Chapter 2
Before another week had disappeared into history, Lucien’s lips had returned to their usual, healthy state. The blisters had disappeared, and the swelling had gone down. It was a cause of great consternation that he should have been on the island for so long and still sometimes forgot himself when it came to the sun. He vowed to be more careful about exposing his lips to the sun in future.
“What do you miss most?” asked Edgar one day out of the blue. “Apart from your wife, I mean.”
Lucien frowned and a sudden dark feeling settled on him. “Thank you for bringing that up.”
“Forgive me. I didn’t think. I was trying to come up with some distraction. Some entertainment to pass the time.
Lucien nodded an acknowledgement, then turned. He walked a short track to the beach and, once
