Lord Lister No. 0053: Een huwelijksreis

A massive steamship glides from Havre into the warm Mediterranean, its decks filled with travelers fleeing the cold northern winter. Americans, Belgians, Germans and Russians mingle under the bright Spanish sun, all eager for the luxuries of Monte Carlo and Egypt. The ship’s elegant promenade offers a panorama of sea and sky, while the hum of conversation sets a leisurely rhythm for the first day of the voyage.

On the promenade, a sharply dressed young observer watches a gentleman and his elegant companion whose behavior strikes him as oddly rehearsed. He notes the woman’s dazzling diamonds and Parisian toilette, yet senses something off‑beat about her manner. Later, in the ship’s smoking lounge, the same young man finds his friend sitting in a different costume, denying any memory of the earlier encounter. Their baffled exchange hints at a baffling case of double lives, mysterious identities, and a puzzle that threatens to turn the carefree cruise into a game of wits.