Romancing The Duke Quotes
"But she’d never been hopeless. Not yet. Not quite."
"Once she’d grown old enough to understand her mother’s death, Izzy had consoled herself with the idea that this was all part of her epic tale."
"Everyone knew that Cinderella had to scrub the floors before she could win the handsome prince."
"When Gostley Castle came into view, Izzy gulped."
"Little potbellied drunkards, those summer raindrops, chortling on their way to earth and crashing open with glee."
"Snowcapped mountains. Churning thunderclouds. Shaggy, sharp-toothed lions. This man silhouetted before her? He belonged, quite solidly, in the latter category."
"He leaned one shoulder against the archway. 'Aren’t we going to continue? This game.'"
"You cannot faint. Only ninnies and consumptive ladies swoon, and you are neither."
"‘Ermine, stoat, weasel. They’re all the same thing.’ ‘They’re not,’ Izzy objected. ‘Well, perhaps they are—but ermine sounds more dignified.’"
"Beautiful women are always trouble. Whether they mean to be or not."
"What fairy tales were left over for a plain, impoverished, twenty-six-year-old woman who’d never even been kissed?"
"‘I’m not Lord Archer,’ he went on in that low, seductive rumble. ‘I’ve never read your father’s soppy stories, and you’re not some little girl to me. I’ve run my hands all over your body. And these hands have an excellent memory.’"
"‘Listen to me, prattling on.’ She tilted her head and peeked under his makeshift compress. ‘I think the bleeding has stopped.’"
"‘One night. You can stay one night.’ He’d been a fool to waste all that time arguing legalities. The castle itself would do the convincing. Once she’d spent a night in Gostley Castle, she wouldn’t be able to run away fast enough."
"Just one night," the duke said. "And I'm only agreeing to that much because I expect one night in this place will be enough for you."
"Eight paces wide. Big enough for a duke and a half dozen women, besides. Makes a man yearn for the medieval ages."
"You’re not going to ruin my first kiss. I won’t let you. You’re going to kiss me again, right now. And make it better."
"I’ve started fighting against it. You’re not going to ruin my first kiss. I won’t let you."
"I will see you back to your bedchamber now. And when morning comes, I will find you somewhere else to stay."
"This is it. This is mine. I don’t care about the bats, the rats, the ghosts. This turret is going to be my bedchamber, and this castle will be my home."
"You need to understand. You cannot stay here. Not after what happened between us last night."
"I've always tried to make the best of what life gave me."
"I'm not apprehensive." He pushed a hand through his hair. "Good grief, Goodnight. You are the most vexing woman."
"Everything’s more amusing when read in voices."
"Inherited? This?" The young woman’s eyes flew wide. "I can’t believe it."
"It wasn’t kindness. I know, I know. Something about vermin."
"This castle wasn’t built in a day, and it won’t be made livable in one day, either."
"You’re not going to waste more time cleaning house."
"I’d rather not. My life’s work was helping my father. But that doesn’t mean I’m a little girl living in his tales."
"I think I might like you much better this way."
"Why are you down here at all? Write your letters upstairs."
"It’s morning. Almost. And I’m reading this book Miss Pelham gave me about the history of the area. The Rothbury story is just marvelous."
"It’s not coddling. It’s not meant to be tormenting, either. I just . . . enjoy greeting you in the morning."
"This is what a valet lives for. Removing stubborn stains from quality fabric."
"I’m not avoiding you, Your Grace. I don’t know what you mean."
"You will never meet another woman with fewer expectations of romance."
"I’ve wondered where I rank in the spectrum between flawed Adonis and ghastly horror."
"I’m no one’s hero, Miss Goodnight. You’d do well to remember it."
"You’ve seen how Lord Archer and Miss Pelham and all these people treat me—like a naïve little girl. Everyone’s always treated me that way."
"If you hoped and dreamed it, then perhaps they did."
"To stand up for her. To be her surly, ill-mannered champion."
"Because no one wanted to read a story about a funny-looking girl with a mop of dark, tangled hair and pale blue eyes."
"I didn’t love her. I never would have loved her."
"I understand why you didn’t want me in the castle. I was a surprise. You must have hated me."
"You’ve been gossiping about me. Or maybe it was somewhere in my stack of correspondence. Have you been snooping through my letters on your own?"
"I just . . . I just needed to keep you up here."
"And he wanted to be sure she would have no regrets."
"I want to make love to you, Izzy. Very, very, very badly."
"It’s all right. You needn’t be worried, Ransom. I understand."
"This wasn’t impersonal lust. They understood each other."
"For a moment there, I thought the attempt at decency would come back and bite me."
"Her intimate muscles convulsed, pulling at him. Begging for more."
"It didn’t matter what happened tomorrow. This tenderness was worth everything."
"I’ve fallen just a little bit in love with you."
"She waited, heart pounding in her chest, for his reaction."
"They could throw me in Bedlam and swallow the key. As long as my child is in your womb, you’ll be protected."
"All this effort. All this work. All this love in her heart. And it was nothing to him."
"These past few days of amiable assistance and cheerful industry had made him feel like a stranger in his own house."
"No one had ever loved him, and no one ever could."
"He mortgages his very soul to win her and spends his life paying off the debt."
"If someone offers you love or friendship, take it."
"The echoes of her words still rang in the ceiling vaults."
"This wasn’t imagined fear. Not anymore. This was genuine terror for the safety of someone she cared about."
"I love you. You. Beautiful . . . tempting . . . clever . . . lovely . . . you."
"I thought we’d moved past this. I’m not going to hide what we have any longer."
"He mined every reserve of patience he possessed."
"Do you believe me now? He’s addled, clearly."
"The duke is humoring me. But he knows this is just pretense."
"It’s your life’s work, and they’re our friends. I couldn’t do it."
"You can’t know how much I love you right now."
"I’m overwhelmed. There are times when even a writer can run out of words."