Julia Quinn Quotes & Sayings

It was remarkable, but every time he kissed her, her lips seemed to grow sweeter, her scent more beguiling. And his need grew, too. His blood was racing with desire, and it was taking his every last shred of restraint not to push her back onto the sofa and tear her clothes from her body.
That would come later, he thought with a secret smile. But this - surely her first time - would be slow and tender and everything a young girl dreamed.
Well, maybe not. His smile turned into an outright grin. Half the things he was going to do to her, she wouldn't have even thought to dream about. — Julia Quinn

And so Harry became proficient in the task of cleaning up vomit. — Julia Quinn

He looks like a man.'
'How descriptive,' Susan said in a droll tone. 'Remind me never to advise you to seek work as a novelist. — Julia Quinn

The youngest one," she interrupted. "The youngest son, I mean. The one who is unmarried."
"I know who he is."
"Very well, then. What is wrong with him?" At that she cocked her head to the side and waited expectantly.
He thought for a moment. "Nothing."
"You - wait." She blinked. "Nothing?"
He shook his head, then shifted his weight a little; his good foot was beginning to fall asleep. "Nothing comes immediately to mind." It was true. She could do a good deal worse than Gregory Bridgerton.
"Really?" she asked suspiciously. "You find nothing at all objectionable about him."
Marcus pretended to think about this a bit longer. Clearly he was supposed to be playing a role here, probably that of the villain. Or if not that, then the grumpy old man. "I suppose he's a bit young," he said. — Julia Quinn

Just be quiet and accept the praise. — Julia Quinn

You don't understand how fragile life is. You don't realize that the thread breaks between one moment and the next. — Julia Quinn

I'm mostly a historical romance reader, but I never miss a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. Her characters are larger than life and heartbreakingly real at the same time. I don't know how she does it. — Julia Quinn

Let me drive," she said, reaching for the reins.
He turned to her in disbelief. "This is a phaeton, not a single-horse wagon."
Sophie fought the urge to throttle him. His nose was running, his eyes were red, he couldn't stop coughing, and still he found the energy to act like an arrogant peacock. "I assure you," she said slowly, "that I know how to drive a team of horses. — Julia Quinn

I think it was your language," Miranda said mildly. "She said most of them were idiots, too." "That is not at all what I said," Olivia put in. "I said they were bores." "Sheep," Miranda confirmed. "Goats," Olivia added with a shrug. Turner began to look alarmed. "Good God, do the two of you speak your own language? — Julia Quinn

I'm home', he said against her skin, and she realized it was the truth.
'I'm home, too'. — Julia Quinn

Unrequited love was never easy, but at least Penelope Featherington was used to it. — Julia Quinn

She'd worn that color, or gray in its place, for three years now. And unrelenting black for a year before that. It had been a bit of a badge, she realized, a uniform of sorts. One never had to worry about who one was when one's clothing proclaimed it so loudly. — Julia Quinn

He didn't know if there was a word to describe what he felt in that moment, how he saw the lines of his own heart when her eyes met his. — Julia Quinn

For me, the dialogue is the easiest part of writing. It just always seems so obvious what a character will say. Maybe it's because I talk too much! — Julia Quinn

amidst the horrors of war, it became apparent that there was no way he could possibly survive the carnage. And if by some stroke of fate he managed to come through the conflict with his body intact, he knew that his soul would not be so lucky. — Julia Quinn

The pig reached the assembly of servants, and the maids shrieked, running in every possible direction. Stunned by the sudden movement, the pig stopped, raised its snout; and let out a hellish squeal - and then another, and another, and ...
"Will you shut up!" Dunford commanded.
The pig, sensing authority, didn't just shut up - it actually laid down. — Julia Quinn

She looked down at her sketch pad. She'd been drawing a rabbit. She decided to give him unpleasant teeth. Vicious little bunny. Excellent. — Julia Quinn

Your talents are for pointing guns and removing necklaces off ladies' necks?'
'I charm the necklaces off their necks ... Kindly make the distinction.'
'Oh, please.'
'I charmed you.'
She was all indignation. 'You did not.'
'Recall the night in question, Miss Eversleigh. The moonlight, the soft wind.'
'There was no wind.'
'You're spoiling my memory,' he growled.
'There was no wind,' she stated. 'You are romanticizing the encounter.'
'Can you blame me? he returned, smiling at her wickedly. 'I never know who is going to step through the carriage door. Most of the time I get a wheezy old badger. — Julia Quinn

