“I don’t think so,” said the consul. “Women and children first, you know. There is clear evidence that there were many families with small children aboard the ship. They were the priority.”
“Well, I don’t want to get carried away arguing about the hypothetical,” said Daldry. “I don’t know how to thank you, sir. The information you uncovered goes far beyond what we initially hoped for.”
Alice was not so easily placated. “And I don’t remember any of it? Not even the slightest memory?”
“I don’t mean to be indiscreet, but how old are you, Miss Pendelbury?”
“Thirty-nine. I would have been four years old on March 25, 1915.”
The consul tried to reason with her. “And five years old in the spring of 1916. You know, I feel a great deal of affection for my parents, and I’m very thankful for the upbringing and love they gave me, but I do think I would be entirely incapable of remembering anything from that early in my life.” He patted Alice’s hand. “If I can be of any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to come and see me. You know where I can be found. I’m afraid I must leave now or I’ll be late for my appointment.”
“Do you remember their address?” asked Alice.
“I wrote it down on a piece of paper, thinking you might ask.” He rummaged around in his coat pocket. “Here it is. They lived quite nearby, on Istiklal, the big avenue. It was called Pera then. They were on the third floor of the Rumelia building, just next to the famous Flower Passage.”
The consul rose to his feet and kissed Alice’s hand.
“Would you mind seeing me to the door?” he asked Daldry. “I have one or two things I’d like to speak to you about. Nothing important.”
Daldry stood and followed the consul as he put on his coat. They crossed the lobby and paused in front of the receptionist.
“While I was doing all that research for your friend, out of curiosity I also happened to look into the presence of your relative in the Foreign Office.”
“Oh?”
“It happens that the only employee we have who answers to the name of Davies is a boy who works in the post room. I think he’s most likely too young to be your uncle. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, probably,” said Daldry, looking at his feet.
“That’s what I thought. Have a pleasant stay in Istanbul, Mr. Daldry,” said the consul before stepping into the revolving door and out into the evening.
10
Daldry returned to the bar, where Alice was waiting for him. He kept her company for half an hour, sipping his drink and watching her stare in silence at the black piano that stood in the corner of the room.
“If you like, tomorrow we could take a walk and see the building where they lived,” Daldry said.
“Why didn’t they tell me?”
“I don’t know, Alice. Maybe they wanted to protect you? They must have gone through a difficult time at the end. Maybe it was just too painful to speak of. My father was in the First World War and he never wanted to talk about it.”
“But why didn’t they declare me at the embassy?”
“Perhaps they did, and perhaps the embassy official just didn’t write it down correctly. It was a chaotic period. Some details might have slipped through the cracks.”
“That makes for a lot of ‘perhaps,’ don’t you think?”
“Yes, well, I suppose it does, but what else can I say? We weren’t there.”
“As it happens, I was there.”
“Then let’s look into it further.”
“I don’t even know where to begin.”
“We could go back to the neighborhood and ask if anybody remembers them.”
“Nearly forty years later?”
“You never know. We’ve hired the best guide in Istanbul; let’s ask him to help us.”
“You want to get Can involved?”
“Why not? He’s going to turn up at any minute, you know. After the ballet we can invite him to have dinner with us.”
“I don’t feel like going to the ballet anymore. Why don’t the two of you go without me?”
“I don’t think you should be alone this evening. You’ll just worry about far-flung possibilities and keep yourself awake all night. Come with us, and afterwards we’ll discuss the situation with Can over dinner.”
“I’m not hungry, and I know in advance that I won’t be pleasant company. I just need to be alone for a while. I need time to think.”
“Alice, I don’t mean to minimize the shock of what you’ve just heard, but none of it changes the essentials. Your parents, as it’s clear from the stories you’ve told me, loved you very much. For whatever reason, they just didn’t tell you about the time the three of you spent in Istanbul. It’s not worth putting yourself in a state. You look so shaken up that you’re even beginning to worry me.”
Alice looked up and smiled reassuringly.
“You’re right,” she said. “But I’m still quite sure I won’t be any fun this evening. Go on. Enjoy the show and have dinner with Can, just you boys. I promise I won’t stay up all night thinking. A good night’s rest, and tomorrow we can decide whether or not we really feel like playing detective.”
Can had come into the lobby and was now tapping on his watch to say that it was time to go.
“Go,” said Alice, seeing Daldry hesitate.
“Are you sure?”
Alice shooed Daldry away with a gesture. He said goodbye and then joined Can in the lobby.
“Miss Alice isn’t pairing with us?”
“No, she’s not pairing with us. But I’m sure we’ll still manage to have an unforgettable evening, just the two of us.”
Daldry fell asleep during the second act. When his snoring grew too noticeable, Can would jab him with his elbow, making Daldry jump before he dozed off again a few moments later.
After the final curtain, they left the old French theatre on Istiklal Avenue, and Can took Daldry to dinner at the Regency in Olivo Passage. The food was refined, and Daldry ate even more than usual, finally beginning to relax after the third glass of wine.
“Why did Miss Alice not accompany us this evening?” Can asked.
“Oh, I think she was a bit tired.”
“The two of you had a bickering?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“A spatting?”
“An argument? No, not this time.”
“All the better,” said Can, without really seeming convinced. Daldry topped up their glasses and told him what the consul had revealed just before Can’s arrival at the hotel.
“What an incredible story. And from the consul’s own mouth? I understand why Miss Alice is so topsy-turvy. In her place I would feel the same way. What will you do?”
“Try to see her through it, I suppose. If that’s possible.”
“In Istanbul, nothing is impossible with Can. How can we enlighten Miss Alice?”
“Well, a good start would be to find people in the neighborhood where her parents lived who still remember them.”
“This is possible. I will find somebody who remembers.”
“Well, do your best, but don’t tell her until we’ve found something concrete. She’s sufficiently stirred up as it is.”
“Very wise. No need to be stirring.”
Daldry raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
“May I ask you a question?” asked Can, lowering his voice.
“Ask, and we’ll see.”
“Is there something . . . picturesque between you and Miss Alice?”
“Come now. You’re not even trying!”
“Something special? In a romantic way?”
“And how would that be any of your business?”
“I have my answer. You just told me.”
“No, I haven’t just told you, Guide Know-It-All.”
“I have hit a tender spot for you to be sputtering like a chicken.”
“I’m not sputtering like a chicken for the very good reason that chickens don’t sputter.”
“Well, anyway, you answered my question.”
Daldry refilled his glass and took a long sip. Can imitated him.
“There’s nothing between Miss Alice and me, apart from a mutual understanding. A friendship.”
“It is a strange friendship where you plan to deceive her.”
“We’re doing each other a favor. She needed a change in her life, and I needed a studio with decent light. It’s a fair trade between friends.”
“It would be, if both friends were aware of the trade.”
“I can’t tell you how utterly boring I find your morality lessons.”
“You don’t find her attractive?” Can asked.