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Gareth Turned To Gregory. “your Sister Will Be Safe With Me,” He Said. “i Give You My Vow.” “oh, I Have No Worries On That Score,” Gregory Said With A Bland Smile. “the Real Question Is—will You Be Safe With Her?” It Was A Good Thing, Gareth Later Reflected, That Hyacinth Had Already Quit The Room To Fetch Her Coat And Her Maid. She Probably Would Have Killed Her Brother On The Spot.

-Julia Quinn

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Gareth Turned To Gregory.

Julia Quinn

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Gareth Turned To Gregory. “your Sister Will Be Safe With Me,” He Said. “i Give You My Vow.” “oh, I Have No Worries On That Score,” Gregory Said With A Bland Smile. “the Real Question Is—will You Be Safe With Her?” It Was A Good Thing, Gareth Later Reflected, That Hyacinth Had Already Quit The Room To Fetch Her Coat And Her Maid. She Probably Would Have Killed Her Brother On The Spot.

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He'd Been Waiting For A Love Fraught With Passion And Drama; It Hadn't Even Occurred To Him That True Love Might Be Something That Was Utterly Comfortable And Just Plain Easy.

There Are Moments In A Woman's Life When Her Heart Flips In Her Chest, When The World Suddenly Seems Uncommonly Pink And Perfect, When A Symphony Can Be Heard In The Tinkle Of A Doorbell.

He Looks Like A Man.' 'how Descriptive,' Susan Said In A Droll Tone. 'remind Me Never To Advise You To Seek Work As A Novelist.

She Smelled Like England, Of Soft Rain And Sun-kissed Meadows. And She Felt Like The Best Kind Of Heaven. He Wanted To Wrap Himself Around, Bury Himself Within Her, And Stay There For All Of His Days. He Hadn’t Had A Drop To Drink In Three Years, But He Was Intoxicated Now, Bubbling With A Lightness He’d Never Thought To Feel Again.

In Every Life There Is A Turning Point. A Moment So Tremendous, So Sharp And Clear That One Feels As If One's Been Hit In The Chest, All The Breath Knocked Out, And One Knows, Absolutely Knows Without The Merest Hint Of A Shadow Of A Doubt That One's Life Will Never Be The Same.

If He Was Planning To Attack And Ravish, He Gave No Indication Of Being In A Hurry To Do So.

Daphne," He Said With Controlled Gentleness, "what Is Wrong?" She Sat Down Opposite Him And Placed A Hand On His Cheek. "i'm So Insensitive," She Whispered. "i Should Have Known. I Should Never Have Said Anything." "should Have Known What?" He Ground Out. Her Hand Fell Away. "that You Can't—that You Couldn't—" "can't What?" She Looked Down At Her Lap, Where Her Hands Were Attempting To Wring Each Other To Shreds. "please Don't Make Me Say It," She Said. 'this," Simon Muttered, "has Got To Be Why Men Avoid Marriage.

Have You Seen Frances?” He Tilted His Head To The Right. “i Believe She’s Off Rooting About In The Bushes.” Anne Followed His Gaze Uneasily. “rooting?” “she Told Me She Was Practicing For The Next Play.” Anne Blinked At Him, Not Following. “for When She Gets To Be A Unicorn.” “oh, Of Course.” She Chuckled. “she Is Rather Tenacious, That One.

People Will Think You're Courting Me.' 'nonsense, Everyone Knows I Don't Court Respectable Women.

Daniel Immediately Knelt At Her Side, Pulling Her Close. “it’s All Right,” He Murmured. “everything Is Going To Be All Right.” Anne Shook Her Head. “no, It’s Not.” She Looked Up, Her Eyes Shining With Love. “it’s Going To Be So Much Better.

Gregory,” She Said, “you Cannot Leave Me Here. What If Someone Finds You And Removes You From The House? Who Will Know I Am Here? And What If…and What If…and Then What If…” He Smiled, Enjoying Her Officiousness Too Much To Actually Listen To Her Words. She Was Definitely Herself Again. “when This Is All Over,” He Said, “i Shall Bring You A Sandwich.” That Stopped Her Short. “a Sandwich? A Sandwich?

No Words For The Passion. No Words For The Need.no Words For The Sheer Epiphany Of The Moment.and So, On An Otherwise Unremarkable Friday Afternoon, In The Heart Of Mayfair, In A Quiet Drawing Room On Mount Street, Colin Bridgerton Kissed Penelope Featherington.and It Was Glorious.

Besides," He Said Breezily, "were It Not For Misunderstandings, We Would Be Sadly Lacking In Great Literature." She Looked At Him Questioningly. "where Would Romeo And Juliet Be?" "alive.

