You, Watson, are a hopeless romantic,” he said. “And I wouldn’t want you any other way.

The sun was a watery, baleful eye that glared down at the Thames through a bruised eyelid of rain clouds.

For a country run by a woman, Britain was still a nation in awe of its men.

Steampunk is...a joyous fantasy of the past, allowing us to revel in a nostalgia for what never was. It is a literary playground for adventure, spectacle, drama, escapism and exploration. But most of all it is fun!

There were fewer finer things in life, in Newbury's humble opinion, than spending time perusing the shelves of a good bookshop.

But time is a cruel mistress, and it was not until much years later that she would learn the truth: that there is no such thing as salvation, an escape is only ever an illusion conjured up by the hopeful.