Letter From a Stranger by Barbara Taylor Bradford
He glanced at her. ‘They’re quite a double act, those two, and I’m glad they’ve got each other. They keep each other’s spirits up.’ Still staring at her, he took hold of her hand, and moved closer to her on the banquette. ‘And I can’t tell you how happy I am to get you alone at last. Away from our darling grans and their eagle eyes.’
Justine began to laugh. ‘They are rather doting, aren’t they?’
‘That’s a strange word to use,’ Michael said. ‘Mind you, they are doting. But they’re also watching us all the time, trying to guess how we feel about each other. To put it bluntly, I don’t think they would be at all upset if we disappeared to my room or yours… for a bit of privacy.’
Noticing the odd look on her face, Michael frowned. He said, ‘They’re very modern and extremely romantic, you know. Especially when it comes to us. They’re itching for us to get… well… get together, so to speak.’
Justine was silent for a moment, and then she smiled at him. ‘I’m not surprised Anita is romantic; Gran probably is, too. But for the last twenty-four hours I’ve been so emotional with Gran I suppose I’ve missed certain things – undercurrents, whatever.’
‘But not the way you affect me, I hope.’ His dark eyes were riveted on hers.
‘How could I?’
‘Have I made it that obvious?’
‘No. But you affect me the same way.’
‘How? How do I make you feel, Justine?’
‘Nervous, flustered,’ she admitted, feeling relieved to tell him this. She held onto his hand even tighter. ‘Anxious, shaky. Pick a word.’
Michael put an arm around her and drew her closer, then he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth, very gently, quickly pulled back and looked at her. ‘There, I’ve done it! Finally kissed you, although it was rather a chaste kiss, wasn’t it? Not quite what I had in mind when I first saw you.’
‘It was a lovely first kiss,’ she replied, relaxing against his body.
He wrapped both arms around her and held her tightly until they arrived at the Çiragan Palace, where Kuri brought the boat alongside the hotel jetty.
They walked up through the gardens, heading towards the hotel, holding hands but not talking. Justine was relieved they had spoken so openly to each other on the boat. It had helped to ease the tension in her. Also, the way he had held her tightly in his arms on the bumpy ride across the choppy sea had been thoughtful and caring, and she had felt comfortable with it. At least I’m not in this on my own, she thought, and smiled to herself. And then she suddenly laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of this thought.
Michael glanced at her, asked, ‘Why are you laughing? Care to share the joke with me?’
She hesitated, suddenly feeling foolish, and remained silent for a second, then quickly said, ‘I was just thinking that at least I’m not in this on my own.’
‘In what?’ he asked, standing still, gazing at her. He wanted to laugh, too, knowing exactly what she meant, but managed to keep his face straight.
‘You know what I mean, Michael.’
He nodded. ‘You mean I’m in it, too, sharing the same disturbing situation.’
‘That’s right… it’s not one-sided.’
‘You bet it isn’t.’
They went on walking, crossed the terrace and entered the hotel, making for the lobby. When they arrived at the concierge’s desk, Justine asked if they had received a FedEx envelope for her, and it was promptly given to her by the smiling concierge.
Michael said, as they moved away, ‘I’ve got about fifteen minutes before my meeting, so why don’t I get you settled at a table on the terrace? I’ll pop off to meet my client, and then join you after half an hour. That’s all the time he can spend with me today. We can relax a bit, and have a drink before heading back to the yalis.’
‘That’s fine,’ she answered, and walked out onto the terrace with him. It was obvious that he was well known here, and the maître d’ made a big fuss over him, led them to a table in a corner of the terrace which looked out across the Bosphorus. After Michael had ordered tea and they were alone again, he said, ‘How long are you staying in Istanbul?’
‘I don’t know… why?’
‘Will you wait for me?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I have to be in Paris next week. Then I must make a short trip to London to see the head of my company there. After that I’ll head back. I was hoping you’d still be here, Justine.’
