Page 18 of The Seven Sisters

Ally put her cup down abruptly in its saucer. ‘Forget the tea. Have you got anything stronger?’

‘There’s some white wine in the fridge,’ I said and went into the kitchen to retrieve the bottle and a glass. Given that Ally rarely drank, I knew that whatever it was she wanted to share with me must be serious.

‘Thank you,’ she said as I handed the glass to her. ‘It’s probably nothing,’ she said as she took a sip. ‘But when we arrived at the spot near where Pa’s boat had been and saw it speeding off into the distance, there was another large boat still moored there.’

‘Well, surely that’s not unusual, is it?’ I queried. ‘It’s late June, and the waters in the Mediterranean are bound to be crowded with holidaymakers.’

‘Yes, but . . . this was a boat that both I and my friend recognised. It was theOlympus.’

My teacup was halfway up to my mouth as Ally said this. I clattered it back into its saucer.

‘And of course, you’ve almost certainly heard what happened on theOlympus. I read about it in the newspaper on the plane.’ Ally bit her lip.

‘Yes, I saw it on the news.’

‘Don’t you think it’s strange that Pa had obviously picked this particular place in which to be laid to rest? And that probably, at about the same time, Kreeg Eszu was choosing to take his own life close by?’

Of course I thought – for more reasons than I could ever tell Ally – that it was a ridiculous, almost obscene coincidence. But anything more than that? It couldn’t be.

‘Yes,’ I said, doing my best to hide my distress. ‘It is. But I’m sure there’s no link. They didn’t even know each other, did they?’

‘Not as far as I’m aware,’ said Ally. ‘But whatdidwe know about Pa’s life beyond this house and his yacht? We met so few of his friends, or his business associates. And it stands to reason that they may well have come across each other in the past. After all, they were both hugely rich and successful men.’

‘Yes, Ally, but I’m sure that this was simply a coincidence. After all, you were in the vicinity too on your boat. Delos is simply a very beautiful island that many boats head for.’

‘Yes, I know that. But I can’t get the thought out of my mind that Pa is lying alone on the seabed there. And of course, at the time I didn’t even realise he was dead. Let alone that he was somewhere beneath that incredible blue sea. I . . .’

I stood up and went to put an arm around my sister. ‘Ally, please, forget about the other boat being there – it’s irrelevant. But the fact you were there to see the area where Pa chose to be buried is actually comforting. Perhaps, as Tiggy suggested, in the summer we can all take a cruise together and lay a wreath on the water.’

‘The worst thing is’ – Ally was sobbing now – ‘I feel so guilty!’

‘Why?’

‘Because . . . those few days on the boat were so beautiful! I was so happy, happier than I’ve ever felt in my life. And the truth is, I didn’t want anyone to contact me, so I turned off my mobile. And while it was off, Pa was dying! Just when he needed me, I wasn’t there!’

‘Ally, Ally . . .’ I stroked her hair back from her face as I rocked her gently. ‘None of us were there. And I honestly believe it’s the way Pa wanted it to be. Please remember I live here, and even I had flown the nest when it happened. From what Ma has said, there really was nothing that could have been done. And we must all believe that.’

‘Yes, I know. But it feels as though there are so many things I wanted to ask him, to tell him, and now he’s gone.’

‘I think we all feel that way,’ I said ruefully. ‘But at least we have each other.’

‘Yes, we do. Thank you, Maia,’ Ally said gratefully. ‘Isn’t it amazing,’ she sighed, ‘how our lives can turn on their heads in a matter of hours?’

‘Yes, it is,’ I agreed fervently. ‘Anyway, at some point, I’d like to know the reason for your happiness.’

‘And at some point, I’ll tell you, I promise. But not just yet. How are you, Maia?’ she asked me suddenly, changing the subject.

‘I’m okay,’ I shrugged. ‘Still in shock like everyone.’

‘Yes, of course you are, and telling our sisters can’t have been easy. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to help you.’

‘Well, at least the fact that you’re here now means we can meet with Georg Hoffman and begin to move on.’

‘Oh yes, I forgot to say that Ma has asked us to be up at the house in an hour. He’s due here any minute, but wants to have a chat with her first, apparently. So,’ Ally said, ‘can I please have another glass of wine while we wait?’

*

At seven o’clock, Ally and I walked back to the house and found our sisters sitting in the late evening sun on the terrace.