The car that had whisked us from the airport to the Port de Nice was as extravagant as the jet itself. I had to admit that even if I was hesitant about the trip, I was certainly enjoying the luxury. I’d wound all of the windows down and was enjoying the fresh smell of the pines in the air. The sun was barely up, but I could already feel that the day was going to be sweltering.

As it was so early, the limousine was able to drive right down to the dock. Every square inch of water was occupied by a boat, each more unashamedly opulent than the last. Mere inches separated the enormous vessels, which had been reversed with great skill into unimaginably small gaps. I shuddered to think of the cost of a repair to a scraped hull. All of the boats seemed to have their own team working on them, polishing, sweeping, laying tables for breakfast . . . To me, it all felt incredibly claustrophobic. Perhaps it’s because I was so used to the wide, open space of the vineyards in the Gibbston Valley, or more recently, the rolling green fields of West Cork.

‘You know, Georg, if I had all this money, I’d buy somewhere enormous in the middle of nowhere, not come here to sit crammed in like sardines. You’d never get any peace and quiet.’

‘I am inclined to agree with you. It seems to me that most people in this port spend their entire summers moored, rarely leaving for sea. For the majority, these yachts are symbols of status – nothing more.’

‘Well, isn’t that just what the Titan is?’

‘No. I must disagree with you on that. To Atlas, the Titan was a place of safety.’

‘Safety?’ I eyed him.

‘That is correct. If ever he needed to . . . escape from . . . the stresses and pressures of life, he knew that he could board his yacht, along with his daughters, and sail to anywhere in the world.’

I noted the way the word ‘escape’ had hung on Georg’s lips. The limo came to a stop at the end of the dock.

‘So, which one is it then? I have to say, any will do. I’m not fussy.’ My door was opened for me by the driver, who proceeded to remove my bag from the boot. Thank goodness I was supposed to be in the middle of a world tour. It meant that my suitcase was mightily well equipped. Before I knew it, another man in a navy polo shirt had taken the case from the driver. ‘Is it this one? Right at the end?’ I pointed towards the last yacht on the dock.

‘No, Merry.’ Georg replied. The young man who had taken my bag walked straight past what I had assumed was the Titan and was carrying it down a wooden jetty which protruded into the water. ‘The Titan is actually anchored out in the bay. A very short ride on a tender will take us there.’ Georg pointed out beyond the end of the dock towards one boat that made the others look like bath toys.

‘Jesus!’ I couldn’t deny it looked absolutely magnificent. I counted no fewer than four levels, and the enormous radio tower with satellite dishes galore clearly marked it out from every other vessel in the vicinity. ‘I mean, Jack and Mary-Kate had told me how enormous it was . . . but I . . . wow. Maybe I’ll take back my comment about being crammed in like sardines.’ Georg smiled at me.

‘Good morning, sir,’ said the young man who had taken my suitcase a moment before. ‘Was that the only luggage?’

‘Yes, thank you,’ Georg replied.

‘Very good. The captain has brought the tender here himself.’ The young man looked at me. ‘If you would just follow me down to the end of the jetty, madame.’

I did so, and there waiting for us aboard the tender was a handsome, tanned man, with salt and pepper hair and tortoiseshell glasses.

‘I must say, you’re very well dressed for so early in the morning,’ I said.

‘I confess, normally I would have sent Victor here to retrieve you, but you are an incredibly special passenger. It is my pleasure to personally escort you on board. My name is Hans Gaia.’ He extended his hand to me, shaking mine before helping me aboard the tender. ‘I skipper the Titan.’

‘Thank you very much, Hans. Sorry if I’m a disappointment. I haven’t slept in forty-eight hours.’

‘I assure you, Mrs McDougal, you are anything but a disappointment. It is a great honour to welcome you aboard. I knew your father for many years, and he was very good to me. I know how happy he would be to finally see you on his ocean home.’

‘Well . . . I . . . thank you again for getting up so early.’

‘Good morning, Mr Hoffman. Welcome back.’ He nodded to Georg.

‘Thank you, Hans.’

‘Well then, if we’re all accounted for, let’s get back to the yacht. Victor, remove the line.’ The deckhand loosened the loop from the concrete piling, and joined us in the tender. ‘It will be just a few moments, Mrs McDougal.’

‘Is anybody else awake?’

‘Not to my knowledge, no. Victor, did you notice anyone up and about?’

‘No, Captain.’