‘Of course I’ll wait for you to come back,’ she said, and then felt the colour rushing into her face. Why did she always start blushing when she was with him? Clearing her throat, she said rapidly, in a rush of words, ‘I was planning to stay with Gran until Richard arrived. We both want to spend some time with her.’
‘That’s good, she needs you both. These years have not been easy for her, and just seeing her yesterday, the way she… blossomed last night was great for me. I’ve worried about her a lot.’
‘But she hasn’t actually been ill, has she?’
‘Not physically; she’s a strong woman, like my grandmother. Good genes, I guess. They’re both tough and very resilient. But emotionally Gabri has been upset at times, and particularly because family is so dear to her.’
‘I realize she must have been unhappy, at a loss, and perhaps not even understanding our absence, why we hadn’t tried to find her. I’m glad she has Anita and you.’
‘And my mother when she is visiting. Everyone loves Gabriele; she’s considered special in our family. In fact, she’s a member of our family.’
‘She’s always been popular,’ Justine murmured, and then, picking up the FedEx envelope, she opened it and took out the photograph and Richard’s scribbled note. ‘Just look at her, Michael, doesn’t she look great in this picture?’
‘She does. And you really do have a strong resemblance to her, don’t you?’
‘That’s what everyone’s always said, and of course we’re both tall and blonde.’
The waiter arrived with the tea tray; after pouring a cup for each of them, he quickly departed.
Michael said, after a few minutes, ‘I’d better go and see my client, get this over with.’ He rose, squeezed her shoulder. ‘See you shortly,’ he murmured and left.
Justine sipped the tea and, leaning back in the chair, she relaxed for a while. Eventually she looked at her watch and saw that it was just after three o’clock. Eight in the morning in the States. Time to call Richard in Connecticut, and then she would make a call to Joanne after that.
Across the Bosphorus, the two grandmothers were also having tea. This afternoon the two of them were sitting in Gabriele’s garden. Usually they were relaxing on Anita’s terrace, mainly because Mehmet, her chef, wanted to present a traditional English tea every day, but today there was a great deal of activity in and around Anita’s yali. Preparations were being made for the dinner party, which Anita had decreed must be festive; Mehmet was in the kitchen making delicious food for the buffet. At this moment two helpers were stringing lanterns around the trees on the terrace, another was placing votive candles in strategic spots, and two tables had already been erected on the terrace, each seating ten.
Gabriele said, ‘It’s so sweet of you to have a party for Justine – very dear of you, Anita.’
‘Oh, don’t be silly, it’s my pleasure. I’m just thrilled she’s here.’ She turned to her oldest friend, and peered hard at her. ‘I swear to God her sudden arrival yesterday has taken twenty years off you.’
‘Do you know, I feel twenty years younger!’ Gabriele exclaimed, smiling.
Anita took a sip of her lemon tea, and went on, ‘Do you think they’ll get together, Gabri?’
‘I do, yes. I saw a spark between them yesterday, and—’
‘Only a spark! I’d hoped for a flash of lightning.’
Gabriele chuckled. ‘It might easily have been a coup de foudre, for all I know, and like you, I’m praying it was. They’re ideally suited, as you well know, and I saw
‘Did you really? That’s wonderful news. Do you think Michael saw it?’
‘I don’t know. But the good thing is they’re both fancy free, as Justine called it yesterday. Aren’t you glad Michael broke up with Vanessa? That he’s free too?’
‘You know very well I couldn’t wait for him to realize what she was as a woman. Thankfully, he did.’ Giving Gabriele a very pointed look, Anita continued, ‘I’ve been on tenterhooks for the last few months, although I haven’t said anything to you. I kept thinking she might pull a nasty surprise on him; tell him she was pregnant. But she hasn’t, and I think she’s already in another relationship. What a relief.’
‘That wouldn’t happen, Michael getting her pregnant. He’s far too smart for that, darling,’ Gabriele pointed out.
‘He is smart, and he’s been around the block a few times, but you know what men are like as well as I do. When they get an erection, that’s what they’re focused on, and nothing else.’
