Sample The Royal Railway

She loved homemade limeade. As soon as she had taken her seat, a servant brought the cool refreshment. Bodin smiled contentedly, brought the glass slowly to her lips, closed her eyes and took a small, very ladylike sip. She nodded benevolently to the servant, who understood the gesture and departed, bowing countless times. Jacqueline Bodin enjoyed the cool drink. She observed the goings-on inside the waiting area as well as the hustle and bustle on the platform. She didn't miss a single detail. It was a skill she already possessed as a child. Even if it didn't always work to her advantage. But times had changed. Criminology was her hobby. Initially, it had just been her innate skepticism to get to the bottom of things. She herself quickly realized that she had extraordinary abilities. If not a photographic memory, then at least one that could make use of the smallest details.
She had already solved her first real case at the tender age of sixteen. At the time, she was attending the École des Étoiles Dorées boarding school for daughters of the upper classes. Within a few weeks, two girls had disappeared. The police came to the conclusion that the first missing girl had run off to South America with a foreigner. The second, a good friend of the missing girl, had allegedly traveled after her. Absurd, Jacqueline thought at the time and set about solving the case. And she succeeded. The prefect, a friend of her father, was delighted. The local inspector, however, was not.  For him, it was a moment of shame. A woman, no, a girl, had done what he had not been able to do.
She felt sorry for the man, but things had been obvious, at least to her. From then on, her criminal career began. Again and again, she was consulted by private individuals, but also by officials, to help solve obscure cases
Her father had insisted that she finish her schooling, which she did. After her excellent Baccalauréat scientifique, she had made a name for herself. First in France, but soon all over the world. Her first case, which attracted international attention, took place at Emberlyn Hall, the country estate of Lord Alderidge, Earl of Emberlyn. Mademoiselle Bodin had the honor of being part of an exquisite society when the unspeakable happened. Lord Emberlyn had implored her to solve the case. Even Scotland Yard had to comply with the aristocrat's instructions. The international press went into overdrive with the reports, and the case subsequently went down in history as "The Dark Shadows of Emberlyn Hall". Out of deep gratitude, his lordship had richly rewarded Mademoiselle Bodin and opened the door to the international stage for her. Since then, she has traveled from one crime scene to the next, always in the company of her faithful companion Lucien. The two had just returned from French Indochina, where they had put an end to an opium ring. No sooner had they solved this case than they were asked by the British garrison in Singapore to take on an extremely explosive case. This was the reason for their trip south. Lucien sat down next to Jacqueline and drank a glass of water.
The platform was bustling with activity. Station staff were placing small steps in front of the first-class doors. Luggage and goods that had reached their destination were being unloaded, while the load was being prepared. Engineers walked around the huge locomotive, obviously carrying out a visual check. An oil can with a long, narrow spout was used here and there.
A red carpet was rolled out for the first-class passengers and placed so that they could leave the saloon car without having to step onto the dusty floor.