I felt a surge of relief. In all honesty, the welcome from Captain Hans had been intense enough, and he was just the man who steered the boat. One thing was for certain: whoever Atlas had been, he clearly engendered fierce loyalty in all those he employed. I wasn’t sure I could face an immediate ‘family reunion’ as soon as I set foot on board. All I wanted was a bed to get my head down for a few hours.

‘I will arrange for the six copies of the diary to be made when we’re on board,’ Georg assured me as we skimmed the short distance across the still water.

‘Thanks, Georg. No rush. I just want to sleep if I’m honest.’

Once Victor had unloaded the bag, and Captain Hans had helped me aboard, I was led up the steps to the aft deck and then into the main salon, where Georg showed me a bedroom plan pinned to an enormous cork board.

‘Let us see . . . deck two, suite one. Excellent. You have been placed right next to your children. They will be in the two cabins immediately to your right.’

‘Blimey, Georg, there’s a lot of names on here . . . Have all the sisters brought their partners?’

‘Yes, you are correct. As you can imagine, this trip carries a significant emotional weight, and the girls collectively decided that it would be best for each to have a significant other.’

‘Do . . . do all the sisters have a significant other?’ I raised my eyebrow, the overly protective mother in me thinking immediately of Jack. I knew full well that his primary motivation for coming on this cruise was a certain young auburn-haired woman.

‘All apart from Ally, the second sister. But she is here with her young son, Bear.’ The fact that I was so tired meant that an unchecked look of surprise registered on my face.

‘Are you all right, Merry?’

‘Oh yes, fine. Are there many children on board?’

‘Two others. Valentina, the daughter of Maia’s partner, Floriano, and Rory, who is the son of Mouse – Star’s partner. I should mention too that young Rory is deaf, though he can lip-read incredibly well.’

‘My, what a busy boat. I think you’re all going to have to be sympathetic to me on the name front.’

‘I don’t doubt for a moment that everyone will be. Shall I show you to your room?’

‘Yes, thank you, I . . .’ The salon suddenly began to spin a little, and a familiar swimming sensation descended. It dawned on me that in addition to the lack of sleep, the last thing I’d consumed was an Irish coffee in Belfast yesterday afternoon. ‘May I just grab a little air, Georg? I feel light-headed.’

‘Of course, take my arm.’

Georg led me out onto the sun deck, and sat me on some enormous cushions which formed a large seating area at the rear.

‘Let me find you some bottled water. I’m sorry, as it’s early, there aren’t so many staff around. Will you be all right for a moment?’

‘I’m sure I will be.’ Georg left at a quickened pace. I tried to control my breathing and slow my heart rate, which was thumping so aggressively I thought it might explode out of my chest. I really did feel completely overwhelmed, just as I’d feared. The thought of being stranded in the middle of the ocean with these strangers, their partners and all those associated with them, not to mention the revelations I had been tasked with delivering, was all too much. As I closed my eyes, I heard another sound over my deep inhalations – the rhythm of feet padding along the deck. I opened my eyes expecting to see Georg sprinting towards me with a bottle of Evian, but instead a man who I had never met before stood in front of me. He was tall with rippling muscles, which were on full display in his close-fitting running gear. From the grey that peppered his tightly curled hair, I would have placed him in his late thirties.

‘Oh, hey there,’ he said, in an American accent.

‘Hi,’ I replied meekly.

‘You doing okay? You look a little, uh . . . peaky.’

‘Oh, yes, I’m okay. Georg has just run to grab me some water.’

‘Georg . . . that’s the lawyer, right?’

‘Yes. Didn’t you know?’

‘Sorry, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Miles. I’m here with Electra.’

‘That’s the lady who models, isn’t it?’

‘That’s right. You must be Mary.’

‘I am, yes. But most people call me Merry.’

‘Here, take a gulp of this.’ Miles presented me with a bottle of liquid that was such a vivid blue that it could have been chemical. ‘It’s Gatorade. I figured stocks of it here on the boat might be a little lacking, so I made sure to bring a whole bunch over from the States.’

I took a swig of the cool, sweet liquid. It didn’t taste as terrifying as it looked.

‘Thank you.’

‘No problem. I tend to get up super early and exercise. I was going to visit one of the treadmills in the on-board gym, but this place is so enormous, and with no one else around, it seemed a shame to waste the sunrise. A few laps of each deck and I’ll be ready to start my day.’