...So when the weather wasn't too overbearingly hot he tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow, and they walked about town, running errands and asking questions.
And falling in love — Julia Quinn

Did you know I dream about your hair? I use to say it was the color of the sun at sunset, but I'm wrong. It's brighter than the sun, just as you are. — Julia Quinn

Help me. Please?"
She gave him an abashed nod (but not nearly so
abashed as she ought) and turned to Harriet. "I think that Lord Winstead refers to the rhyming qualities of the title." Harriet blinked a few times. "It doesn't rhyme."
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Elizabeth burst out. " Finstead Winstead?"
Harriet's gasp very nearly sucked the air from the room. "I never noticed!" she exclaimed.
"Obviously," her sister drawled.
"I must have been thinking about you when I wrote
the play," Harriet said to Daniel. From her expression, he gathered he was meant to feel flattered, so he tried to smile. — Julia Quinn

I had a feeling you'd like that," he said with a satisfied grin.
"Why do I feel it ... everywhere?"
"Everywhere?" he murmured. His fingers moved between her legs. "Or here?"
"Everywhere," she said breathlessly, "but there most of all. — Julia Quinn

He took one of her fingers and rubbed it gently against his lips. "I want to see you tomorrow," he said softly. "I want to call on you and see where you live."
She said nothing, just held herself steady, trying not to cry.
"I want to meet your parents and pet your damned dog," he continued, somewhat unsteadily. "Do you understand what I mean?"
Music and conversation still drifted up from below, but the only sound on the terrace was the harsh rasp of their breath.
"I want - " His voice dropped to a whisper, and his eyes looked vaguely surprised, as if he couldn't quite believe the truth of his own words. "I want your future. I want every little piece of you."
-Benedict & Sophie — Julia Quinn

Sebastian got up and walked to the window, resting his forehead against the pane. It was cold outside, and the icy chill pressed up against him through the glass. He liked the sensation. It was big. Grand. The sort of vivid moment that reminded him of his humanity. He was cold, therefore he must be alive. He was cold, therefore he must not be invincible. He was cold, therefore

He stood back and let out a disgusted snort. He was cold, therefore he was cold. There wasn't really much more to it. — Julia Quinn

Go, go," she urged. "Don't worry about me. I'll find some
other poor unsuspecting fool to torture. And yes, before you feel
the need to protest, I did just call you a fool."
"That, I think, may be the one privilege that consanguinity does
allow."
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 her
violin. — Julia Quinn

It had been a marvelous childhood. Damn near perfect. If he was not leading the life he'd anticipated, if he sometimes lay in bed and wondered what the hell he was doing robbing coaches in the dead of night - at least he knew that the road to this point had been paved with his own choices, his own flaws. — Julia Quinn

And then, well ... He might have slept for a bit. He rather hoped he was sleeping, because he was quite certain he'd seen a six-foot rabbit hopping through his bedchamber, and if that wasn't a dream, they were all in very big trouble.
Although really, it wasn't the rabbit that was so dangerous as much as the giant carrot he was swinging about like a mace.
That carrot would feed an entire village. — Julia Quinn

Your plan isn't going to work."
He was all innocence. "I have a plan?"
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "You're going to try to wear me down in hopes that eventually I'll give in."
"I would never dream of it."
"I'm sure you dream of quite a bit more," she muttered.
-Sophie & Benedict — Julia Quinn

Was it possible that Octavia had misjudged her?
What was he thinking? Of course, it was possible. Octavia was a dear, but she was nineteen years old and thinking of Octavia. The last thing she wanted in her life was a staggeringly beautiful rival who was not conveniently evil. — Julia Quinn

No one said we had to spend every waking moment together," he said, "but at the end of the day"-he leaned and kissed each of her eyebrows, in turn-"an most of the time during, there is no one I would rather see, no one whose voice I would rather hear, and no one whose mind I would rather explore. — Julia Quinn

Do you really think anyone saves our programs from one year
to the next?" Sarah asked.
"My mother does," Daisy said.
"So does mine," Sarah answered, "but it's not as if she pulls
them out and compares them side by side."
"My mother does," Daisy said again.
"Dear God," Iris moaned. — Julia Quinn

