The Gift Quotes
"It was only a matter of time before the wedding guests killed one another."
"Both the Winchester family and the St. James rebels had protested his selection most vehemently."
"One word given in the wrong tone of voice, one action perceived to be the least bit threatening could well become the spark needed to ignite the bloodbath."
"Nothing short of a human sacrifice could keep those barbarians amused."
"The king had told Lawrence he was determined to have everyone in his kingdom get along."
"Nathan ignored their instructions. He knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and stated his pledge of loyalty in a firm voice."
"The journey here would have been too difficult for such… frail ladies."
"She wore a long white dress with lace borders around the hem and wrists."
"Sara, exhausted from the long ride and her strenuous tantrum, rubbed the edge of her blanket back and forth under her nose."
"He made up his mind that he would just have to suffer through any embarrassment she forced on him."
"It was going to be a clean, uncomplicated kidnapping."
"They were known to tear a man's eyes out just for squinting; they liked to kick an opponent in his groin for the fun of hearing him howl."
"She had stood up to her relatives, ignoring the dire consequences that were sure to come, and had done the right thing."
"It simply wasn't like her aunt to forget to write. No, the monthly packet of letters had always been as dependable as the inevitable rain on the annual Winchester picnics."
"Her imagination was getting the better of her, she decided. It was probably just her own heartbeat making all the ruckus in her ears."
"There would be hell to pay when he realized she'd run away again."
"She was determined to go to any length to save her Aunt Nora from having to spend one more night under her uncle's sadistic supervision."
"Villains needed their rest, too, didn't they?"
"He found that revelation astonishing, since she was a Winchester. Yet she'd already shown him a glimpse of real courage."
"The way his bride strolled down the street should be outlawed, he thought to himself."
"It was the most inept burglary he'd ever witnessed."
"Please don't cry, Nora," Sara whispered. "Everything's going to be fine now. I'm going to take good care of you."
"We aren't going to tell my mother, though, are we?"
"It will take more than a Winchester to do me in."
"My husband kills cowards as easily as he would a bothersome gnat, and if you doubt me, just remember he is a St. James through and through."
"She threw the carriage door open, catching the villain in his midsection."
"You're supposed to cherish me, Nathan. You did promise."
"She's my wife, and I will always treat her kindly. In time she'll realize her good fortune."
"No matter how pitiful she looked or sounded when she started crying, he would not back down."
"I will try to obey your orders, Nathan, when I think they're reasonable."
"What makes you think I'm not kind, gentle, understanding?"
"If you wish my attention, simply ask for it."
"Thank you for telling me," he snapped. "I never would have known…"
"For God's sake, it happened a long time ago."
"You realize how much I want the money and the land, don't you, Sara?"
"Nathan, I'm everything a husband could want in a wife," she blurted out.
"I have only one little favor to ask of you. Couldn't you please wait until tonight to do this thing? Since you're so determined, couldn't you at least give me a few more hours to come to terms with my fate?"
"Of course. I'm frowning because I believe your parents have deceived you yet again."
"You were trained to hate the man. They thought they'd raised another one just like your sister Belinda, but they couldn't do it, could they? You don't hate Nathan at all."
"It's just that I've been trained to think of Nathan as my husband all these years."
"Nathan is the kind of man who takes care of the people close to him."
"I have always belonged to you, Nathan. Always."
"Marriage was a sacred institution, and Sara was determined to protect and cherish her vows."
"I wasn't afraid last night," she announced. "You were."
"I'm not tender now," she whispered. "But we both know I will be if you persist in getting your way, Nathan."
"Are you going to want to shout at me again?" "No."
"Because I'm his wife," she blurted out. "He promised to protect me, Nora."
"The only time Nathan says my name, he screams it."
"Then why are you crying?" "I don't know why," she answered. "It was so… amazing, and I was so…"
"He may want to, but he would never touch me, no matter how angry he is."
"I never should have left the hearth unattended," she whispered. "Did a spark…"
"Lord, she was the most incredibly giving woman he'd ever touched. There was always such honesty in her reactions, such trust."