Laughing, Gabriele simply nodded, and poured herself another cup of tea. ‘This is what I think we should do: give them plenty of space, let them be alone together as much as possible. Let things take their natural course.’
‘Oh, yes, I agree with you about that.’ Anita fell silent for a moment, staring out at the garden, and then she said softly, ‘She reminds me so much of you, when you were her age, Gabriele. I remember once going to tea with you at the Ritz when I was in London, and people just gaped at you, struck by your loveliness. That’s what my darling Max used to say about you: everyone’s struck by Gabri’s loveliness.’ Anita sighed, and sat back in the chair. ‘Well, we’ve had our good times, too, haven’t we?’
‘Thank God,’ was all Gabriele said.
After a few moments, Anita leaned even closer and said, sotto voce, ‘What did you tell Justine? About the quarrel, I mean?’
‘I explained about her mother breaking open my writing case, and finding the marriage certificate, and I told her it was about Indian Ridge, my will, which was more or less the truth.’
‘So you didn’t tell her the real truth then? The truth from long ago?’
Gabriele looked at her askance, and her face paled. ‘Oh, Anita, you know I couldn’t do that! I can’t speak about…’ Her voice faltered.
Anita immediately reached out and touched her arm lovingly. ‘I’m sorry, so sorry, Gabri, forgive me for bringing it up. The past is the past.’
‘And so it must remain.’
‘I promise it will. It is our secret, Gabri.’
‘I trust you implicitly.’
There was silence for a while.
Gabriele was the first to speak, when she said in a quiet voice, ‘I thought about… the baby, the boy, the other day, Anita. I was so startled he came into my head, and I don’t know why.’ She frowned. ‘I’d had a dream, about… about… those days, and I didn’t really remember the dream, it was so vague when I woke up, and then the baby came into my thoughts.’
She rested her head on the chair-back and closed her eyes. ‘But I’ve had strange dreams, off and on, since auntie Beryl died,’ she went on after a moment. ‘Perhaps because she was my mother’s sister, and the last link I had to my mother. I don’t know the meaning of dreams, and you don’t either… but let’s face it, we are strange, us humans, and our emotions are so controlling of us, affect everything we do. So I believe.’
Anita simply nodded, remained silent.
Suddenly, Gabriele sat up straighter in the chair. ‘We must not think of the past, not the good days nor the bad. We must lift our eyes to the future, and let’s hope that those two can make sense out of what they are feeling…’
Michael was walking across the terrace towards her sooner than Justine expected. ‘Here I am,’ he said, sitting down, placing the large envelope he was carrying on the table.
‘Did everything go all right?’ she asked, aware that he appeared more serious than was usual, not his smiling self.
‘It’s fine. My client has some concerns about a few things on the overall security plans, and we’ll make a few adjustments. But it’s not a problem. He’s just a bit impatient I’m afraid, wants it done overnight.’
‘Which is impossible?’
‘You’ve got it. I’ll straighten it out with him tomorrow.’ He looked at her, put his hand over hers. ‘Shall we have a glass of champagne before heading back?’
‘Why not?’ she murmured, staring at him, her eyes searching his face.
‘What’s wrong? What is it?’ He frowned, puzzled.
‘You seem suddenly troubled; your face is very grave. Is it business?’
‘Not the kind you think.’
‘What kind is it then?’
‘The business between us.’
She did not respond. Michael signalled to the waiter, who came over at once. After ordering two glasses of pink champagne, he turned back to her, picked up her hand and kissed the palm, closed her fingers over it, and placed it on the table.
After a moment, he went on, ‘I want to tell you something, Justine, and it’s this… I’m free, not involved with anyone. Didn’t Gabriele tell you I broke off with my fiancée almost five months ago?’
‘No, she didn’t.’
‘I’m surprised, under the circumstances. They’re very chatty, those two grans of ours. And what about you? Is Jean-Marc Breton still around in your life?’