Not that I knew who you were until last month. But now that I've got you, I'm not letting you go."
"You're not?"
Blake stared at her in irritated confusion. What was her game? "Do you think I'm an idiot?" he spat out.
"No," she said. "I've just escaped from a den of idiots, so I'm well familiar with the breed, and you're something else entirely. I am, however, hoping you're not a terribly good shot. — Julia Quinn

Olivia: You didn't even know I was there!
Harry: Excuse me, yes I did. — Julia Quinn

He just wanted to see it. From afar. To see what might have been, what he was glad hadn't been. But maybe should have been. — Julia Quinn

She shrugged. "I'm surprised your mother didn't inform you of my presence. Or Belle. She has spoken about you a great deal."
His eyes narrowed as his heart sank. "You've become friendly with Belle?" He saw all his hopes for a flirtation with this girl going up in smoke. — Julia Quinn

All of this presupposes that I have set my sights on a single male.'
Susan's eyes bugged out. 'You certainly cannot set your signs on a married man!'
'I meant a particular man,' Elizabeth retorted, swatting her sister on the shoulder. — Julia Quinn

He knew her, he realized. He truly knew her. Not just the usual things. In fact, he didn't know the usual things. He did not know her favorite color. Nor cold he guess her favorite animal or food.
But somehow it didn't matter if he didn't knw if she preferred pink or blue or purple or black. He knew her heart. He wanted her heart. — Julia Quinn

He watched her as she carried the stone over to one of the walls and set it down. She exhaled and wiped her brow. Then she glared at him.
He smiled - one of his best, he thought. "You ought to bend your legs when you lift the stones," he called out. "It's better for your back."
"It's better for your back," she mimicked under her breath, "lazy, good-for-nothing, stupid little - "
"Excuse me?"
"Thank you for your advice." Her voice was sweetness personified. — Julia Quinn

This was Penelope, and this was love. — Julia Quinn

She was looking at him as if he'd just dropped fully formed from the sky. — Julia Quinn

You always get more respect when you don't have a happy ending. — Julia Quinn

What are you up to?" she asked.
"Why would you think I'm up to anything?"
Her lips pursed before she said, "You wouldn't be you if you weren't up to something."
He smiled at that. "I do believe that was a compliment."
"It wasn't necessarily intended as such."
"But nonetheless," he said mildly, "that's how I choose to take it. — Julia Quinn

If one didn't have love, was it better, then, to be alone? — Julia Quinn

Well, for one thing, about whether you'll make a good husband," she snapped back, finally goaded into anger.
He drew back. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Your past behavior, to start with," she replied, narrowing her eyes. "You haven't exactly been the
model of Christian rectitude."
"This, coming from the woman who ordered me to strip off my clothing earlier this afternoon?" he
taunted.
"Don't be ugly," she said in a low voice.
"Don't push my temper."

-Michael Fielding and Francesca Bridgerton — Julia Quinn

But as they settled into their seats in the inn's busy dining room, he looked at her across the table and it wasn't her beauty he saw. It was her heart. And her soul. And he had a sinking feeling that his life was never going to be the same. — Julia Quinn

I suppose. I do hope Charlotte thinks to give her an extra day
off this week." Lady Winstead gave a little nod, as if agreeing with
herself. "I believe I will go find her right now and make that
suggestion. It is the least we can do. Miss Wynter truly saved the
day."
Honoria and Iris watched her leave, then Iris said, "I suppose it
depends upon your definition of the word 'saved. — Julia Quinn

Good choice dancing with this one...I've always liked her. More brains than the rest of her family put together. ~ Lady Danbury to Colin Bridgerton — Julia Quinn

This is none of your concern,' his uncle spat.
'I beg to differ,' Sebastian said quietly. 'A lady in distress is always my concern. — Julia Quinn

It's only through sheer force and luck that she's yet to take over the world. — Julia Quinn

Why is everyone complaining?" Daisy asked impatiently. "This
is exciting! We get to perform. Do you know how long I have been
waiting for this day?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Sarah said flatly.
"About as long as I have been dreading it," Iris muttered. — Julia Quinn

My sisters call him Slinky Simon.'
Alec chuckled.
'It's only funny if he's not your cousin.'
'It's funny because it's true. — Julia Quinn

Oh, Elizabeth," he murmured, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on her mouth, "I love you so much. You must believe me."
"I believe you," she said softly, "because in your eyes, I see what I feel in my heart. — Julia Quinn

