The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1)

by Jasper Fforde

“No, indeed,” I replied. “I confess I came here to interrupt the wedding but my nerve failed me.” He looked at me. “Why?” “Why? Well, because . . . because I thought I’d make a better Mrs. Parke-Laine than Daisy, I suppose.” “I know that,” exclaimed Landen, “and agree wholeheartedly. What I wanted to know is why your nerve failed you. After all, you chase after master criminals, indulge in high-risk SpecOps work, will quite happily go against orders to rescue comrades under an intense artillery barrage, yet—” “I get the point. I don’t know. Maybe those sorts of yes-or-no life-and-death decisions are easier to make because they are so black and white. I can cope with them because it’s easier. Human emotions, well . . . they’re just a fathomless collection of grays and I don’t do so well on the midtones.” “Midtones is where I’ve lived for the past ten years, Thursday.”