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I Am Asking You To Marry Me Because I Love You,” He Said, “because I Cannot Imagine Living My Life Without You. I Want To See Your Face In The Morning, And Then At Night, And A Hundred Times In Between. I Want To Grow Old With You, I Want To Laugh With You, And I Want To Sigh To My Friends About How Managing You Are, All The While Secretly Knowing I Am The Luckiest Man In Town.” “what?” She Demanded. He Shrugged. “a Man’s Got To Keep Up Appearances. I’ll Be Universally Detested If Everyone Realizes How Perfect You Are.

-Julia Quinn

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I Am Asking You

Julia Quinn

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I Am Asking You To Marry Me Because I Love You,” He Said, “because I Cannot Imagine Living My Life Without You. I Want To See Your Face In The Morning, And Then At Night, And A Hundred Times In Between. I Want To Grow Old With You, I Want To Laugh With You, And I Want To Sigh To My Friends About How Managing You Are, All The While Secretly Knowing I Am The Luckiest Man In Town.” “what?” She Demanded. He Shrugged. “a Man’s Got To Keep Up Appearances. I’ll Be Universally Detested If Everyone Realizes How Perfect You Are.

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Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Cousin‟s Wife. Moses Must Have Forgotten To Write That One Down

I Shall Have One, Too," He Told Her. "so That You Don't Feel Alone." She Tried Not To Smile. "that Is Most Generous Of You." "i Am Quite Certain It Is My Gentlemanly Duty." "to Eat Cake?" "it Is One Of The More Appealing Of My Gentlemanly Duties," He Allowed.

Don’t Tell Me Your Name. It’s Likely To Awaken My Conscience, And That’s The Last Thing We Want.

No One Knows As Well As I How Much Nonsense Is Printed In Books.

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.

Men Are Sheep. Where One Goes, The Rest Will Soon Follow. -lady Whistledown

In Her Heart She Longed For This Man, Dreamed Of A Life That Could Never Be.

Sometimes There Are Reasons For Our Fears That We Can’t Quite Explain. Sometimes It’s Just Something We Feel In Our Bones, Something We Know To Be True, But Would Sound Foolish To Anyone Else.

Miss Wynter, I Think You Should Be The Evil Queen,” Harriet Said. “there’s An Evil Queen?” Daniel Echoed. With Obvious Delight. “of Course,” Harriet Replied. “every Good Play Has An Evil Queen.” Frances Actually Raised Her Hand. “and A Un—” “don’t Say It,” Elizabeth Growled. Frances Crossed Her Eyes, Put Her Knife To Her Forehead In An Approximation Of A Horn, And Neighed.

He Stepped Toward Her, And Her Heart Just Ached From It. His Face Was So Handsome, And So Dear, And So Perfectly Wonderfully Familiar. She Knew The Slope Of His Cheeks, And The Exact Shade Of His Eys, Brownish Near The Iris, Melting Into Green At The Edge. And His Mouth-she Knew That Mouth, The Look Of It, The Feel Of It. She Knew His Smile, And She Knew His Frown, And She Knew- She Knew Far To Much.

He Didn’t Know Where The Thought Had Come From, Or What Strange Corner Of His Brain Had Come To That Conclusion, Because He Was Quite Certain It Would Be Nearly Impossible To Live With Her, But Somehow He Knew That It Wouldn’t Be At All Difficult To Love Her.

Milk?” Lady Bridgerton Asked. “thank You,” Gareth Replied. “no Sugar, If You Please.” “hyacinth Takes Hers With Three,” Gregory Said, Reaching For A Piece Of Shortbread. “why,” Hyacinth Ground Out, “would He Care?” “well,” Gregory Replied, Taking A Bite And Chewing, “he Is Your Special Friend.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

To This Day, The Duke And I Remains Particularly Close To My Heart; I Felt It Was The Novel In Which My Writing Took A Huge Leap Forward.

Heartache, Daphne Eventually Learned, Never Really Went Away; It Just Dulled. The Sharp, Stabbing Pain That One Felt With Each Breath Eventually Gave Way To A Blunter, Lower Ache—the Kind That One Could Almost—but Never Quite—ignore.

Anthony Looked Down At His Evil Clutches -- Hands, He Reminded Himself, Hands -- And Grinned Anew.

...i Do Not Tell You Often Enough, Dear Mother, How Very Grateful I Am That I Am Yours. It Is A Rare Parent Who Would Offer A Child Such Latitude And Understanding. It Is An Even Rarer One Who Calls A Daughter Friend. I Do Love You, Dear Mama.

