‘It isn’t part of my remit to explain that,’ said Georg.

‘Although, if you look closely, you’ll see that all of your names appear on the bands I pointed out just now.’

We all bent in closer, and saw that Georg was right.

‘Here’s yours, Maia,’ said Ally, pointing to it. ‘It has numbers after it, which look to me like a set of coordinates,’ she said, turning to her own and studying them. ‘Yes, I’m sure that’s what they are. It’s what we use to navigate on the sea all the time.’

‘And there are inscriptions too, but they seem to be engraved in a different language,’ commented Electra.

‘They’re in Greek,’ I said, immediately recognising the lettering.

‘What do they say?’ asked Tiggy.

‘I’d have to get some paper and a pen and write them down to work them out,’ I said, looking closely at my own inscription.

‘Okay, so this is a very nice sculpture and it’s sitting on the terrace. But what does it actually mean?’ asked CeCe impatiently.

‘Once again, that is not for me to say,’ said Georg. ‘Now, Marina is pouring some champagne on the main terrace, as per your father’s instructions. He wanted all of you to toast his passing. And then after that, I will give you each an envelope from him, which I hope will explain far more than I am able to tell you.’

Once again, we followed him back through the gardens, all of us stunned into silence. Arriving on the terrace, we did indeed find two chilled bottles of Armand de Brignac champagne and a tray of crystal flutes. As we settled ourselves, Marina clucked around us and poured some for each of us.

Georg raised his glass.

‘Please join me in celebrating your father’s remarkable life. I can only tell you that this was the funeral he wished for: all his girls gathered together at Atlantis, the home he was honoured to share with you for all these years.’

Like robots, we all lifted our glasses. ‘To Pa Salt,’ I said.

‘To Pa Salt,’ the rest of my sisters chorused.

We all took an uncomfortable sip, and I looked up to the heavens and then out to the lake and mountains beyond and told him I loved him.

‘So, when do we get these letters?’ asked Ally eventually.

‘I’ll go and get them now.’ Georg stood up and left the table.

‘Well, this has to be the most bizarre wake I’ve ever attended,’ said CeCe.

‘Trust Pa Salt,’ Electra said with a wan smile.

‘Can I have some more champagne?’ asked Ally.

And Marina, noticing we’d all drained our glasses, topped us up.

‘Do you understand it, Ma?’ asked Star nervously.

‘I know nothing more than you do, chérie,’ she replied, her usual enigmatic self.

‘Well, I just wish he was here,’ said Tiggy, her eyes suddenly filling with tears, ‘to explain in person.’

‘But he isn’t,’ Ally reminded her quietly, ‘and somehow I feel this is fitting. For something so awful, he made it as easy as possible. And now we must take strength from each other.’