‘No, he’s not, and he never was in my life, actually, Michael. We had a brief, and I do mean very brief, involvement last year. But it ended quickly. I just had to stop seeing him for my own good.’
He nodded. ‘Why? Or don’t you want to discuss it with me?’
‘That’s not a problem. I discovered I didn’t like him, and I didn’t want to be with him on a permanent basis. Will you tell me why you broke off your engagement?’
‘Pretty much for the same reasons as you. One day I suddenly saw Vanessa as she truly was, and I realized we weren’t right for each other, that it wouldn’t work. We are poles apart.’
The waiter arrived with the champagne and placed it in front of them. Michael lifted his glass; Justine did the same. They clinked glasses, and he said, ‘To you, Justine.’
‘And to you, Michael.’
They sipped the champagne in silence for a moment or two, both of them lost in their thoughts. Justine suddenly remarked, ‘I believe you’re right about the doting grandmothers. When you were at your meeting a while ago, I remembered Gran asking me twice if I liked you.’
‘And what did you say?’ Michael now asked, a dark brow lifting.
‘Yes, I told her. Yes.’
He glanced away, looked into the distance reflectively, a smile touching his mouth fleetingly. When he brought his gaze back to hers his face was solemn. Taking hold of her hand, he asked, ‘And are you saying yes to me?’
‘I am.’
‘I want you to know I’m not playing games, Justine.’
‘I realize that; I can tell from your demeanour, the expression in your eyes, and your intensity. And I’m not, either.’
‘I’m happy about that, and it’s good to know we understand each other.’
‘I know we do, Michael.’
‘I realize that some people would look at us askance, say we’re crazy; on the other hand our two doting grandmothers are obviously our gallant supporters, and that pleases me. They’re wise, long-lived, know all about life, its many vagaries. And I, like them, do believe in love at first sight, and I guess you do too.’
‘It’s not a fallacy,’ she murmured. ‘Although it’s never happened to me before.’
‘Nor to me,’ Michael said. ‘But it is wonderful to feel this way. Don’t you think?’
Justine simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was shaking inside, unnerved by him once more.
He said swiftly, taking hold of her hand, ‘Don’t look so worried. I’m n
‘Okay,’ she repeated, at a loss for words. She had never known a man who was so honest, so outspoken about his feelings, and this pleased her. Suddenly, without reserve, she trusted him.
TWENTY-THREE
Sitting back, Justine stared at herself in the mirror and was pleased with the way she looked. She did not usually make this kind of effort with cosmetics. Now she smiled, knowing why she had used eyeliner, pale blue eye shadow, mascara and blusher. For Michael. Being a pale blonde, she could so easily look faded, and tonight she wanted him to see her at her best.
Rising, Justine went to the clothes closet and took out a pair of black silk trousers, then put them on. She pulled the tunic over her head, and stepped into a pair of sandals that her grandmother had lent her. Then she left the room, walked down the corridor to see her.
As a child, she had always gone to her gran for an inspection, once she was dressed, and she was automatically doing it tonight. This made her feel suddenly happy, because Gabriele was in her life again, and an old ritual was unexpectedly back in place. It brought back memories.
Tapping on her bedroom door, she opened it and said, ‘Can I come in, Gran?’
‘Of course,’ Gabriele answered, and swung around as Justine walked in and closed the door behind her.
‘I’ve come for an inspection.’
For a moment, Gabriele couldn’t speak; her throat was tight with emotion. How lovely her granddaughter looked tonight. She had swept her blonde hair into a chignon and paid attention to her make-up. Justine stood there smiling at her, so tall and elegant; she was proud of her, and what she had become as a woman.
‘You’re not saying anything to me,’ Justine murmured, wondering if she had overdone the make-up.
‘Because I’m rendered speechless, that’s why. You are beautiful, Justine.’ Walking over to a chest, Gabriele picked up a black velvet box and gave it to her. ‘I was about to come to your room. I wanted you to have these. Trent gave them to me many years ago, and they were always meant to come to you one day. They match the colour of your eyes.’