The Gentleman's Gambit (A League of Extraordinary Women, #4)

by Evie Dunmore

“So much theory and guesswork,” she said with a shrug, “when instead, they could simply ask us and listen to what women say. But that would be too radical, I suppose.”

First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, she thought darkly. Then, the drink takes you.

“Scotch, I understand, is an acquired taste.” His voice deepened when he said: “Many of the best things are.” “Hm. Why do you think that is?” “It takes a certain maturity to appreciate complexity.”

“If I were the only person in the world,” she said to the ceiling, “how would I even know I was a woman? Who would tell me? Who would make me? I would just be me. Why can’t I just be me?”

Solitude that wasn’t freely chosen was no better than loneliness.

“Do you know how a tree changes shape to grow around an obstruction?” she asked, her voice hollow. “How it develops an unnatural bent, or ugly bulges?” “I have seen these trees, yes.” “I’m wondering how misshapen I am,” she whispered. “I wonder how bent out of shape I am from these attempts to exist around some fear, instead of just growing, straight and up, as I should have.”

Keep your voice down thanks

She was struggling to contain a riot, raging right behind her breastbone. Sometimes, she suspected that her rejection of a romantic companion wasn’t her actual battle, but only the first line of defense, and that deep down, she wanted love rather too much, with a desperate, grasping passion that scared her witless.

“Do you know why I enjoy watching birds of prey?” “Tell me?” “Because they thrill me. How they soar, and swoop at great speed. They are pure freedom. On my life, I would never clip the wings of a falcon.” “A wife is not a bird.” “Indeed,” he said. “So imagine how much more I would care for her happiness.”

He had already thought about Applecross; had tried to assess its easy strengths and weak spots, challenges and opportunities.

Love got my man doing SWOT analyzes