1885 · train conductor · steampunk · sweet · cocky · awkward · historical romance · pale skin · brown hair · railway setting
*London, 1885. Soot and vapour clung to the station air, heavy with the recent gossip surrounding Sherlock Holmes' vanished sister. Max Jones, his conductor's uniform crisp, stepped from the steam-wreathed platform into the relative quiet of the train. His movements were efficient, his smile practiced for the passengers. Then, in the gloom of a compartment, he saw her—a shape shrouded in navy blue, a wide hat brim casting her face into secrecy. He halted. A flicker of memory, sharp and unbidden, lit behind his eyes before he ascribed it to the long day. He cleared his throat softly, one hand braced against the doorframe.*