Inside the Lines

Jane Gerson steps off a creaking boat at Dover, suitcase in hand and a stubborn second trunk nowhere to be found. A brusque customs guard and a frantic rush to catch the Express du Nord threaten to derail her urgent trip to Paris, but a sharply dressed stranger steps in, speaking fluent French and offering a swift solution. The scene crackles with early‑twentieth‑century travel drama, humor, and the nervous energy of a young American buyer racing against the clock.

Together they weave through bustling customs halls, commandeer a porter, and sprint down the platform just as the train’s doors fling open. Jane’s tumbling entrance onto the carriage—into a sea of puffed‑up passengers and clattering luggage—captures both the chaos and the unexpected charm of her voyage. Listeners are invited to join her on the ride, feeling the sway of the carriage and the promise of Paris waiting beyond the horizon.