“If I am an empress, he is the only man worthy of being my emperor.”

“Would you like to cross another item off this list today?""I should like that very much. Which do you propose?""I think it's time to try riding astride"."You can't mean...""Oh, but I do, indeed, mean, Empress.”

“Fortuitous mostly for me,Lady Holloway," she said, her gaze steadfast on her husband. "For without our being childhgood neighbors, I am certain that my husband woud never have found me."Michael's gaze lit with admiration, and he lifted his glass in her direction. "At some point I would have realized what I was missing, darling. An I would have come looking for you.”

“Chase picked up the card. “I’m happy to share from my personal experience, if you like.”Temple grinned at his hand. “And I.”It was all too much. “I do not need advice. She enjoyed it immensely.”“I hear they don’t all enjoy it right off the bat,” Cross said.“That is true,” Chase said, all expertise.“It’s fine if she didn’t, old man,” Temple offered. “You can try again.”“She enjoyed it.” Bourne’s voice was low and tight, and he thought he might kill the next person who spoke.“Well, one thing is for certain,” Temple said, casually, and Bourne ignored the pang of disappointment that the enormous man was very likely the only one at the table he could not kill.”

“She looked up at him and said,"What did you say?""You have beautiful eyes.""You told my father that he has beautiful eyes?"He smiled. "No. You distracted me. I told your father that, while I was very grateful for the lesson, I doubt I would ever need of it again- because I was planning to court only one woman in my lifetime.”

“Why now? Why not wait for a man to come along and…sweep you off your feet?”She gave a short laugh. “If the man you speak of had ever planned on coming, my lord, I’m afraid he has obviously lost his way. And, at twenty-eight, I find I have grown tired of waiting.”

“Juliana?” the words were low and far—too calm for her husband, who had found that he rather enjoyed the full spectrum of emotion now that he had experienced it.“Yes?”“What are you doing twenty feet in the air?”“Looking for a book.”“Would you mind very much returning to the earth?”“What are you thinking, climbing to the rafters in your condition?”“I am not an invalid, Simon, I still have use of all my extremes.”“You do indeed—particularly your extreme ability to try my patience—I believe, however, that you mean extremities.”