Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways, #1)

by Lisa Kleypas

But at the age of twenty-six, she considered herself beyond any need of chaperonage.

“Plain women are far more enjoyable. There’s no better aphrodisiac than gratitude.”

“Wives are a different case altogether. They require a great deal of effort, but the rewards are substantial. I highly recommend wives. Especially one’s own.”

“If I understand you, my lord,” he said curtly, “your recommendation for a lack of desire is to start seducing unattractive women?”

“It has become clear to me that with the right woman, one can never have enough. I would welcome an overabundance of such bliss—but I doubt such a thing is mortally possible.”

“Merripen, what does it mean when a man wears a thumb ring? Is it a Gypsy custom?”

“It signifies independence and freedom of thought. Also a certain separateness. In wearing it, he reminds himself he doesn’t belong where he is.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” she said. “People are in control of their own destinies.” Rohan smiled. “Everyone, even the gods, are helpless in the hands of fate.”

“I believe in magic and mystery, and dreams that reveal the future. And I believe some things are written in the stars … or even in the palm of your hand.”

Amelia had been kissed before. Not all that long ago, as a matter of fact, by a man she had been in love with. The pain of his betrayal had cut so deep, she had sworn never to allow any man close to her again.

“At Amelia’s age, women are far beyond thoughts of romance and passion.”

“Be that as it may, I think someday you’ll meet a man worth giving up your independence for.”

The old magic is a belief that all of nature is connected and equal. Everything is alive. Even the trees have souls.”

“Tell me, Miss Hathaway … what would you do if you were invited on a midnight ride across the earth and ocean? Would you choose the adventure, or stay safely at home?”

we can hope that wealth and kindness are not mutually exclusive … can’t we?”

“No, I don’t expect ever to marry.” “Why?” “I have a responsibility to my family. They need me.” After a brief pause, Amelia added frankly, “And the truth is, I should hate to submit to a husband’s dictates.”

“I have a responsibility to my family. They need me.” After a brief pause, Amelia added frankly, “And the truth is, I should hate to submit to a husband’s dictates.”

“I … I’m a spinster.” She offered the word as if it were a talisman. Everyone knew that rakish gentlemen were supposed to leave spinsters alone. But it appeared no one had told Cam Rohan.

Gypsies were fastidious, even ritualistic in their washing. The family had long been amused by Merripen’s views on what constituted proper cleanliness, his preference to wash in flowing water rather than soak in a bath.

“I find you thoroughly, deeply interesting. I want to open you like a book and read every page.” A smile curled the corners of his lips as he added huskily, “Footnotes included.”

“I want you. I want to lie with you beneath constellations and clouds and shade trees.”

“There’s some justice in that,” Amelia said. “You abandoned someone who loved you. And she abandoned you for someone she loved.”

“The problem with bachelorhood is that it’s far too easy, which makes it tedious. The only real challenge left is marriage.”

“Thank you, but no.” Carefully she dropped the herbs into the kettle. “Crying is a waste of time.” “‘To weep is to make less the depth of grief.’”

She deserved passionate, heart-scalding, overwhelming, consuming love. She deserved …

“The Rom believe you should take the road that calls to you, and never turn back. Because you never know what adventures await.”

“I’m twenty-six years old,” she protested. “How could it possibly be too soon for me?”

“Monisha? An endearment.” He could hardly think straight. “A Roma says it to a woman he’s intimate with.”

“You don’t want this. You don’t want me. One night can’t change the entire course of someone’s life.” “Of course it can.”

“You’re not like any man I’ve ever known,” she said. “You’re not even someone I could have dreamed. You’re like someone from a fairy story written in a language I don’t even know.”

“Be still,” he whispered, brushing kisses across her parted lips. “Hold me inside you. Feel the way your body tightens around me.”

“Never be afraid to hope,” Rohan said gently. “It’s the only way to begin.”

“You do too much thinking.” He kissed the top of her head. “I can’t promise you a perfect life. But I can promise that no matter what happens, I’ll give you everything I have. We’ll be together. You inside me … me inside you.”

“Any man,” she muttered, “who wanted to marry into the Hathaway family after this should be shut away in an institution.” “Marriage is an institution,” he said reasonably, retrieving her gown from the floor.