Prior to the accident, on the French Riviera, Anthony wakes up with a hangover. He then writes a letter apologizing to Jennifer Stirling for insulting her. He blames his behavior on “a combination of alcohol, which I shouldn’t take, and the choleric temper of the socially inept” (97). Not knowing her address, he tries to retrace his way back to the Stirling house and encounters Jennifer and her friend Yvonne on in a car. He reads the apology to Jennifer and offers to buy her lunch. She agrees and reveals that her husband has left France on business.

After enjoying their lunch, Jennifer sends a note to Anthony at his hotel. She has a new nickname for him, “Boot,” a reference to a character in an Evelyn Waugh novel. She asks him to join her for dinner. At the meal he tells her about his time in the Congo, and she invites him to row with her to her yacht that evening. On the boat they talk about their respective marriages and the affairs Anthony has had with married women. There is chemistry between them, and Anthony says that he “didn’t think he had ever been more aroused in his life” (113).