Victorian Weirdness

I am working, o so slowly, on my new collection of Victorian Mythos fiction; but in order to get started, I had to cheat a little, in that I am transferring ye beginning of a wee modern tale, of which I have a little over one-thousand words, from modern time to Victorian time. It's turning out, this transference, to be more work than I imagined; but I think I'll get there eventually, & hopefully find ye inspiration to complete a new story of substantial length. The original ms. was set in Sesqua Valley, and I have decided that won't do for this new version--so I need to invent some new American locality of haunted Lovecraftian weirdness. I don't want to use any of Lovecraft's own mythical towns. My publisher wants me to write a entire book of Victorian Mythos stories, and that will be incredibly different from my usual thing. I am uncertain about success, but I rather look forward to ye challenge. 
Here is ye first paragraph of the old version, set in modern time:

The veiled woman entered Adam Webster's bookshop and glided to its central chamber, where she found the proprietor seated on a sofa and sipping steamed almond milk from an artistically textured antique china cup. Adam could almost make out the face behind the black veil;  and although he was anxious to study it and imbibe its strange conversation, he remained silent and emotionless. Something in the woman's demeanor seemed to collapse, and he shaky voice was raspy as it drifted to him from behind the net of lace.
"Show me."

Writing has never gone so slowly, and part of that may be because of tiredness. My solitude has been shattered by my elder sister (& her three dogs) suddenly moving in with me, a disruption that may last for quite some time. I am, to ye core of my being, an eccentric recluse (far more than HPL was in actual life, despite his mythical reputation). I need to be alone in order to exist as an artist.

At least wretched summer is over, a time of year that I abhor. The days have become cool, and ye sky is often beautifully overcast. I breathe so easily in such a climate. 

Okay, back to work. Just felt ye need to do a wee update, for those faithful few who follow my ramblings.