Background

The year is Eighteen Hundred and Eighty Five......Victoria, By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India has ruled over the British Empire for Forty Eight years. The Flag of Britain flies over more then One Quarter of the globe and British society is at the forefront of all occasions.

London, capital city of the Greatest Empire on Earth...it's historic streets are lit by the muted glow of the gaslight and the soft breeze creates swirls and eddies in the fog that rolls in off the Thames. The river is made vocal by the shouts and laughter of the bargees, as they pole their craft towards their moorings, hastened by the thought of a warm drink and a bite to eat. Carriages rattle over the cobblestoned streets, bearing the rich and famous from one event to another, while the poor and hungry spit and curse as they shuffle through the streets of Whitechapel and Limehouse, heading for the nearest pub so that they might suppress the demon of reality for a few short hours.

Daybreak, the pale winter's sun rises over the city, the servants of the rich are clearing the pavements in front of their masters' houses as the kitchen staff light the fire in the range and prepare the breakfast meal. The children are washed and dressed by their nannies and made presentable for their parents. After a leisurely breakfast, the man of the house will leave the house to conduct his business while his wife informs the staff of her social calendar so that all will be perfect when her aquaintances arrive for morning ,or afternoon, tea. His business done, the husband will repair to his club for a frame, or two, of billiards and a choice cigar to complement his brandy as he and his fellow members put the world to rights. He will arive home in time to bathe and change before he and his wife attend another of the interminable events that they are socially bound to be seen at.

In short, all is perfect in Victorian society...

...except for one thing... London, the Heart of the Empire on which the Sun never sets, is dreaming.....

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