" But then she put her hands on Mary's shoulders and kissed both her cheeks. Well, Mary didn't mind. Irene was the most interesting woman she had ever met. They were not in competition, but if they had been, she would happily have lost to Irene Norton. "

― Theodora Goss , European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman (The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, #2)