We're not doing maths again?' Harriet lamented.
Lord Winstead looked at Anne with unconcealed curiosity. 'Mathematics? On Rotten Row?'
'We have been studying measurement,' she informed him. 'They have already measured the average length of their strides. Now they will count their steps and compute the length of the path.'
'Very nice,' he said approvingly. 'And it keeps them busy and quiet as they count.'
'You have not heard them count,' Anne told him. — Julia Quinn

For the first time in recent memory, he'd handled his daughter *exactly* right. Something about Eloise's presence had calmed him, lent him a clarity of thought he usually lacked when it came to his children. He was able to see the humor in the situation, where he usually saw nothing but his own frustration. — Julia Quinn

She glowered at him. 'For your information, in the past week, I have been, oh let's see, nearly raped,
kidnapped, tied to a bedpost, forced to cough my voice into nothingness-"
"That was your own fault."
"Not to mention the fact that I embarked upon a life of crime by breaking and entering into my former
home, was nearly trapped by my odious guardian-"
"Don't forget your sprained ankle," he supplied.
"Ooooohhhh! I could kill you!" Another bar of soap flew by his head, grazing his ear.
"Madam, you are certainly doing an able job of trying."
"And now!" she fairly yelled. "And now, as if all of that weren't undignified enough, I am forced to live
for a week in a bloody bathroom! — Julia Quinn

She could not bear the thought. She simply could not bear the thought that she might somehow prove to her grandfather that her mother had indeed been a fool and her father had been a damned fool and that she was the damnedest fool of them all. — Julia Quinn

Caroline Trent hadn't meant to shoot Percival Prewitt, but she had, and now he was dead.
Or at least she thought he was dead. — Julia Quinn

Well, I'll be," she said mischievously. "You might just be a nice person after all."
"I'm hardly nice," he scoffed.
"Perhaps, but you're hardly cruel, either."
-Daphne & Simon — Julia Quinn

Your fangs are showing, Miss Lyndon."
"Are they?" she asked, reaching up to touch her face. "I shall have to remember to retract them."
Charles burst out laughing. "You, Miss Lyndon, are a treasure."
"That's what I keep telling everyone," she said with a shrug and a wicked smile, "but no one seems to believe me. — Julia Quinn

It was strange, to find a woman who could make him happy just with her mere presence. He didn't even have to see her, or hear her voice, or even smell her scent. He just had to know that she was there. — Julia Quinn

If I wanted Belle," he cut in, "I would have asked her to marry me." He pulled her more tightly against him. "Henry, I love you. I'd love you if you wore a sackcloth. I'd love you if you had a mustache." He paused and tweaked her nose. "Well, the mustache would be difficult. Please promise me you won't grow one. — Julia Quinn

I've already instructed the
others to keep their mouths shut."
"Even Hyacinth?" Penelope asked doubtfully.
"Especially Hyacinth."
"Did you bribe her?" Violet asked. "Because it won't work unless you
bribe her."
"Good Lord," Colin muttered. "One would think I'd joined this family
yesterday. Of course I bribed her." He turned to Penelope. "No offense to
recent additions."
"Oh, none taken. — Julia Quinn

He smiled, and suddenly she knew that his words were true. Everything would be all right. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but soon. Tragedy couldn't coexist in a world with one of Colin's smiles. — Julia Quinn

Raw toast," Lucas said grimly, shaking his head. "It goes against the very nature of man. — Julia Quinn

My mother is convinced that yellow is a happy color and that a happy girl would get a husband.
-Penelope Featherington — Julia Quinn

Forty-five minutes later, Benedict was slouching in his chair, his eyes glazed. Every now and then he had to stop and make sure his mouth wasn't hanging open.
His mother's conversation was that boring.
The young lady she had wanted to discuss with him had actually turned out to be seven young ladies, each of which she assured him was better than the last.
Benedict thought he might go mad. Right here in his mother's sitting room he was going to go stark, raving mad. He'd suddenly pop out of his chair, fall to the floor in a frenzy his arms and legs waving, mouth frothing-
"Benedict, are you even listening to me?"
He looked up and blinked. Damn. Now he would have to focus on his mother's list of possible brides. The prospect of losing his sanity had been infinitely more appealing. — Julia Quinn

It's good that you can be horrid when neccesary. It's a useful skill."
She leaned on her elbow, settling her chin onto her hand. "Funny, my brother never seemed to think so. — Julia Quinn

