appeared on Merope’s band of the armillary sphere at Atlantis. They’re close to where you were brought up as a child, apparently.’

I stared at Mary-Kate in confusion.

‘Sorry, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘Surely Ally told you about the armillary sphere that appeared at the sisters’ home just after their father had died?’

‘I vaguely remember her mentioning it, but can you explain again, please?’

‘Well, CeCe told me that their father had a special garden at their house in Geneva, and this armillary sphere appeared in it overnight, just after he died. There were bands on it for each of the sisters, and each of the bands had a quotation engraved on it and a set of coordinates to where they were found by their father.’

‘And...?’

‘Ally told Jack that Maia – the eldest, and the sister who none of us have met so far – was wandering about in the garden a couple of days ago, and saw that a set of coordinates had been engraved on Merope’s empty band.’

‘What?! This whole thing gets more far-fetched by the second.’ I rolled my eyes.

‘Oh, come on, Mum! Stop being such a cynic. You’re the one who’s been a self-professed addict of Greek mythology the whole of her life. Obviously their dad was too, and the armillary sphere was his way of passing on information. As Ally said to Jack last night, it was what they all needed if they wanted to find out where he’d found them. Maia was adamant that unless this information was completely accurate, it wouldn’t have been engraved on the armillary sphere.’

‘So when did this information appear?’

‘Jack said Ally wasn’t sure. I mean, she said that both she and Maia and the other sisters had gone to sit in the garden where the armillary sphere is, but none of them had studied it closely for a while, so it could have been months, or just a few days ago. I’m not sure that’s the point, though, Mum. The more important thing is that it can’t be complete coincidence you were put in a basket on a priest’s doorstep, which is only a mile or so from where the coordinates said you were born.’

I felt my daughter studying me, waiting for a reaction.

‘So this father – with no name other than a nickname – apparently found me there? If he did, why on earth did he then put me on a priest’s doorstep?’

‘I don’t know, Mum, and nor does Ally or anyone else. But taking Pa Salt and the sisters aside, wouldn’t it be interesting to find out who you really are? Who your birth parents were?’