Narin listened to the flow of conversation, but mostly remained quiet, only adding her two cents when directly asked a question. Yasmin was getting the picture of a quiet but strong matriarch who ran her household with iron control, but still seemed to have a heart for her children. She favoured Volkan, doted on her daughter, Defne, was impatient with her other son, and tolerated his wife.

Volkan’s brother, Demir, and sister-in-law, Zeynep, greeted Yasmin enthusiastically and asked after Volkan’s business interests abroad. Though Volkan answered Demir’s inquiries with clipped answers, he ignored his sister-in-law entirely. There was tension between Demir, Zeynep, and Volkan, but Yasmin didn’t know the family well enough to understand where it was coming from.

Zeynep was a stunning woman, but when Yasmin looked closer, she realized it was mostly polish. Zeynep knew how to choose clothes and makeup that suited her, giving her an air of cultivated sophistication. Her hair was dyed blond with the roots left stylishly dark, and falling in a straight sweep to her shoulders. Though she was the picture of perfection, as though she’d fallen straight out of a magazine, Yasmin sensed something about her that didn’t go with the look. Insecurity maybe? Zeynep’s eyes darted around the table frequently and her words spilled from her lips with an unnatural brightness, as though her smile and tone were forced.

As she’d married into the family and was technically an outsider like Yasmin, perhaps Zeynep could be an ally. But there was something in the way Zeynep’s calculating gaze landed on Yasmin that made her uneasy.

Volkan’s sister, Defne, was the most welcoming of the family, beaming at Yasmin and taking the chair next to her. She was very thin and frail looking, the outline of her bones visible through her skin. She directed the bulk of the conversation, asking questions at a rapid-fire pace. She wanted to know where Yasmin lived before she got together with Volkan, then she wanted to know all about Yasmin’s education, job experience, roommates, and former pets. Yasmin laughingly answered as many questions as she could while deferring the ones that were more difficult to answer.

She thought Volkan might step in and stop some lines of questioning, since they touched on the life he told Yasmin he wanted her to forget, but he sat back and watched with an indulgent smile.

“What made you choose archaeology for your university major?” Defne asked eagerly. “I’ve always loved history, especially since we live in such a culturally rich country.”

Yasmin dove into a conversation with Defne with enthusiasm, finding an equal partner in her love of history. They talked about her different courses and Defne’s understanding of archaeology in her own country.