Page 168 of The Seven Sisters

Floriano X

Ally

July 2007

New Moon

12; 04; 53

51

Marina and I waved and blew kisses as we watched Maia leave Atlantis. Her two suitcases were filled to the brim with her most treasured possessions.Andthree hundred Twinings English Breakfast teabags, which she said were impossible to find in Rio. Even though she’d assured us she’d be back very soon, somehow we knew she wouldn’t be. And so we both felt emotional as we watched my big sister disappear from view to begin her new life.

‘I’m so happy for her,’ said Marina, surreptitiously wiping her eyes as we turned and walked back to the house. ‘Floriano is such a lovely man, and Maia tells me his young daughter is beautiful too.’

‘It seems as if she’s found herself a ready-made family,’ I commented. ‘Maybe it will make up for what she lost.’

Marina shot me a glance as we entered the house. ‘Maia told you?’

‘Yes, yesterday. And I admit I was shocked. Not so much by what had happened, but by the fact she’d kept it to herself for all these years. As a matter of fact,’ I said, ‘selfishly, I felt very hurt that she’d been unable to trust me with her secret. Presumably you knew?’ I asked Ma as I followed her into the kitchen.

‘Yes,chérie, I was the one who helped her. Anyway, what’s done is done. And Maia, finally, has found herself a life. To be honest,’ Marina admitted as she switched the kettle on to boil, ‘sometimes I despaired she ever would.’

‘I think we all did. I remember her being so happy and positive when she was younger, but then she seemed to change overnight. I went to visit her once when she’d returned to continue her third year of university at the Sorbonne. She was so quiet . . . closed,’ I sighed. ‘It was a very boring weekend because Maia didn’t want to go anywhere, whereas I was sixteen and in Paris for the first time. Now I understand why. You know how I idolised her when I was younger. It really upset me as I knew she had shut me out.’

‘I think she shut us all out,’ Marina comforted me. ‘But if anyone can bring her back and teach her to trust, it’s that young man she’s found herself. Tea? Or something cooler?’

‘Water will be fine, thanks. Honestly, Ma, I think you have a serious crush on Floriano!’ I teased her, as she passed me a glass of water.

‘Well, he’s certainly very attractive,’ Marina agreed without guile.

‘I can’t wait to meet him. But now Maia’s gone, what will you do here?’

‘Oh, don’t you worry, I have lots of things to keep me busy. It’s amazing how often you girls fly back to the nest. Usually at short notice.’ She smiled at me. ‘I had Star here last week, as a matter of fact.’

‘Did you? Without CeCe?’

‘Yes.’ Marina tactfully refrained from commenting further. ‘But you know it’s a pleasure to have any of you at home with me.’

‘It does feel so different here without Pa,’ I said suddenly.

‘Yes, of course it does. But can you imagine how proud he would be if he could see what you are doing tomorrow? You know how much he loved his sailing.’

‘Yes,’ I said, smiling sadly. ‘Changing the subject, you obviously know that the father of Maia’s son was Kreeg Eszu’s boy, Zed?’

‘I do, yes. Anyway’ – Marina abruptly changed the subject – ‘I’ll ask Claudia to make sure supper’s ready by seven tonight. I know you have an early start in the morning.’

‘Yes, and I must go and check my emails. Is it okay if I use Pa’s study?’

‘Of course it is. Remember, this is yours and your sisters’ house now,’ Marina said patiently.

Taking my laptop from my bedroom, I went downstairs, opened the door to my father’s study, and for the first time in my life, sat down tentatively in Pa Salt’s chair. I stared into space as my laptop went through the process of opening, and gazed blankly at the cornucopia of objects Pa had kept on his shelves.

The laptop then decided to tell me it wanted to shut down, having just opened up, so while I waited for it to reboot, I stood up and went over to Pa’s CD player. All of us had tried to move him on to an iPod, and even though he had a raft of sophisticated computers and electronic communication equipment in his study, he’d said he was too old to change, and preferred to physically ‘see’ the music he wanted to play. As I switched the CD player on, fascinated to discover what Pa Salt had been listening to last, the room was suddenly filled with the beautiful opening bars of Grieg’sMorning Moodfrom the Peer Gynt Suite.

I stood, rooted to the spot, as a wave of memories assailed me. It had been Pa’s favourite orchestral piece, and he’d often asked me to play the opening bars for him on my flute. It had become the theme tune of my childhood and it reminded me of all the glorious sunrises we’d shared when he’d taken me out on the lake and patiently taught me to sail.

I missed him so very much.

And I also missed someone else.

As the music swelled from the hidden speakers, filling the room with glorious sound, on instinct, I picked up the receiver of the phone on Pa’s desk to make a call.

Holding it to my ear as I made to dial the number, I realised someone else in the house was already on the line. The shock of hearing the familiar, resonant tones of the voice that had comforted me from childhood forced me to interrupt the conversation.

‘Hello?’ I said, hurriedly reaching over and turning the CD player down to make absolutely sure it was him.

But the voice at the other end had become a monotonous bleeping, and I knew he had gone.