Part of the cover art for my upcoming book "The Linen Butterfly."

Privates Sean Carrick (the wolf) and David Belmont (the genet) of the British Expeditionary Force (27th Div.) share a cigar over cards. Somewhere east of Armentieres, summer 1915.

The two have been trying for weeks in the lull of a quiet sector to perfect new games to play with their dwindling deck. It seems every fire fight or bombardment ends with a few more cards missing somehow but you need something to do to pass the many long hours between actual fighting. The've spent many an evening at this old cable spool table, trying to put the war as much out of their minds as possible given the conditions; they saw plenty of fighting last Spring at St. Julien and Bellewaerde Ridge and they're really quite sick of it.

Sean once had a pretty little tin box for his cigars, a monogrammed family keepsake stamped to look like Georgian silver, but being a bit of a compulsive gambler, he lost it in a card game. Now, he keeps them in an old Foxo tin from the last care package from his brother Robert, back home in Taunton. Hopefully the next box from home will have another deck of cards in it... and more Foxo.

No, I won't explain what this has to do with "The Linen Butterfly" or why the Ace of Spades is the only visible card. You'll have to read the book.

Art by kobi LaCroix