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Quote by Caroline Linden

“Hugh paid no more attention to the farce than he had to the opera. He took every opportunity to study the young woman sitting beside him. She didn't hide her amusement at the production on stage, laughing at the pranks of the fool and clapping one hand to her mouth when the hero fell to his knee and proclaimed his love for the fainting maiden. Hugh sensed it was all genuine, as genuine as her nerves and her devotion to Willy and even her welcoming words to him this evening.”

Quote by Caroline Linden

Book:An Earl Like You
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An Earl Like You

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Caroline Linden

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“Ladies and their shopping!" Papa shook his head. "I'll never see the fascination with silk and lace." "Fortunately that age of fashion is over for gentlemen," Eliza said pertly. "Although you would look very handsome, Papa, in a long wig, with a velvet coat dripping in gold lace, and of course the heels worthy of Charles II." Lord Hastings made a faint sound that might have been a smothered laugh. Papa raised one brow at her, his mouth twitching. "Fortunate indeed. Keep your laces and ribbons and all those other fripperies." "I will, thank you." "They are far more suited to ladies," said Lord Hastings. He raised his glass to her. "Every lady of my acquaintance does far better justice to lace and silk than any man ever could. Particularly you, Miss Cross.”

Eliza And HughHugh Deveraux
Book:An Earl Like You
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“Eliza reached for the basket, but it was heavier than expected, and she almost dropped it. With a quick motion Lord Hastings righted it before the flowers could spill out, and in the process stepped very close to her. "Sorry," she said breathlessly as she hefted the basket in both hands. He didn't let go. Eliza looked up and her breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her, and his expression made her heart start to pound and her hands start to shake. "Miss Cross," he began. "I hope you don't think me presumptuous, but...I am rather glad your father was delayed today." She couldn't blink. She couldn't move. He reached out and drew her shawl lightly over her shoulder from where it had drooped. "Do you?" he asked softly. "What?" Her voice sounded faint and dazed. Hastings's mouth curved, and his eyes crinkled, almost teasingly. "Think me presumptuous," he whispered. "You can tell me." "No!" It burst out of her like a shout, but she had only enough breath for a whisper. Something shifted in his eyes before he lowered his lashes. He took her hand in his and raised it. Eliza quaked inside as his lips brushed slowly, softly, over her knuckles. His hands, still gloved, were so large and strong around her limp fingers. His eyes flashed up for a moment, as if gauging her reaction, and then he turned her hand over and touched his lips to her wrist. Eliza thought she might have whimpered out loud. She must have dozed off in the sun and was having another dream about him, one in which he looked at her with those obsidian-dark eyes and gave her the slow smile that made her stomach jump and leap, but no- this felt real. The handle of the flower basket was digging into her palm, her heart was pounding so hard she could almost hear it, and he was so close she could see the beginnings of stubble on his jaw, right near his beautiful mouth-”

Eliza And HughHugh Deveraux
Book:An Earl Like You
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“It was a relief to believe that she was as she seemed, but the more he liked her, the less fair it seemed that she was being fooled. And Hugh wasn't such an ogre that he didn't care for her feelings. On the contrary, he was coming to like her very much. Unlike many society girls, Eliza didn't act as if any gentleman nearby was obliged to amuse her. She expressed such delight in a simple posy, he couldn't help wondering what she would say if he presented her with a real gift. She seemed utterly content to spend time in her garden with her dog, and didn't even evince the slightest boredom at living in Greenwich away from the whirl of society. He told himself it must be easy, with Cross's vast fortune at her disposal; she needn't fret about a dark and drab drawing room, as Edith did, or moan about her lack of new gowns, as Henrietta did. But somehow he knew it wasn't just the money. Eliza wasn't the type to complain. Instead she gave every appearance of being content with her life and taking joy in small pleasures.”

Eliza And HughEliza CrossHugh Deveraux
Book:An Earl Like You
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“So much for fearing a shy, paralyzed virgin; she might be innocent, but Eliza had pressed against him and kissed him back until he completely forgot that he was pursuing her because of her father's manipulations. That thought cooled his blood somewhat. Edward Cross wanted him to court and marry his daughter, didn't he? Hugh smiled grimly. Cross was about to get exactly what he wanted. And so was he. Not only Cross's money, but Eliza herself.”

Eliza And HughEliza CrossHugh Deveraux
Book:An Earl Like You
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“People in France have a phrase: "Spirit of the Stairway." In French: esprit d'Escalier. It means that moment when you find the answer but it's too late. So you're at a party and someone insults you. You have to say something. So, under pressure, with everybody watching, you say something lame. But the moment you leave the party . . . As you start down the stairway, then - magic. You come up with the perfect thing you should've said. The perfect crippling put down. That's the Spirit of the Stairway.”

PhrasesGutsEsprit D EscalierSpirit Of The StairwaySaint Gut Free
Author:Chuck Palahniuk
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“Her hands went still. Hugh stared at the nape of her neck, at the honey-colored wisps curling against her pale skin. Could he chance it? Did he have a choice? "Bravo," called Cross from his seat. "What did you think, Hastings?" He had to clear his throat. "Lovely. You've a splendid voice, Miss Cross." She twisted to look up at him, her eyes shining with delight. "Thank you, sir." Hugh smiled on instinct. That look... She wasn't a beauty, nor even very pretty. London society would call her plain. But when she gazed at a man that way, with her heart in her eyes, she was not ordinary.”

Physical AttractionEliza Cross
Book:An Earl Like You
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