James - "Are you paying attention or just trying to make me look like an idoit?"
Elizabeth - "Oh, I'm definately paying attention. If you look like an idiot it has nothing to do with me. — Julia Quinn

I'll talk to my mother," she promised. "If I'm sufficiently
annoying, I'm sure I can get the engagement period
cut in half."
"It makes me wonder," he said. "As your future husband,
should I be concerned by your use of the phrase if
I'm sufficiently annoying?"
"Not if you accede to all of my wishes."
"A sentence that concerns me even more," he murmured.
She did nothing but smile. — Julia Quinn

Simon stopped breathing until her forefinger touched his nipple, and then his hand shot up to cover hers. "I want you," he said.
Her eyes flicked downward, and her lips curved ever so slightly. "I know."
"No," he groaned, pulling her closer. "I want to be in your heart. I want-" His entire body shuddered when their skin touched. "I want to be in your soul. — Julia Quinn

Hyacinth," he said.
She looked at him expectantly.
"Hyacinth," he said again, this time with a bit more certitude. He smiled, letting his eyes melt into hers. "Hyacinth."
"We know her name," came his grandmother's voice.
Gareth ignored her and pushed a table aside so that he could drop to one knee. "Hyacinth," he said, relishing her gasp as he took her hand in his, "would you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?"
Her eyes widened, the misted, and her lips, which he'd been kissing so deliciously mere hours earlier, began to quiver. "I ... I ... "
It was unlike her to be so without words, and he was enjoying it, especially the show of emotion on her face.
"I ... I ... "
"Yes!" his grandmother finally yelled. "Yes! She'll marry you!"
"She can speak for herself," he said.
"No," Lady D said, "she can't. Quite obviously. — Julia Quinn

You do realize, Kilmartin,' Colin said, his voice so soft it was almost chilling, 'that there is no reason you can't marry her. None at all. Except, of course,' he added, almost as an afterthought, 'the reasons you manufacture for yourself. — Julia Quinn

You invited me.'
'Eh?'
'Your sister. By extension, you.'
'Will our sisters ever not be, by extension, us? — Julia Quinn

Sophie shook her head, completely unable to speak. Posy had knocked her breath clear to Scotland. — Julia Quinn

He took a step toward her, his clothing slipping from his fingers. 'There has been a terrible mistake.'
'Yes, there has,' she said, her entire body shaking with emotion. 'I was mistaken to think I could ever be enough of a woman to please you, to ever think that I could learn what it means to be anyone else but me. — Julia Quinn

He looked down at the first entry.
2 MARCH1810
Today I fell in love.
A tear welled up in his eye. Me too, my love. Me too. — Julia Quinn

I just
I know my own heart and I love you, Turner. And if you have even the tiniest shred of decency, you'll say something because I've said everything I possibly can, and I can't bear the silence, and
oh for heaven's sake! Will you at least blink?
He couldn't even manage that. — Julia Quinn

I have friends who have children, and they have told me how remarkable it is to have a new life that is a piece of your own flesh anf blood. But I
"
"I realized that I didn't love her because she was a piece of me, I loved her because she was a piece of you. — Julia Quinn

As she walked slowly down the hall, she could hear them arguing - nothing violent, nothing impassioned. But then, she'd not have expected that. Cavendish tempers ran cold, and they were far more likely to attack with a frozen barb than a heated cry. — Julia Quinn

You are always looking at people like this." And then she made a face, one he couldn't possibly begin to describe.
"If I ever look like that," he said dryly, "precisely like that, to be more precise, I give you leave to shoot me. — Julia Quinn

But when Anthony kissed her, she felt as
if she were losing her mind. And when he
kissed her twice, she wasn't even sure if she wanted it back! — Julia Quinn

Would you care to dance?" he blurted.
"Now?" She smiled adorably. "Is there music?"
There wasn't. It was some testament to how foolish in love he'd become that he did not even feel embarrassed. — Julia Quinn

Never," he spat out, "kick a man who is pointing a gun at you. — Julia Quinn

Let me try," he said, and he took the ends and positioned
himself in front of her mirror.
She watched him for about two seconds before declaring,
"You're going to have to go home."
His eyes did not leave the reflection of his neckcloth in the
mirror. "I haven't even got past the first knot."
"And you're not going to."
He gave her a supercilious look, brow quirked and all.
"You're never going to get it right," she pronounced. "I must
say, between this and your boots, I am revising my opinion on the
impracticalities of couture, male versus female."
"Really?"
Her gaze dropped to his boots, polished to a perfect shine. "No
one has ever had to take a knife to my footwear."
"I wear nothing that buttons up the back," he countered.
"True, but I may choose a dress that buttons in the front,
whereas you cannot go out and about without a neckcloth. — Julia Quinn