I Was Told Once That The Most Important Part Of A Fight Is Making Sure Your Opponent Looks Worse Than You Do When You’re Through.

And What Renders Him So Unmarriageable?” Eloise Asked. Francesca Leveled A Serious Stare At Her Older Sister. Eloise Was Mad If She Thought She Should Set Her Cap For Michael. “well?” Eloise Prodded. “he Could Never Remain Faithful To One Woman,” Fran-cesca Said, “and I Doubt You‟d Be Willing To Put Up With Infidelities.” “no,” Eloise Murmured, “not Unless He‟d Be Willing To Put Up With Severe Bodily Injury.

Until You've Lived Through All That," He Said, "don't You Ever Complain About What We Have. Because To Me... To Me..." He Choked On The Words, But He Barely Paused Before He Continued. "this - Us - Is Heaven. I Can't Bear To Hear You Say Otherwise.

He’d Spent His Life Being A Perfect Gentleman. He’d Never Been A Flirt. He’d Never Been A Rogue. He Hated Being The Center Of Attention, But By God, He Wanted To Be The Center Of Her Attention. He Wanted To Do The Wrong Thing, The Bad Thing. He Wanted To Pull Her Into His Arms And Carry Her To Her Bed. He Wanted To Peel Every Last Inch Of Her Clothing From Her Body, And Then He Wanted To Worship Her. He Wanted To Show Her All The Things He Wasn’t Sure He Knew How To Say.

Don’t Look So Upset,” Hyacinth Said, Once It Was Just The Two Of Them Again. “you’re Quite A Catch.” He Looked At Her Assessingly. “is One Meant To Say Such Things Quite So Directly?” She Shrugged. “not To Men One Is Trying To Impress.” “touché, Miss Bridgerton.” She Sighed Happily. “my Three Favorite Words.” Of That, He Had No Doubt.

Anthony Sneezed And Pushed Them Aside. "mother, I Am Trying To Have A Conversation With The Duke." Violet Looked At Simon. "do You Want To Have This Conversation With My Son?" "not Particularly." "fine, Then. Anthony, Be Quiet.

I Had To Do Something," She Said. "i Couldn't Just Sit And Wait For Life To Happen To Me Any Longer.

What Happened To Your Face?" Harriet Asked. "it Was A Misunderstanding," Daniel Said Smoothly, Wondering How Long It Might Take For His Bruises To Heal. He Did Not Think He Was Particularly Vain, But The Questions Were Growing Tiresome. "a Misunderstanding?" Elizabeth Echoed. "with An Anvil?" "oh, Stop," Harriet Admonished Her. "i Think He Looks Very Dashing." "as If He Dashed Into An Anvil." "pay No Attention," Harriet Said To Him. "she Lacks Imagination.

Do I Look Like A Mess?” She Asked. He Nodded. “but You’re My Mess,” He Whispered.

I Don't Like Your Tone," Was Violet's Standard Answer When One Of Her Children Was Winning An Argument.

A Man With Charm Is An Entertaining Thing, And A Man With Looks Is, Ofcourse, A Sight To Behold, But A Man With Honor - Ah, He Is The One, Dear Reader, To Which Young Ladies Should Flock.

She'd Met Colin On A Monday. She'd Kissed Him On A Friday. Twelve Years Later. She Sighed. It Seemed Fairly Pathetic.

Gareth Turned To Gregory. “your Sister Will Be Safe With Me,” He Said. “i Give You My Vow.” “oh, I Have No Worries On That Score,” Gregory Said With A Bland Smile. “the Real Question Is—will You Be Safe With Her?” It Was A Good Thing, Gareth Later Reflected, That Hyacinth Had Already Quit The Room To Fetch Her Coat And Her Maid. She Probably Would Have Killed Her Brother On The Spot.

I Knew Nothing But Love And Devotion When I Was Growing Up. Trust Me, It Makes Everything Easier.

And If That Weren't Bad Enough, The Next Sound He Heard Was A Loud Click. The Damned Woman Had Locked Him Out. She'd Taken All The Food And Locked Him Out. "you'll Pay For This!" He Yelled At The Door. "do Be Quiet," Came The Muffled Reply. "i'm Eating.

Eloiseis Getting Married As Well.” “eloise?” Michael Asked With Some Surprise. “was She Even Being Courted By Anyone?” “no,” Francesca Said, Quickly Flipping To The Third Sheet Of Her Mother‟s Letter. “it‟s Someone She‟s Never Met.” “well, I Imagine She‟s Met Him Now,” Michael Said In A Dry Voice.

A Lot Could Happen In A Week. Just Look At The Last One.

