“They were simply meant to be. He understood this was a ludicrously romantic notion. And he didn’t give a fuck.”

“The girls were there, her friends, her parents and he didn’t give a fuck. He dipped in closer and kissed her lightly on the lips.”

“Rumpty!" he muttered, which was very rude if you were one of the few people in the universe who understood what it meant.”

“A few months after Julian was safe and sound, Hot Ben kidnapped Tracey. Well, okay, technically he swept her away to Mexico, where they eloped. He just didn’t want to wait anymore. I understood. A lot can happen while you’re waiting. Being the romantic that I always knew he could be, Ben didn’t tell her about it either.”

“Finally he said that among men there was no such communion as among horses and the notion that men can be understood at all was probably an illusion.”

“He thought he suddenly understood. For the Lincon-shire sergeant-major the word Peace meant that a man could stand up on a hill. For him it meant someone to talk to.”