The Ringed Castle Quotes

“And deep within him, missing its accustomed tread, his heart paused, and gave one single stroke, as if on an anvil.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Not to every young girl is it given to enter the harem of the Sultan of Turkey and return to her homeland a virgin.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“He can make you want to knock him down, if he feels like it, by simply saying “good morning”. He possibly said simply “good morning” to Lord Culter. The difference was that, being his brother, Culter hit him.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Verily, God hath eighteen thousand worlds; and verily, your world is one of them, and this its bright axle-tree.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Of all the homes I have known, yours has been a shining model of wisdom and kindness and honesty. For what you and your mother have done in the past, for me and for the child, I owe you a profound debt of honour. You have that claim on me. So has your mother. But if you press it too far; if you will accept no appeal and continue to press it, over and over; if you move into my life, both of you, and take your stance there and feel obliged to command and instruct me in how I should or should not behave, you will destroy our relationship. I shall walk away from you both; I shall deny you both; I shall repudiate all you have done for me. It will all be as if it had never happened … I don’t know what you fear for me, but that you should fear. For I cannot afford it.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Kate said, her eyes very large, ‘I find your rudeness abominable and your politeness obnoxious but my goodness, Francis Crawford, what terrifies me more than a jungle of tigers is the moment when you look worried.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“There have been so many misunderstandings in the past. What you did, often, was done for good reason. I know I am simple. I know you are devious. But, oh God, if there is any good reason for what you are doing now; any excuse; any unknown factor or subtle circumstance you are afraid I can’t grasp, for the mercy of God, this time, tell me.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“You have not yet discovered what happens to Russians at sea.’

‘The same thing, I suppose, that happens to Englishmen,’ Chancellor said. ‘Scots, I take it, are immune.’

‘To sarcasm, yes,’ Lymond said.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Intelligence is the only indispensable commodity in life or in warfare. If you think otherwise, go live in a hut with a poet. The rest of us will do our best to defend you.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Yes, gentlemen: said Philippa impatiently, and seizing a stout wooden heading axe, let it fall on the next person who passed.

It was Lymond. He dropped to his knees, his hands covering the nape of his neck, his skin flushed with laughter. Philippa, lowering the axe, said, ‘I have never in the whole of my life seen you laugh before.’

He looked up at the red sock, still gasping. ‘Now that,’ he said, ‘is ridiculous. Although, now you mention it, I didn’t laugh last time it happened. Hit d’Harcourt on the head and see if he laughs.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“I don’t change from minute to minute. I don’t change at all.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“You are a mathematician,’ John Dee said.

‘I am a musician,’ said Lymond.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Speak for yourself,’ said Danny Hislop. ‘I’m held together by intellectual curiosity. So are we all. We were wonderfully specious at Novgorod—Best will remember—about our reasons for staying in Russia. No one gave the correct one. You can hate a man and stay in his company because of his sheer, God-given, irresistible powers to stimulate. We all liked fighting, and we liked talking about fighting. With Lymond you don’t talk about fighting; you discuss the art of warfare, and then its philosophy, and then ten dozen other subjects all through the night, or for as long as he has patience to stay with you. I thought, God help me, that you were all trailing through Europe because you were enamoured of him. It wasn’t that in the least.’

‘We loved his mind,’ said Adam Blacklock, with sudden terrible bitterness.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Guthrie said, ‘You are destroying yourself. You are destroying all that makes common cause with your fellows.’

‘Some of it,’ said Lymond calmly. ‘It is my parting gift to you all. You are free, and so am I. There are no bonds between us, except those of the intellect.’

‘And the intellect,’ said Alec Guthrie, ‘will bring you back to us?’

‘Self-interest,’ Lymond said, ‘will bring me back to you. And intellect, I trust, will maintain me.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Unwanted, unasked, unwelcome as ever, here I am.’

‘Again,’ said Lymond.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“You’ve changed the metre,’ said Philippa.
‘I reserve the right,’ said Lymond, ‘to change the metre. Don’t interrupt.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“And a capable feminine voice, directed past Austin Grey’s ear to his opponent, said baldly, ‘Hit him.’

Lymond, already balanced on the upswing to hurl himself forward, dropped his arm and said, with dawning reproof, ‘I was going to.’

‘I know,’ said Philippa. ‘And it’ll take half an hour and end with an audience. Hit him.’

Under her hands, Austin Grey suddenly struggled.