You Should Be Thankful That Dark Colors Suit You. Not Everyone Wears Black Well." "why, Lady Olivia, Is That A Compliment?" "not So Much As A Compliment To You As An Insult To Everyone Else," She Assured Him. "thanks Heaven For That. I Don't Think I Would Know How To Conduct Myself In A World In Which You Offered Compliments.

It's The Curse Of Motherhood. You're Required To Love Us Even When We Vex You.

Annabel Looked Down. Her Hands Were Shaking. She Couldn't Do This. Not Yet. She Couldn't Face The Man She'd Kissed Who Happened To Be The Heir To The Man She Didn't Want To Kiss But Whos She Probably Was Going To Marry. Oh Yes, And She Could Not Forget That If She Did Marry The Man She Didn't Want To Kiss, She Was Likely To Provide Him With A New Heir, Thus Cutting Off The Man She Did Want To Kiss.

Tell Me Something Wicked.

Raw Toast," Lucas Said Grimly, Shaking His Head. "it Goes Against The Very Nature Of Man.

What?" "you're So Neat," She Said, Looking Almost Embarrassed. He Glanced Pointedly Over His Shoulder. "there Are Four Hundred On The Other Side Of This Door." "but You're Ruining Me." "i Can't Do It Neatly?

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.

A Man’s Got To Keep Up Appearances. I’ll Be Universally Detested If Everyone Realizes How Perfect You Are.

He Shook His Head In Wonder. "you Are Magnificent." "i Keep Telling Everyone That," She Said With A Nonchalant Shrug, "but You Seem To Be The Only One To Believe Me.

Perriwickturned To Penelope As He Set The Tray Down On A Table. "if I Might Be So Bold, My Lady-" "perriwick!" Blake Roared. "if I Hear The Phrase 'if I Might Be So Bold' One More Time, As God Is My Witness, I'm Going To Toss You Into The Channel!" "oh Dear," Penelope Said. "perhaps He Does Have The Fever, After All.perriwick , What Do You Think?" The Butler Reached For Blake's Forehead, Only To Have His Hand Nearly Bitten Off. "touch Me And Die," Blake Snarled.

Very Well,” He Said With A Small Sigh. “ladies Today Are So Very Capable. It Breaks My Hea Rt, Really.” He Leaned In, Almost As If Sharing A Secret. “no One Likes To Feel Superfluous.” Grace Just Stared At Him. “rendered Mute By My Grace And Charm,” He Said, Stepping Back To Allow Them To Exit. “it Happens All The Time. Really, I Shouldn‟t Be Allowed Near The Ladies. I Have Such A Vexing Effect On You.

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

Let Me Drive," She Said, Reaching For The Reins. He Turned To Her In Disbelief. "this Is A Phaeton, Not A Single-horse Wagon." Sophie Fought The Urge To Throttle Him. His Nose Was Running, His Eyes Were Red, He Couldn't Stop Coughing, And Still He Found The Energy To Act Like An Arrogant Peacock. "i Assure You," She Said Slowly, "that I Know How To Drive A Team Of Horses.

For Me, The Dialogue Is The Easiest Part Of Writing. It Just Always Seems So Obvious What A Character Will Say. Maybe Its Because I Talk Too Much!

That Was Very Rude Of Me.” “think Nothing Of It. You’ve Done Worse.

Rehearsels, Actually." "rehearsals?" "for The-" Oh,no. "-musicale." The Smythe-smith Musical.it Finished Off What The Crusades Had Begun.there Wasn't A Man Alive Who Could Maintain A Romantic Thought When Faced With The Memory-or The Threat-of A Smythe-smith Musicale.

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.

No. Haven’t You Been Listening?” Marcus Would Always Remember That Moment. It Was To Be The First Time He Would Ever Be Faced With That Most Vexing Of Female Quirks: The Question That Had Nothing But Wrong Answers.

Before She Knew What She Was About, She Was Jumping About Like A Crazy Woman, Yelling, “yes! Yes! I Win!” “you Don’t Win,” Anthony Snapped. “oh, It Feels Like I’ve Won,” She Reveled.

This Has To Be The Most Self-centered Thing I've Ever Said, But No, I Think You Just Wanted To Vex Me.

Anthony Bridgerton Leaned Back In His Leather Chair,and Then Announced, "i'm Thinking About Getting Married." Benedict Bridgerton, Who Had Been Indulging In A Habit His Mother Detested—tipping His Chair Drunkenly On The Back Two Legs—fell Over. Colin Bridgerton Started To Choke. Luckily For Colin, Benedict Regained His Seat With Enough Time To Smack Him Soundly On The Back, Sending A Green Olive Sailing Across The Table. It Narrowly Missed Anthony's Ear.

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

She Was Petite, Small In That Way That Made A Man Want To Slay Dragons.

There Were A Lot Of Things In Life To Be Afraid Of, But Strangeness Ought Not Be Among Them.

Don't Settle. Know What You Want And Reach For It. And If You Don't Know What You Want, Be Patient. The Answers Will Come To You In Time, And You May Find That Your Heart S Desire Has Been Right Under Your Nose All The While.

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

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.

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

A Duel, A Duel, A Duel. Is There Anything More Exciting, More Romantic ... Or More Utterly Moronic?

Most Fiction Series Are Written So That The Reader Can Come In At Any Point And Not Feel Lost, But If You Can Start At The Beginning, Why Not?

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?

And If You Say That's Because You Lot Barged Into Her Home Like A Herd Of Mentally Deficient Sheep, I'm Disowning All Three Of You.

Interesting, He Later Reflected, Was Perhaps Not The Correct Word.by The Time He And Henry Arrived Back At The House For Their Midday Meal-a Scrumptious Bowl Of Hot, Sticky Porridge-he Had Mucked Out The Stable Stalls, Milked A Cow, Been Pecked By Three Separate Hens, Weeded A Vegetable Garden, And Fallen Into A Trough.

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.

She Could Not Bear The Thought. She Simply Could Not Bear The Thought That She Might Somehow Prove To Her Grandfather That Her Mother Had Indeed Been A Fool And Her Father Had Been A Damned Fool And That She Was The Damnedest Fool Of Them All.

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.

Not That I Knew Who You Were Until Last Month. But Now That I've Got You, I'm Not Letting You Go." "you're Not?" Blake Stared At Her In Irritated Confusion. What Was Her Game? "do You Think I'm An Idiot?" He Spat Out. "no," She Said. "i've Just Escaped From A Den Of Idiots, So I'm Well Familiar With The Breed, And You're Something Else Entirely. I Am, However, Hoping You're Not A Terribly Good Shot.

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.

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.

Love Works In Mysterious Ways.

Mysterious Ways

She Needed Him To Be Him. Even If He Could Not Be Hers.

Oh, Very Well, Do You Want To Know Why I Really Think You Should Keep A Journal?" She Nodded. "because Someday You're Going To Grow Into Yourself, And You Will Be As Beautiful As You Already Are Smart.

Miss Butterworth And The Mad Baron,” Sebastian Said Approvingly. “excellent Choice.” “you Have Read This?” Alexei Asked. “it’s Not As Good As Miss Davenport And The Dark Marquis, Of Course, But Worlds Better Than Miss Sainsbury And The Mysterious Colonel.” Harry Found Himself Rendered Speechless. “i’m Reading Miss Truesdale And The Silent Gentleman Right Now.” “silent?” Harry Echoed. “there Is A Noticeable Lack Of Dialogue,” Sebastian Confirmed.

There Were Only So Many Ways A Man‟s Heart Could Break, And He Had A Feeling His Couldn‟t Survive Another Puncture.

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

Children,” Lady Bridgerton Said With A Sigh As She Retook Her Seat. “i Am Never Quite Certain If I’m Glad I Had Them.

It Was Heaven. Forget Angels, Forget St. Peter And Glittering Harpsichords. Heaven Was A Dance In The Arms Of One's True Love.

He Was The Firstborn Bridgerton Of A Firstborn Bridgerton Of A Firstborn Bridgerton Eight Times Over. He Had A Dynastic Responsibility To Be Fruitful And Multiply.

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.

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.

He Would Not Give Her Up,he Could Not.for The First Time In His Life He'd Found Someone Who Filled All The Empty Spaces In His Heart

James - "are You Paying Attention Or Just Trying To Make Me Look Like An Idoit?" Elizabeth - "oh, I'm Definately Paying Attention. If You Look Like An Idiot It Has Nothing To Do With Me.

As His Hands Moved To His Trousers, He Saw That She Was Pulling The Bedsheets Over Her. "don't," He Said, Barely Recognizing His Own Voice. Her Eyes Met His, And He Said, "i'll Be Your Blanket".

Happy Endings Are All I Can Do. I Wouldn't Know How To Write Anything Else.

He Was A Puzzle. And Hyacinth Hated Puzzles. Well, No, In Truth She Loved Them. Provided, Of Course, That She Solved Them.

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.

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