The Perfect Rake Quotes
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." - William Shakespeare
"Respect does not come from beatings, Grandpapa; it must be earned!"
"A girl, no virgin either, I should guess—a baggage Thrust on me like a cargo on a ship To wreck my peace of mind." - Sophocles
"She’s as headstrong as an Allegory on the banks of the Nile." - R. B. Sheridan
"Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott
"You see my sisters’ meek obedience as respect, but you command only fear and hatred in them. In me, you command nothing!"
"Love does not come from beatings, Grandpapa; it must be earned! You see my sisters’ meek obedience as respect, but you command only fear and hatred in them. In me, you command nothing!"
"Never, ever forget that we do not belong in Grandpapa’s grim and loveless world. We were all born in Italy, in a house filled with sunshine and laughter and love and happiness, and I promise you, no matter how bad it seems, one day we shall all live like that again. With sunshine and laughter and love and happiness. I promise!"
"Mama was a great beauty, though her family was in trade, and Papa took one look at her and fell instantly in love."
"If you lay so much as a finger on Grace or Hope—or any of my sisters—ever again…I’ll, I’ll kill you!"
"Love could reform a rake, she had heard."
"You are the sole dream that keeps me going in this hellhole on earth."
"Time means nothing, when one is in love."
"I am such a worthless fribble, you know, Edward. Girls are so much more impressed with your title than mine."
"I apologize for deceiving you, Miss Merridew."
"A small, determined whirlwind, most improbably called Prudence."
"She’s not the slightest bit plain! Those eyes, that smile, that hair—from top to toe, Prudence Merridew is a rare little gem!"
"You know perfectly well that I didn’t faint. In fact, you should be grateful to me for it."
"I would not marry you if you were the last man left alive in the world! You are a complete—an utter—"
"And from this distance, she would find him extremely difficult to resist."
"It was a very good thing that gentlemen in general were not encouraged to carry ladies about, otherwise there would be even more sin in the world than there was already."
"I had felt so guilty at burning them. His tailor’s bills!"
"I think it would be a perfectly frightful thing. Married off to a man who cares not a button for you, merely in order to prevent a little scandal!"
"She was only just able to prevent herself from squeaking as she was lifted bodily off the floor and clasped securely against a broad, masculine chest."
"If you dare to laugh now, I shall drop you in the fire along with my tailor’s bills."
"No one knows what they are getting themselves into when they wed. The mere notion of choice is one of fate’s nastier jokes."
"Mine is an ancient name, Cousin. There is that and the dukedom to be considered. My own wishes and fears are unimportant by comparison."
"I collect that despite the farrago of nonsense her elderly relative was spouting, your acquaintance with the girl is of recent duration."
"I am not for the likes of you, Lord Carradice!"
"You’ll not distract me so easily, miss. When I have something to say I’ll say it to your sister, not to some brat who goes around kicking people."
"But if people deserve kicking, what else can I do?"
"Any man who leaves a girl like your sister for four and a half years is a thrice-blasted fool."
"You are so lovely. My poor eyes cannot resist the temptation you give them."
"I’ll speak to Carradice and work out when we can have the betrothal celebration."
"You must decide which is more frightful: Lady Bentick’s ridiculous turban with so many plumes she looks like a funeral hearse—"
"I don’t see what there is to amuse you so, Edward."
"I don’t need protecting. I’m not at all the innocent you imagine me."
"Of course he is only amusing himself with you but—"
"I would have heard from his mother. She was our neighbor in Norfolk, you know."
"Remembering what he had done with his tongue, she reached inside his mouth and stroked deeply and rhythmically."
"His arms lifted, dropped, and then wrapped around her, drawing her body up against his long, lean strength."
"She felt a spurt of deeply feminine triumph. Ha! Perhaps she was not so dull and dreary, after all!"
"It is a sham betrothal, if you recall. And an excellent thing, too, for a blind beggar could see we two should not suit, the way we quarrel."
"I gather Sir Oswald does not know the situation."
"He doesn’t even try to breach her defenses; he simply slipped under them and turned them to his own advantage."
I would hate you to fall off," he murmured and tightened his hold. "So undignified, not to mention dangerous.
"I should turn it off without a character, if I were you."
"A woman would run through fire and water for such a kind heart."
"Love is the whole history of a woman's life, It is an episode in a man's."
"But having done whate'er she could devise And emptied all her Magazine of lies The time approached..."
"A little exhaustion, in a good cause..."
"I am a wounded man. You've mistaken laughter for pain—extreme pain. I need someone to soothe me."
"You were in between that blackguard and me. I had to get across you to get to him. It’s not your fault."
"You are my heart. And our hearts beat in tune. I know it—I, who used not to believe in such things. And you know it."
"Each careful, moist kiss was precious to him. Each touch of her hand, along his jaw, in his hair, around his neck."
"I never thought any of us would marry. Grandpapa said our blood was inferior and we should not spread the mongrel taint."
"I discovered I was with child. That is what binds me to Phillip, not simply the promise."
"Love can hope where reason would despair." - George Lyttelton
"Love never dies of starvation, but often of indigestion." - French Proverb
"Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts." - William Shakespeare
"You are such an innocent, Prue. How do you think rakes seduce good girls? By making them think a wedding is in the offing."
"But what else am I going to do with my money, eh? Childless old widower like m’self. It’ll all come to you gels in the end, so don’t fret about anyone owin’ anything, m’dear."
"These mythical hordes of women aside, I’ve never seduced an innocent, nor taken up with any woman who wanted more from me than a little lighthearted dalliance."
"He could not simply walk out now and let Otterbury keep her. For he would, Gideon knew. Seeing Prudence after all these years, Otterbury would fall in love with her all over again."
"I cannot regret learning your story, but—"
"It’s not fair of you to speak to Prudence like that when you have no idea what’s been happening!"
"I must say, I expected a warmer welcome from you, little Prudish."
"I am not very good at proposing, you see—haven’t had a lot of practice. I was desperate to win you, but it wasn’t going well. I thought poetry would help."
"You are my heart, my soul. I, too, never knew it could be like this."
"I know you very kindly claimed me as your fiancée when Phillip let me down so publicly."
"I love you, Gideon. I love you so much."
"I love you, Prudence, more than even I believed possible."
"I’ll not put my brother in Bedlam for all the world to gawk at, but I’ve got him safely locked away at Dereham."
"You gels will inherit my fortune when I pop off, so what’s the difference? I’ve got a lot to make up for, leavin’ you with Theodore all these years."
"Even when no one loves you, there is always someone to love, someone who needs to be loved. Always. You just have to look outside yourself."
"If you ever run away from me, I’ll want to come with you."