Page 127 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt
‘Why?’ asked CeCe.
‘Revolutions, basically,’ Star continued. ‘The Russian tsar was hugely powerful. He was the principal authority in the country, and controlled all the wealth too.’
‘So, he was, like, a dictator?’ Electra asked. ‘A bad guy?’
Star shrugged. ‘I suppose, yes. It was certainly an autocracy. The Russian people were unhappy. They faced food shortages against a backdrop of bitter cold. So they overthrew him.’
CeCe and Electra took a moment to absorb the information. ‘What did he do after that?’ Electra enquired.
‘He and his family were executed. Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik revolutionaries took over the government.’
‘Why did they hate him so much?’ CeCe asked.
‘The Bolsheviks thought that the monarchy was a cancerthat made it impossible for the working class to rise. And what do you do with a cancer?’
‘Cut it out,’ Electra replied. Star nodded.
Maia leant back in her chair and stretched. ‘Oh Pa,’ she whispered to herself. ‘What a mess you found yourself in.’ She stood up and crossed the salon to the viewing window. The ocean seemed to be getting choppier as theTitanraced towards Delos.
‘Hello? Maia?’ came a voice from the salon door.
‘Hi, Merry. How are you doing?’
Merry walked towards her newfound sister and put a hand on her back. ‘Ah, I’m not too bad. I can’t believe that Atlas lost Elle in such a sudden way. It seems to defy all logic.’
Maia pondered the situation. ‘Yes, it does rather. I thought they were so happy together.’ She noticed that Merry had shifted her gaze down to the floor. ‘Gosh, I’m sorry, Merry, I didn’t even think – that’s your mother you’re reading about too. It must be doubly hard.’
Merry waved her hand. ‘Oh, go on with you. I didn’t even know her. You’re the one I worry about, Maia. I know that this villain Eszu’s son has treated you very poorly.’ She pulled Maia in for a hug. ‘I can’t imagine how bloody awful you’re finding this.’
Maia nestled her head into Merry’s shoulder. ‘Thanks, Merry, I needed that.’
‘I know you did, my darling.’ Merry smiled, then put her hands on her hips. ‘Now, there is something I wanted to mention to you.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘As you know, my coordinates on the armillary sphere pointed to this house in West Cork, which seems to have been owned by the Eszu family.’
‘Yes,’ Maia confirmed.
‘Well, I told my friend Ambrose about it, and he promised to do a little bit of investigating. He was able to ring around half of West Cork, being passed from one household to another. Eventually, he managed to get in touch with a family in Ballinascarthy.’
Maia stared back blankly at Merry. ‘Sorry, I don’t know where that is.’
‘Oh.’ Merry tutted and grinned. ‘Of course you don’t. It’s a village that’s pretty close to Argideen House.’
‘I’m with you.’ Maia nodded.
‘It turns out that the grandfather of the family, Sonny, used to work up at the house as a gardener in the fifties. The old boy’s nearly a hundred now, but was happy to talk about his time at Argideen.’
Maia’s eyes widened. ‘What did he say, Merry?’
Merry shrugged. ‘Not too much. Just that he rarely saw the owner as he was always off travelling. Apparently there were two other gardeners, and none of them were allowed in the house under any circumstances. He also remembers a housekeeper, too.’
Maia raised an eyebrow in thought. ‘Do you know what her name was?’
‘Sonny couldn’t recall. He said that she hardly ever left the house, and never spoke a word to anyone. Then one day, she disappeared. After that, they didn’t see the owner for months on end, but they kept receiving payment, and so the gardeners continued to work on the gardens.’
Maia did her best to connect the dots, but found herself struggling. ‘But what on earth does it have to do with you,Merry? Why did your coordinates lead to Eszu’s house? That’s what I can’t get my head round.’