It was one of those things that had to be experienced to be understood — Julia Quinn

She absentmindedly twirled her fingers around a lock of her long, brown hair, one of her few concessions to vanity. It would have been more sensible to cut it short, but it was thick and soft, and Henry just couldn't bear to part with it. Besides, it was her habit to wind it around her fingers while she was thinking hard about a problem, as she was doing now. — Julia Quinn

But he had saved her. That was irrefutable. Maybe it didn't really matter why he'd come to Phillip's party, only that he had, and he had saved her. — Julia Quinn

One of his brows lifted in a rather superior manner. "And you wouldn't classify your brothers as rakes?"
"They only think they are rakes," she corrected. "There is a considerable difference."
Simon snorted. "If Anthony isn't a rake, I pity the woman who meets the man who is."
-Simon & Daphne — Julia Quinn

He wanted to laugh at the poetic justice of it all. After a couple of years of chasing after women and then a decade of having them chase after him, he'd finally been brought down by a slip of a girl, fresh out of Cornwall, whom he was honor-bound to protect. — Julia Quinn

Anthony glared at his brother, then for good measure at Miss Sheffield, who was looking at him as if he'd just despoiled ten virgins in her presence. — Julia Quinn

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!" — Julia Quinn

I must protest." "To whom?" That seemed to flummox him. "I don't know," he finally said. "But a protest must be lodged nonetheless." "I don't think the dog meant to shoot him," Iris demurred. "You mean the author does not make the canine's motivations clear?" Iris assumed a scrupulously even expression. "Even she lacks such talent. — Julia Quinn

No, of course not," Belle said, playfully swatting him on the shoulder. "I never, never even once thought I was making a mistake. I was just a bit at odds with myself because my wedding wasn't exactly how I dreamed it was going to be."
"I'm sorry," John said softly.
"No, no, don't be. Just because it wasn't what I thought I wanted doesn't mean it wasn't absolutely perfect. Oh, dear, am I making any sense at all.?"
John nodded solemnly.
"I thought that I needed a church and hundreds of guest and music that actually sounded like music, but I was wrong. What I needed was a drunken priest, irreverent guests, and a companion who learned to play piano from a goat."
"Then you got exactly what you needed."
"I suppose so. But then again, all I really needed was you."
John leaned down to kiss her again, and they remained thus occupied for the next hour. — Julia Quinn

Music videos may seem old hat now, but let me tell you, in the summer of 1981, MTV was indubitably the coolest thing ever invented. And the people who were in the videos ... coolest people ever. No question. — Julia Quinn

Maybe this, then, was the definition of love. When you wanted someone, needed her, adored her still, even when you were utterly furious and quite ready to tie her to the bed just to keep her from going out and making more trouble. This — Julia Quinn

How I Would Like to Kill My Brother,
Version Sixteen
By Olivia Bevelstoke
No. really, what was the point? She could hardly top Version Fifteen, which had featured both vivisection and wild boar. — Julia Quinn

Her unintended striptease was all the more sensual because Belle was lowering her stocking with agonizing slowness not because she had an audience but because she seemed to love the feel of the silk sliding along her soft skin. — Julia Quinn

Daphne looked down and noticed that her hand was clenched into a fist. Then she looked up and realized her mother was staring at her, clearly waiting for her to say something.
Since she had already exhaled, Daphne cleared her throat, and said, "I'm sure Lady Whistledown's little column is not going to hurt my chances for a husband."
"Daphne, it's been two years!"
"And Lady Whistledown has only been publishing for three months, so I hardly see how we can lay the blame at her door."
"I'll lay the blame wherever I choose," Violet muttered. — Julia Quinn

He was trying not to grin, but it was exceedingly difficult with Lady Penwood gasping like a fish on land. — Julia Quinn

Oh, come now, you two," Lady Manston said, "surely it can be no surprise that I have long hoped for an alliance between the Rokesbys and Bridgertons."
"Alliance?" Billie echoed, and all George could think was that it was a terrible, clinical word, one that could never encompass all that he had come to feel for her. — Julia Quinn