When the HEART MELTS
THE STORY SO FAR: London 1802. Nancy Owens sketches the famous and infamous for her employer, Celia Suggs, to turn into waxworks. Orphan Nancy is completely under Celia’s thumb. However, Celia has a rival wax modeller – Frenchwoman Marie Tussaud, recently arrived in the city. Nancy has met Madame Tussaud’s own sketch artist, Philippe, and they have fallen in love, conducting their romance in secret. However, Celia Suggs’ seedy nephew, Ned, has designs on Nancy. Philippe invites Nancy to the ‘illumination show’ of Roderick Lester, who is pioneering gas lighting. His show is in an auditorium above Madame Tussaud’s exhibition space. But during the show, gases escape and there’s a stampede to leave the building. After making sure Nancy is safe, Philippe arranges to meet her later that week. He then bumps into Lester, who offers him work. Philippe arrives at Lester’s warehouse two days later – but suddenly everything goes black.
Philippe opened his eyes, wincing. His head ached and the world seemed to be rolling beneath his feet. He was lying on a bunk in a narrow, dimly lit room.
Stumbling off the bunk, he stood on tiptoe to peer out of a tiny window.
He gasped. All he could see was water. He was at sea! That, as much as his fuzzy head, explained the rolling sensation.
He staggered towards a door, which opened before he reached it.