‘Hit him!’ said Philippa sharply. ‘It’s the only way he can stop now, with honour.’

Which was not only perceptive, but practical. So Lymond hit him.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Are you by any chance …’ said Lymond.

‘… baiting you?’ Philippa said. ‘Only when you are inclined to be magisterial.’

‘Oh, good God,’ Lymond said. ‘Kate must be out of her mind.’

‘And thank heaven you aren’t my father?’ said Philippa.

‘Roughly,’ said Lymond, and began to laugh, and then stopped.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“If you will excuse us?’

‘Go to Sir Henry’s room,’ Lady Mary called after her. ‘And if you use weapons, be sure to call witnesses.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Don’t be so sensitive,’ he said, faintly chiding. ‘It makes everyday commerce most trying.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“My God, he must be a good man with his fists.’

‘Lymond?’ said Danny sweetly.

‘Lord Culter. I assume,’ Ludovic said. ‘At least, he was the last person up the stairs before Yeroffia. What did they quarrel about?’

‘Can you remember,’ Daniel Hislop said, ‘how many times you have wanted to do that in the last two or three years, and the occasion each time?’

‘Once a day,’ d’Harcourt said. ‘Sometimes twice. And for as many different reasons.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Kiaya Khátún is of the happy family circle.’

‘You didn’t marry her!’ said Richard sharply.

‘No! No,’ said Lymond soothingly. ‘All but the ceremony. We hope to have the four children legitimized.’

For a moment, with sinking heart, Richard believed him. Then he saw the look on Lymond’s face, and found he could bear it even less. He got to his feet, stiff and unslept, with all the weariness of the night suddenly upon him. ‘At least,’ he said, ‘you are back.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“I have fallen out of the habit of talking to brothers,’ Lymond said.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Half-way there, a touch of his normal common sense returned to him and he slowed down, wondering what exchange of courtesies he was going to offer a vagabond, an Abram man, or an idiot. Then the man turned his head and Richard saw that he was none of these things. That the frieze cloak he wore was rich, and fell back from the silk of a high-collared tunic; that his hair, flicked by the wind, was yellow as mustard and the shadowless face, faintly engraved upon and tired as cered linen, was indeed that of Francis his brother.

Lymond did not move. His head lifted, watching, showed no conventional welcome; his brows, cloudily drawn, suggested the weight of something so firmly extinguished that nothing was left, in thought or expression, save a curious air, part of resignation, part of defiance which had to do, perhaps, with his stillness. Only the edge of his cloak stirred tardily, with his inaudible breathing. His parted lips closing, Richard Crawford came to a halt and stood, looking down at his brother.

‘There is not a soul but over it is a keeper,’ Lymond said. ‘Welcome, brother.’”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“I have said the intellect is all that can matter. I haven’t said it is easy—or painless … to rid oneself of all that is left.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“You called me Alec just now,’ Guthrie said. ‘If I have dispensation to do the same, let me say it. Francis Crawford, I wish you away from this country; and if I had the hearing of a friend, and not that of the Voevoda Bolshoia, I would tell you never to come back.’

Abandoned by artifice, Lymond’s face exposed, for an instant, his astonishment. ‘Of course you may speak,’ he said. ‘At this moment … but why? I cannot see why?’

‘I know you cannot see why,’ said Alec Guthrie. ‘You saw it when you fought Graham Malett. You saw it in France and in Malta. You saw it clearest of all at home among your own people.’

Lymond said sharply, ‘That will do.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Meanwhile, until the snow comes, we had better keep Master Chancellor and his party entertained.’

‘Tartar women?’ said Fergie helpfully. ‘Danny Hislop …’

‘Healthy physical exercise,’ said Lymond tartly.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“Age can mellow, they say.’

‘They say wrong,’ said Diccon Chancellor. ‘I have known Mistress Philippa these two months, and I have aged while she has grown daily less mellow. Why else am I fleeing the country?”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“I wish to drink to celebrate another proof of something I hold to be true: that what is mathematical is divine, and what is divine is mathematical, and that a transfusion of both creates the flame which is known as beauty.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle

“On such a night, no one spoke. The four sledges soared through horizonless space, wreathed above and below with vapours of light, shot with trembling colour. Above the fear and his aching body and the pain of the pure and terrible air in his lungs Diccon Chancellor dwelled, with his heart on his wife and his sons, and his soul in a limbo far farther than that, and experienced happiness.”
― Dorothy Dunnett, The Ringed Castle