“Oh, that God would have made His will ours! Giving us free will was not free; there were costs to consider and balance. The reward for our choices, for our belief in ourselves and our desire to do the right thing, were great. But along the way we had to take risks. We had to try.”

“Orleans . . . the place where Joan of Arc, while depending on God, had defeated the British in a great battle for freedom.Joan and I had a lot in common. But there would be no burning at the stake for me.Robert would not allow it.”

“I reached for the notebook which was always close by. All thoughts of composing epic poems of Greek heroes had left me. The words that often burst from my onto the paper in recent days would be considered mere nothings to the world, but they were everything to me . . . They were the pourings of my heart FOR my heart . . .”

“And so...we prayed. And I added a silent prayer of my own, giving God thanks for the blessing of my father.”

“Better for my heart to be untested then to experience a counterfeit to this love we have between us.”

“But his letters . . . I took them with me, let the "ounces" cry aloud. I tried to leave, and could not. They would not be left; it was not my fault. I will not be scolded.”

“I imagined an impulsive Robert taking Henrietta's hands and proclaiming, "I love your sister dearly. Madly. We are betrothed.”