James Started To Laugh. His Chin Hurt Where She'd Smacked Him Twice, His Foot Throbbed Where She'd Stepped On It, And His Entire Body Felt As If He'd Swum Through A Rosebush, Which Wasn't As Far Off The Truth As It Sounded. Yet Still He Started To Laugh.

It Was A Damned Good Thing Men Couldn’t Have Children. Gregory Took No Shame In Admitting That The Human Race Would Have Died Out Generations Earlier.

The Smythe-smith Musicale. Thankfully, It Came Around Just Once Per Year, Because Hyacinth Was Quite Certain It Would Take A Full Twelve Months For Her Ears To Recover.

You Are Always Looking At People Like This.” And Then She Made A Face, One He Couldn’t Possibly Begin To Describe. “if I Ever Look Like That,” He Said Dryly, “precisely Like That, To Be More Precise, I Give You Leave To Shoot Me.

I Vow To Spend The Rest Of My Life Keeping Your Hands And Feet Warm.

Society Is Capricious And Rewards The Bad As Often As The Good. But It Never Rewards The Quiet.

I Am Going To Kill You," He Hissed. She Gulped. "don't You Want To Lecture Me First?" He Stared At Her With A Heavy Dose Of Stupefaction. "i Take That Back," He Said With Precisely Clipped Words. "first I Am Going To Strangle You, And Then I Am Going To Kill You." "here?" She Asked Doubtfully, Looking Around. "won't My Dead Body Look Suspicious In The Morning?

Why Don’t You Purchase An Italian Dictionary? I Will Assume The Expense.” “i Have One,” She Said, “but I Don’t Think It’s Very Good. Half The Words Are Missing.” “half?” “well, Some,” She Amended. “but Truly, That’s Not The Problem.” He Blinked, Waiting For Her To Continue. She Did. Of Course. “i Don’t Think Italian Is The Author’s Native Tongue,” She Said. “the Author Of The Dictionary?” He Queried. “yes. It’s Not Terribly Idiomatic.

Darling," He Said Distractedly,"about The Moon..." "yes?" "i Don't Think It Matters Whether You Want It Or Not." "what Are You Talking About?" "the Moon. I Think It's Yours." Victoria Yawned, Not Bothering To Open Her Eyes. "fine. I'm Glad To Have It." "but--" Robert Shook His Head. He Was Growing Fanciful. The Moon Didn't Belong To His Wife. It Didn't Follow Her, Protect Her. It Certainly Didn't Wink At Anybody. But He Stared Out The Window The Rest Of The Way Home, Just In Case

Every Unmarried Man Is Looking For A Wife. They Just Don't Always Know It.

I Don't Know Whether To Toss You Through That Window Or Shake Your Hand And Say 'well Done'" Henry Said In A Tired Voice.

I Cannot Feel Like A Duchess In My Mother’s Sitting Room.” “what Do You Feel Like, Then?” “hmmm.” She Took A Sip Of Her Tea. “just Daphne Bridgerton, I Suppose. It’s Difficult To Shed The Surname In This Clan. In Spirit, That Is.” “i Hope That Is A Compliment,” Lady Bridgerton Remarked. Daphne Just Smiled At Her Mother. “i Shall Never Escape You, I’m Afraid.” She Turned To Gareth. “there Is Nothing Like One’s Family To Make One Feel Like One Has Never Grown Up.

I Would Give The World To Have One More Person For Whom I Would Lay Down My Life.

She Glared At Him. "i'm Not Asking You To Apologize." "well, That's A Relief.i Doubt I Could Find The Words.

The Girl Doesn’t Need A Violin,” He Added. “she Needs To Have Her Hands Bound So She Can Never Touch An Instrument Again.

Turner Let His Face Fell Into His Hands. "i'm Never Going To Touch Her Again", He Moaned. "he's Never Going To Touch Me Again!" They Heard Miranda Roar."well,it Doesn't Look Like You'll Have Much Argument From Your Wife On That Point", Olivia Chirped.

I Have To Tell You It Was The First Time Even After All These Years Of Expecting My Own Death That I Truly Knew What It Meant To Die Because With You Gone There Was Nothing Left For Me To Live For.

What About Me?” Frances Asked. “the Butler,” Harriet Replied Without Even A Second Of Hesitation. Frances’s Mouth Immediately Opened To Protest. “no, No,” Harriet Said. “it’s The Best Role, I Promise. You Get To Do Everything.” “except Be A Unicorn,” Daniel Murmured. Frances Tilted Her Head To The Side With A Resigned Expression. “the Next Play,” Harriet Finally Gave In. “i Shall Find A Way To Include A Unicorn In The One I’m Working On Right Now.” Frances Pumped Both Fists In The Air. “huzzah!

