“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.”

“Doyou miss a parent you never knew?” he whispered.Kate considered his question for some time. His voice had held a hoarse urgency that told her there wassomething critical about her reply. Why, she couldn’t imagine, but something about her childhood clearlyrang a chord within his heart.“Yes,” she finally answered, “but not in the way you would think. You can’t really miss her, because youdidn’t know her, but there’s still a hole in your life—a big empty spot, and you know who was supposedto fit there, but you can’t remember her, and you don’t know what she was like, and so you don’t knowhow she would have filled that hole.” Her lips curved into asad sort of smile. “Does this make any sense?”Anthony nodded. “It makes a great deal of sense”

“Ellie had a feeling he thought she was exaggerating. "I am not jesting. Yesterday she presented me with two lists. The first consisted of chores I must perform in addition to those I already do.""What, did she have you cleaning out the chimney?" Charles teased."Yes!" Ellie burst out. "Yes, and it was not a joke!"”

“Go, go,” she urged. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll find someother poor unsuspecting fool to torture. And yes, before you feelthe need to protest, I did just call you a fool.”“That, I think, may be the one privilege that consanguinity doesallow.”She cackled with delight. “You are a prince among nephews,”she proclaimed.“Your second favorite,” he murmured.“You’ll rise to the top of the list if you find a way to destroy herviolin.”

“Yes?""When you said you weren't angry...""Yes?""Were you?""I was rather annoyed," he admitted."But not angry?" She sounded as if she didn't believe him."Believe me, Henry, when I get angry, you'll know.""What happens?"His eyes clouded over slightly before he answered. "You don't want to know."She believed him.”

“Something she knew she did not have the right to ask him about. But she wished—oh, how shewished—that when he was ready to face his fears, she could be the one to help him.”

“Sophie stared at the door, trying desperately to keep her eyes focused on anything but Benedict. She'd spent all week hoping for a glimpse,but now that he was here, all she wanted was to escape. If she looked at his face, her eyes inevitably strayed to his lips. And if she looked at his lips, her thoughts immediately went to their kiss. And if she thought about the kiss..."I need that thimble," she blurted out, jumping to her feet. There were some things one just shouldn't think about in public."So you said," Benedict murmured, one of his eyebrows quirking up into a perfect-and perfectly arrogant-arch."It's downstairs," she muttered. "In my room.""But your room is upstairs," Hyacinth said.Sophie could have killed her. "That's what I said," she ground out."No," Hyacinth said in a matter-of-fact tone, "you didn't.""Yes," Lady Bridgerton said, "she did. I heard her."Sophie twisted her head sharply to look at Lady Bridgerton and knew in an instant that the older woman had lied. "I have to get that thimble," she said, for what seemed like the thirtieth time. She hurried toward the doorway, gulping as she grew close to Benedict."Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," he said, stepping aside to allow her through the doorway.But as she brushed past him, he leaned forward, whispering, "Coward.”