Letter from a Stranger. Barbara Taylor Bradford
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It will be easier for him. It’s all to do with parking.’
‘This restaurant is an old favourite – of mine and everyone else’s,’ Iffet explained. ‘But it is quite hard to find if you don’t know where to look.’ Her brown eyes danced. ‘But here we are,’ she added, walking past the main entrance to the Spice Market, and leading Justine towards a steep flight of stone stairs. ‘It’s called Pandeli’s, and it’s on the first floor.’
Iffet climbed quite swiftly; Justine followed on a little more slowly, telling herself she needed to get back to the gym. Immediately.
As they went inside the restaurant, Justine said in a low but excited voice, ‘Well, this was certainly worth the climb, Iffet.’
‘I know,’ she answered with a laugh.
The two women were greeted warmly by a waiter and led to a table near a window. They both ordered sparkling water, and took the menus offered. Justine, glancing around, exclaimed, ‘The aqua-coloured tiles are gorgeous and the domes architecturally stunning. What a lovely place.’
‘It’s popular with the discerning locals, and the food is delicious,’ Iffet said. ‘I hope you will try the börek, they are renowned here, Justine. Little pastry triangles with cheese and herb filling, and once they are fried they swell up and turn brown.’
‘I’m going to try them. Actually, I’m quite hungry, I didn’t eat much last night, and I never really have a proper breakfast.’ She picked up the menu and scanned it, and realized she liked the sound of many of the items listed. Finally she decided to order sea bass cooked in paper. ‘I’m going to have the fish,’ she said.
‘So am I.’ Iffet beckoned the waiter, and ordered for them, took a sip of water before continuing. ‘There are a lot of palaces to see, and other museums. We must go slowly. I do not want to tire you, Justine. It is a good idea to visit the Spice Market after lunch. Tomorrow perhaps you wish to go to the Grand Bazaar.’
‘I’d love it. You see, what happens to me is that I get visually overburdened if I view too many buildings and objects. I lose my judgement. I’m better if I pace myself. And listen, thanks for this morning. You are very knowledgeable. I was genuinely fascinated by Topkapi Palace – and especially the women’s quarters, the harem.’
Leaning forward, she then said, ‘I had something of a brainwave when we were going around Topkapi. It suddenly struck me that I would like to do a biography of Istanbul… on film, of course. This place has such an extraordinary story to tell… I think I would call it “Biography of a City”.’
Iffet was staring at her. ‘What a clever idea. Exciting.’
Justine was speaking the truth. The idea had suddenly hit her in the face when they were viewing the harem. She understood at once how fascinating a story about Istanbul could be. It was something she decided she would research once she had found her grandmother.
Iffet was asking how she could help Justine with this idea for the documentary when her cell phone buzzed. She answered it, listened attentively, gave her thanks and clicked off. ‘That was my office. I am so sorry, Anita Lowe is not listed at the land registry office.’
‘Oh.’ Justine felt a rush of dismay. She cleared her throat. ‘And Gabriele Hardwicke? Is she listed?’
‘No, she is not. If you knew which district they lived in, that could be a help. I could send someone to do an additional check.’
‘I have no idea,’ Justine murmured, and blinked, then glanced away.
Iffet realized immediately that Justine was tremendously disappointed. Her expression was crestfallen and her blue eyes looked moist, as if she might suddenly cry.
‘It is important to you, isn’t it, Justine? That you find these two ladies?’
‘Extremely important.’
A silence fell between the two women. Iffet couldn’t help wondering what this was all about and why her new friend was so upset.
Justine was asking herself if she should confide in Iffet, and immediately cancelled out that idea. She had met Iffet only yesterday, and could hardly tell her about the letter from Anita. She would hesitate to tell anyone. Her mother had done a horrifying thing and she didn’t want a soul to know. Other than Joanne, who was like a sister to her. On the other hand, perhaps she owed this very nice woman a bit of an explanation. An edited version of the truth.
She was about to speak out when the waiter arrived with the börek, and so she sat back in the chair, wanting to wait until they were alone.
Justine realized that she and her brother might have made a terrible mistake. They had decided Anita Lowe lived in Istanbul because the letter she had written bore an Istanbul postmark. But she might have simply been passing through the city, or on vacation. The truth was they didn’t have any idea where Anita lived, nor their grandmother either. And she was more anxiety ridden than ever.
For a moment her frustration soared. How foolish they had been, and she in particular. She pressed down on these feelings, and made up her mind to confide in Iffet, although only to a certain extent. She was far too ashamed of her mother’s behaviour to reveal that awful part of the story. She would have to fudge the estrangement, and put the focus on finding the two women.
Taking steely control of herself, Justine drank some of the sparkling water, and settled back on the banquette, glancing around. Several rooms formed the restaurant, and they were all visible to each other through the wide doorways. The cool aqua-tiled rooms, the windows and the starched white-linen tablecloths created a fresh look, and the setting provided a pleasant respite from the noise of the nearby markets and ferry terminals; it was a relaxing haven away from the jostling crowds.
‘I am glad I brought you here, Justine. I think you like it,’ Iffet said before picking up a börek and biting into the small triangle of pastry.
‘I love it, is it a new place?’ Justine asked, also starting to eat her own börek.
‘No, it’s very old. It was opened in 1901 by a fellow called Pandeli, and it has been a success ever since.’
When she had finished eating the börek, Justine looked across at Iffet and said quietly, ‘I think I owe you more of an explanation about my search for Anita Lowe, but let’s have lunch first. We’ll talk over coffee.’
This they did, after enjoying the sea bass cooked in paper and the grilled vegetables. Both women smilingly declined the delicious-looking desserts, and ordered Turkish coffee. ‘Rife with caffeine, but why not, for once?’ Iffet murmured, smiling at Justine. ‘What do you wish to explain about Anita Lowe?’
‘I must start with Gabriele Hardwicke,’ Justine murmured, holding Iffet with her eyes. ‘She is our grandmother, and it is she I am looking for, and I believed I would find her through Anita.’
Iffet looked taken aback, startled, and was silent for a moment, then she said, ‘And I haven’t been able to find Anita for you. Perhaps there are some other ways I might be able to locate her, if you are certain she lives in Istanbul.’
‘That’s just the point, I’m not. But wherever she is, I do think my grandmother will be with her. They have been friends since they were young girls, and have remained close. Let me tell you how all this came about.’
Justine told her story swiftly, giving only the details, resisting any embellishments, and explained that she and Richard were out of touch with their grandmother because of a quarrel between Gabriele and her daughter, their mother Deborah. Finally she finished, ‘And I’m worried about Gran because Anita indicated in her letter she is so despondent and misses Rich and me. Also, she might not be well – she is almost eighty.’
Iffet had listened attentively, and now she said slowly, thoughtfully, ‘Everyone has been making assumptions… Anita, you and your brother. I shall make one. Let us assume Anita and Gabriele do live here. If that is so, there are several other things I could do. What nationality are they? American?’