Tonight," He Whispered, His Voice Hoarse And Hot In Her Ear, "i Will Make You Mine." -simon To Daphne

Any Man, You'll Soon Learn, Has An Insurmountable Need To Blame Someone Else When He Is Made To Look A Fool.

When A Man Writes A Romance, The Woman Dies. When A Woman Writes One, It Ends All Tidy And Sweet.

He Smiled, And Suddenly She Knew That His Words Were True. Everything Would Be All Right. Maybe Not Today And Maybe Not Tomorrow, But Soon. Tragedy Couldn't Coexist In A World With One Of Colin's Smiles.

And Then, Well . . . He Might Have Slept For A Bit. He Rather Hoped He Was Sleeping, Because He Was Quite Certain He’d Seen A Six-foot Rabbit Hopping Through His Bedchamber, And If That Wasn’t A Dream, They Were All In Very Big Trouble. Although Really, It Wasn’t The Rabbit That Was So Dangerous As Much As The Giant Carrot He Was Swinging About Like A Mace. That Carrot Would Feed An Entire Village.

There Was A Certain History To This. While Heavily Pregnant With Amelia, She Had Asked Him If She Was Radiant Or If She Just Looked Like A Waddling Duck. He Told Her She’d Looked Like A Radiant Duck. This Had Not Been The Correct Answer.

Colin Decided Then And There That The Female Mind Was A Strange And Incomprehensible Organ - One Which No Man Should Even Attempt To Understand. There Wasn't A Woman Alive Who Could Go From Point A To B Without Stopping At C, D, X, And 12 Along The Way.

Suddenly It Was Too Hard To Be In His Presence, Too Painful To Know That He Would Belong To Someone Else.

Francesca: It's Still A Bit Cold Yet. Michael: Never Stopped John And Me. Francesca: Yes, Well, You're Scottish. Your Blood Circulates Quite Well Half Frozen.

Caroline Trent Hadn't Meant To Shoot Percival Prewitt, But She Had, And Now He Was Dead. Or At Least She Thought He Was Dead.

Michael Nodded Tersely, Eyeing A Table Across The Room. It Was Empty. So Empty. So Joyfully, Blessedly Empty. He Could Picture Himself A Very Happy Man At That Table. "not Feeling Very Conversational This Evening, Are We?" Colin Asked, Breaking Into His (admittedly Tame) Fantasies.

But Looking Beautiful Isn't, I Think, As Important As Feeling Beautiful.

I’m Not Certain You’d Know The Right Sort Of Man For You If He Arrived On Our Doorstep Riding An Elephant.” “i Would Think The Elephant Would Be A Fairly Good Indication That I Ought To Look Elsewhere.

Simon Stopped Breathing Until Her Forefinger Touched His Nipple, And Then His Hand Shot Up To Cover Hers. "i Want You," He Said. Her Eyes Flicked Downward, And Her Lips Curved Ever So Slightly. "i Know." "no," He Groaned, Pulling Her Closer. "i Want To Be In Your Heart. I Want-" His Entire Body Shuddered When Their Skin Touched. "i Want To Be In Your Soul.

It Was Funny, He Reflected Later, How One’s Life Could Alter In An Instant, How One Minute Everything Could Be A Certain Way, And The Next It’s Simply ... Not

I Won't Be Satisfied With Anything Less Than Everything.

You Are Not Going To Waltz In Here And Distract Me With A Clever Phrase And A Beguiling Smile." "you Think My Smile Is Beguiling?

Caroline, Do You Value Your Neck?" "yes, I'm Rather Fond Of It. Why?" "because If You Don't Shut Up, I'm Going To Wring It.

Where Is He? Bridgerton!" He Bellowed. Three Chestnut Heads Swiveled In His Direction. Simon Stomped Across The Grass, Murder In His Eyes. "i Meant The Idiot Bridgerton." "that, I Believe," Anthony Said Mildly, Tilting His Chin Toward Colin, "would Refer To You.

He Gave Her His Best Smile. His Best I-almost-died-so-how-can-you-deny-me Smile. Or At Least That’s How He Hoped It Appeared. The Truth Was, He Wasn’t A Very Accomplished Flirt, And It Might Very Well Have Come Across As An Iam- Mildly-deranged-so-it’s-in-all-of-our-best-interests-if-youpretend- To-agree-with-me Smile.

Is There Anything Else I Can Do To See To Your Comfort, Miss Trent?" Perriwick Inquired. "she's Fine," Blake Growled. "clearly, She--" "perriwick, Isn't The West Wing On Fire?" Perriwick Blinked, Sniffed The Air, And Stared At His Employer In Dismay. "i Do Not Understand Sir.

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