‘Cheers to that,’ I said, taking another large glug of the Gatorade. ‘Sorry, I’m probably draining your precious supply.’

‘Not at all. You must have had quite the twenty-four hours.’

‘You could say that, Miles, yes.’

‘Well, I know just how excited Electra is to meet you. As is everybody else on board, quite frankly. Hey, you’re more in demand than the global supermodel.’ He gave me a wide smile.

‘If I can be honest with you, Miles, that’s what I’m worried about.’

‘I can understand. I know our situations aren’t really comparable, but this is all new to me too. I’ve only known Electra for a matter of weeks. I was a little surprised that she asked me to come along. To tell you the truth, I’ve been full of nerves for days.’

‘What do you do for a job? Are you an actor? Or a photographer or something?’

‘No, ma’am, nothing quite as exciting as that, I’m afraid. I’m a lawyer.’

I berated myself for making an assumption based on the fact he was dating the supermodel. In fact, there was something about Miles that had an incredibly calming effect on me. I was struggling to work out whether my head was clearing due to the Gatorade or the presence of this polite, down-to-earth man who was showing me some sympathy.

‘So, how did you and Electra meet?’

Miles looked out at the ocean. ‘Oh, we had, uh . . . mutual interests. Our paths crossed at a farm in Arizona. By the way, it was a real pleasure to meet your kids last night, Merry. Jack and Mary-Kate were the life and soul at dinner. I was glad to have them there, they did a wonderful job of making sure the conversation never ran dry. It could have been a little awkward, you know? Lots of strangers, such an emotional time for the sisters . . .’

‘That’ll be my two. If there’s one thing that people from Down Under can do, it’s talk.’

‘That’s true! CeCe’s girlfriend – uh, Chrissie I think her name is – is from Australia. She’s exactly the same.’

‘Right, so you’re from America, Chrissie’s from Australia . . . Does anyone else hail from an exotic location which I should know about?’

‘Well, it depends on your definition of “exotic” . . . Maia’s partner Floriano and his daughter Valentina are from Brazil. But all of the sisters have an amazing story to tell. Their father – your father – left clues for them to discover after he’d died. The guy had the coordinates of all their birthplaces engraved on this sculpture thing in their family garden – they call it an armillary sphere. It turns out that he adopted children from all corners of the globe . . .’

‘Gosh. He led quite the life, that’s for certain.’

‘As have you, from the sounds of things. Jack and Mary-Kate have been telling us about your journey over the last few weeks. Merry, I’m so sorry to hear of all you’ve been through. I don’t know how you’ve coped. The sisters following you around the globe must have frightened the life out of you. I think you’re an incredibly strong person to be standing here on this yacht. Your kids do too. They wouldn’t stop singing your praises last night.’

I don’t know quite what it was, but there was something about Miles’s calm sincerity that brought tears to my eyes.

‘Thank you, Miles. That’s very generous of you to say.’

‘And Merry . . . I haven’t known them long, but these are good people. I know a little something or two about character. I work in human rights, you see, so I’ve had to learn to be a pretty good judge on that side of things when it comes to my job. I promise that you’re safe here, and everyone is really excited to get to know you.’

‘I just hope I . . . live up to expectations.’ The feeling of being overwhelmed returned.

‘My perspective on it is that they’ve known you their whole life. Well, at least, they’ve known of your existence. Apparently, your dad would mention you frequently. He always said that you were lost to him, and he never found you. So they’re just all real thrilled that they’ve managed to get you here, and fulfil his lifelong wish.’

‘Miles, you’re a lawyer, so you understand the sensitivities that exist within families, particularly after the death of a loved one.’

‘I most certainly do, yes.’

‘You’ll already have noted that I’m a fair bit older than the other girls.’

‘I . . . would never have noticed, but I’ve obviously heard from the others.’

‘You are a lawyer, Miles. That was very tactful. Anyway, I imagine that given your profession, you can keep a secret?’

Miles chuckled and nodded at me. ‘Oh yes. I have a fair few which will go with me to the grave.’

‘Well, there’ll be no need for that thankfully, but I would appreciate your perspective on something.’

He took a moment to look me square in the eye. ‘You can count on my discretion.’

I reached into my handbag and pulled out the letter from Atlas. ‘Would you read this, Miles?’

‘Of course. You’re sure you want me to?’

‘I need an outside opinion that’s not Georg’s. It’s a note from my father to me. It seems to confirm, that I’m his . . . you can read it yourself.’ Miles did so, and I studied his face as he scanned it. Soon Miles was the one with tears in his eyes.

‘Excuse me,’ he said, handing back the letter. ‘That was pretty powerful stuff.’

‘Yes.’

‘If you don’t mind me asking, what are you so worried about? The fact that this means you’re his biological daughter?’

‘Yes! And the fact that he’s entrusted me with his life story before the others.’

Miles took a moment to formulate his response. ‘I can understand that. Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but think about it from their perspective – you’re an answer to a fundamental question. Their whole life, they’ve wondered why their mysterious father made it his mission to adopt these girls from around the globe. If he lost his wife and daughter when he was much younger, perhaps that goes some way to explaining it?’

I leant back into the pillows and considered his perspective. ‘I suppose I hadn’t thought of it like that.’

‘Anyhow, Jack and Mary-Kate have done the heavy lifting. Everyone loves them so much that they’re already practically part of the furniture.’

‘I can well imagine. Thank you, Miles.’

‘Don’t sweat it. And if things get a little too intense over the next few days and you need an outside perspective to talk things through with, just let me know.’

I heard the sound of running feet once more, and turned to see Georg emerging from the salon, brandishing a bottle of water.

‘I apologise, Merry. I had to venture down into the kitchen. It turns out that obtaining a law degree from the Universität Basel is a less complex process than searching the chief steward’s pantries.’

‘That’s quite all right, Georg. Miles managed to save me with his blue concoction here.’ I held the Gatorade aloft.

‘I’ll put a small charge on your bill at the end of your stay, madame,’ Miles replied with a wink. ‘Well, I’ll let you get settled, Merry. I’ve got another few laps to jog before Electra’s up and I’m on the coffee run.’ He stood up, and nodded at Georg. ‘And remember my offer. I’m always here. Deck three, suite four, I believe.’ Miles laughed, and I gave him a wave before he turned to continue his circuit of the Titan.

‘I’m sorry, Merry, I didn’t realise anyone was up.’

‘Not at all, Georg. It was nice to meet him. He was a very reassuring presence.’

‘Yes. He has overcome a lot in his life. I do believe him to be the perfect companion for Electra. Anyway, are you feeling a little better?’

‘Yes, thank you, Georg. Certainly well enough to make it to my bedroom, anyway.’

‘Take my arm. I’ll show you downstairs. Victor has ensured that your luggage is waiting for you.’

I hung on to Georg as we ventured through the bowels of the enormous vessel. I don’t know whether it was my delirious state or the fact that every corridor was lined with the same dark brown wood – polished to the extent that every surface was akin to a mirror – but I felt like I was traversing an M. C. Escher painting. En route to my quarters, we passed by numerous staff, who were waking to prepare for the journey ahead. Some were in polo shirts, some in short-sleeved white shirts adorned with epaulettes. Georg mumbled something about ‘deck crew’ and ‘interior crew’, but I wasn’t paying a great deal of attention. One thing connected all the uniforms, however – every shirt was embroidered with the name Titan, and immediately below, stitched in rich gold, was the image of an armillary sphere. Several staircases and hallways later, Georg signalled to a door on the second deck.

‘This is your room,’ he whispered. ‘Mary-Kate and Jack are just here, to your right.’ He opened the cabin door.

‘That’s grand, Georg. Now, is there anything I have to be up for, before I collapse on the bed and depart from the land of the living for a few hours?’

‘Not at all, Merry. Please take all the rest you need. Of course, we’ll shortly be departing from Nice, and I should warn you that the engines can be somewhat . . . intrusive,’ he said sheepishly.

‘That’s all right, Georg, I think I’m tired enough to sleep through anything. I imagine you’ll be wanting some kip yourself, but if you wouldn’t mind asking someone to alert my children to the fact their mother has made it on board, that would be wonderful.’

‘No problem, I shall see to it, along with the preparation of the diaries. Goodnight, Merry.’

‘Good morning, more like.’ I sighed wearily, entering the room and gently shutting the door behind me. I wasn’t at all surprised to find that the cabin was akin to a five-star hotel. In fact, it might even have been nicer than the suite I’d recently stayed in at Claridge’s in London. My suitcase had been placed next to the bed, but I lacked the energy to open it up and attempt to find any suitable nightwear. Instead, I kicked off my shoes, pushed the towels (beautifully hand-crafted into little elephants) to the floor, and flopped onto the mattress. Pulling the covers tight around me, I closed my eyes and slept.