Jungle Expedition: Adventure

The jungle closed in around their party like a fist as they stepped onto the faint trail. Their guide turned and smiled encouragingly at them, but the shadows from the trees that loomed far above them transformed his smile into a grimace so dreadful that two of the women in the party blanched and removed their cork hats to fan themselves. Lady Margaret rolled her eyes. The silly ninnies. One would think they'd never set foot outside their bowers before, when she knew for a fact that one of them made a habit of frequenting the worst dives of Cairo and the other one had signed up as a cabin boy on a less-than-legitimate ship at the age of nine. Well, she supposed that they thought swooning would be the way to win the attention of a certain gentleman.

Inspiration: Trying to avoid falling into the same patterns, thinking of the sorts of settings where I've predominantly been starting my bits and pieces, and picking a new one.
Story Potential: Oh, drat. High. I'm more than a little intrigued to find out what exactly is going on in this party, and the whole colonial period expedition into the jungle with such an unusual set of characters? Nifty.
Finished Length: Novel. Damn it.
Notes: The kernel is all here.