The Highland Dragon's Lady Quotes

“I should have seduced you at the ball,” she said. “Kilts are probably much more convenient.”
“Oh, aye,” said Colin, and his smile was full of light. “But you’ll get another chance or ten, I promise.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Odd how six people could be a crowd when she lived daily among millions.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“The Honorable Colin MacAlasdair?”
“As a matter of formality, yes,” he said, and his eyes glinted silver in the moonlight. He took a step toward Reggie. “In actuality, I’m honorable only when I can’t find any way ‘round it.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Or perhaps the act of conquering was simply a penny dreadful writ large, with one nation as the dashing highwayman and another as the abducted maiden. First one ravished, then one loved.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“I don’t mean to, er, importune you with my feelings. If you don’t share them that is. No harm done.”
The chair was definitely floating. That was all right. Reggie smiled and didn’t think she’d be able to stop any time soon. “You really are a prize idiot,” she said and leaned forward to cup his face in one hand. “Do you think I’d have gone tearing into a haunted cave—in my underthings, no less—for just anyone?”
“You?” he asked, his eyes shining like a summer evening. “Yes. Absolutely.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“But she’s a ghost. And a demon.”
“Might be a closer struggle than otherwise,” Edmund agreed heavily. “But he does have us.”
“Oh, good,” said Reggie.
And a little voice in the back of her head asked her why they were even bothering to come out. If Janet’s trap had worked, if Colin, the part-dragon, the magician with more than a century of life behind him, was actually in danger, what exactly did Reggie think two mortals and a few lead projectiles would accomplish?
She told the voice to remember fables about mice and lions and traps—or was that thorns?—that in setting her trap for large prey, Janet might have left smaller openings unguarded, that there had to be a reason mortals were running so much of the world. Then she told the voice to go to the devil. Then she wished she hadn’t thought of the devil.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“When all of this was over, she was never going anywhere more rural than Greenwich again.
If she found Colin alive, she would go wherever he wanted. Or she would go to a leper colony and do good deeds there. