“Hart and Hope,” I muttered. “If you’re going to name your kids like that, of course they’re going to think they live in a comic book.”

“Oh Crap," Connor muttered. "She's going Darth Vader on us.”

“You look like you belong in a bad comic book,” I told him cheerfully.----------------------“What did the Drakes do that’s got you all pissy?”“Pissy? Did you just call me pissy?”

“Are you serious about leaving?"I touched my aching face. "Yes.But I don't know how.""I'd go with you," Colin said quietly."Really?""You know I would.""If you could do anything, what would you do? Would you go back to Ireland?""Maybe," he said. "I've no family left there but I miss the green hills. I'd love to show them to you, show you Tara and the Cliffs of Moher.We could live in a thatched cottage and keep sheep."I grinned at him. "If you clean up after them.""What would be your perfect day then?" he asked, grinning back at me. "If you don't like my sheep?""Your cottage sounds nice," I allowed. "I'd like to sleep in late and read as many books as I'd like and drink tea with lemon and eat pineapple slices for breakfast.""No velvet dresses and diamonds?"I rolled my eyes, then stopped when the bruises throbbed. "Ouch.And no, of course not.I don't care about that. Only books." I looked at him shyly. "And you.""That's all right then," he said softly.”

“How did you know it wasn't really me?""Are you kidding? Your eyeballs could be on fire and you wouldn't bat your lashes at me like that.”

“I hadn't had a chance to read an entire novel in weeks.Whatever the others might say about politics, civil war, and hunters, the real evil was lack of reading time. If they all read more they might freak out less. And if I was going to live forever I was going to have to start a reading list.”

“R," Elizabeth breathed. "For what? Rheumatism? Retinue? Richard the Third?"The planchette continued to move, torward the O."Romantic? It's going to tell us our husband's name! Or else...rotund." She paused. "Is it calling us fat?"W."Someone's going to have a row?”