“She was the clock, a clock that had lost its key, unwinding in the dark.”

“I said, 'tart'!" she snapped.Lane's brows went up, but I merely continued to smile, choosing to assume that her answer was a reference to where the berries should go, and not to my person.”

“Warm sun and robin's-egg skies were inappropriate conditions for sending one's uncle to a lunatic asylum.”

“I knew full well that Lane considered himself more family than servant to my uncle, and that my uncle felt the same; the only real question was who considered himself the father and who the child.”

“Let's face it. You lost your wife when she decided it was more important to be Jessica Rabbit.”

“My playing had called to another human being at last. Surely, she could be no other than my own true love.Slowly, I got to my feet.Speak to me, I thought.And as if she'd heard me, the young woman's lips parted and she spoke thus:Have you lost your mind?”

“Instead,she's as stillas a leaf-littered pond,dark water evaporating,waiting desperately for rain.”