"His mind was just having a little difficulty accepting what his heart already knew… had always known, she corrected herself, from the moment they were wed to each other."
"The way to Nathan's heart certainly wasn't through his stomach, she decided."
"She felt lonely, vulnerable. And it was all his fault, she thought to herself."
"If men had breached the munitions hold, then others had to be on board, too."
"She wouldn't be any help to her husband if she let her imagination get the better of her."
"You're going to die quick and easy," she whispered.
"I'm going to be very disappointed if any of you vote in favor of death. Very disappointed," she added in a dramatic tone of voice.
"I didn't want to have to resort to such tactics, men, but you've left me with no alternative. The vote had better not disappoint me."
"The vote was unanimous. No one wanted Sara to be disappointed."
"I cannot let you believe I was completely courageous," Sara confessed. "I was terrified all the while."
"That doesn't signify," Nora countered. "You helped your husband. It means all the more because you were afraid and yet you didn't fail him."
"You aren't a coward," he whispered. "My God, Nora, she's in pain. I won't have it."
"Please go away now. If God is truly merciful, I'll die in just a few more minutes… if not from the pain, then from the shame of having to explain my condition to you."
"She needs her husband, dear. Nathan, she wants someone to comfort her."
"I love you," she whispered. "Even with all your flaws, Nathan, I still love you."
"He didn't want to disappoint her, yet he wouldn't lie to her. And in the dark recesses of his mind fear took root. What if he wasn't capable of ever giving her what she wanted?"
"Nathan considered himself the master of the game when it came to hurting people. Yet when it came to loving someone he didn't have the faintest idea how."
"Sara tried to shove him out of the bed. 'You are the most impossible man I've ever known. Listen well, Nathan. I have something to say to you.'"
"His sigh was long, drawn out. 'Sara, you don't have to love me. It isn't a requirement in this marriage.'"
"The revelation had finally settled in her mind. It stunned her a little. Nathan was afraid."
"Lord, he'd go into a rage if she told him what she was thinking. Men didn't like to hear they were afraid of anything."
"She had been quite determined to tell him that he loved her. She'd believed that once she'd told him, he'd realize she was right."
"She fell asleep before he could give her a lecture on the merits of humility."
"He had believed he would have to protect his wife from the world. Now he knew the truth. It had become his duty to protect the world from his wife."
"One doesn't have to be young to experience love, my dear. One doesn't have to be beautiful or wealthy or brilliant. Love doesn't come with conditions."
"If we fall into the water now, we're going to drown."
"Being married to Nathan was like living in paradise. Nothing could ever destroy their love. Nothing."
"I believe he'd be very proud of your efforts," Nora answered. "Do you really want to be at a man's mercy? Consider your mother, Sara. She isn't married to a man as caring as Nathan."
"You bloody well are worthy enough. Don't you dare insult yourself to me, sir."
"Wife, what the hell are you doing? Matthew, unhand her."
"He thought she was the most exasperating woman."
"The woman couldn't seem to grasp the knack of using just a pinch of seasoning."
"Matthew suggested they use the leftovers for cannonballs."
"I thought it was a lovely voyage," she announced. "Very uneventful, as a matter of fact."
"God, she was exasperating, he thought. Pleasing, too."
"Nathan usually addresses me as Damn It Sara. Don't you, dear?" she asked her husband.
"He's impressing me, too," Jimbo announced with a deep chuckle.
"Sir, are you deliberately trying to provoke Nathan's temper?"
"She wasn't about to let her men drag out her venial sins like soiled linen to be scrubbed clean in front of company."
"Shame on you for thinking we'd be so inhospitable."
"You must prepare yourselves for the scandal."
"I have only formed one conclusion thus far. Sara loves Nathan."
"If you're referring to the scandal about to break, Nathan won't be upset."
"Sara, I'm having trouble understanding why your father would want you to return to his home."
"The heart of the matter is always decided by the heart itself."
"The love words aren't necessary, Nathan, if you just tell her what's in your heart."
"God, how he wished they were alone so he could take her into his arms and show her how much he loved her."
"You love me, Sara, because I'm everything you could ever want in a husband."