Selena & Lucius, Book One

"You know very well you may trust me, my dear,” Lucius said. “I have honorable intentions. But here I may convince you to become my wife, without fear of interruption.”

"You may talk," she said, facing forward, and he thought he saw a dimple appear on her cheek. "But I still own my own mind."

"Yes, but yours appears to be deranged in some way, for you seem to think that because of something your father did years ago, you must resign yourself to a life of spinsterhood. And here you have received a perfectly respectable offer of marriage and have so far turned it down. You cannot convince me that this speaks to your sanity."

"If you are so concerned for my sanity," she countered, her lips now trembling toward a smile, "I wonder that you should wish to marry me at all."

Lucius folded his arms, his own lips quirking upward. “I have no doubt in my mind that your sanity will fully be restored. Once you have agreed to become my wife."

Philippa & Jack, Book Two

He sat, and Miss Clavering poured him a cup of tea as if it were the most natural thing in the world that she should play hostess in his drawing room. His heart rate threatened to speed up again, but he tried to focus his attention elsewhere.

Miss Clavering leaned forward to lift the cup, then paused. “I should have asked if you take milk.”

"I do," he said in a mock-stern voice. “And now you’ve ruined a perfectly good cup of tea."

"No. I shall merely add a cloud of milk into tea that has”—she gasped—“already been poured into the cup and shock the entire English world. Do you take sugar as well?”

"Three spoons,” he said.

"So many?” She handed him his tea. “Is it in hopes of balancing out your bitter nature?"

Jack’s lips twitched, although he tried valiantly not to smile.

Alice & George, Book Three

Alice did not hesitate when she nodded her head towards the gentleman on the sidelines, who was not dancing at the moment and certainly not looking at Miss Chauncey. "Mr. Duckworth.”

This did get a reaction out of Mr. Clavering as she had known it would. It was a well-known fact that they were close friends.

"Duckworth,” he exclaimed incredulously. “Duck? Impossible. He's one of the biggest flirts in London. He will end up with a woman who is as full of wit and vivacity as he is."

Alice shook her head firmly. "Very often, men do not know what they need. It takes only a little arranging. Mr. Duckworth and Miss Chauncey have already met at a card party, and it was apparent to anyone who looked how well they suited.”

“Impossible.”

Alice sent him a pointed look. “Men do not want wit and vivacity at their breakfast table.”

Mr. Clavering opened his mouth as though to retort, but he stopped. “That is true,” he admitted.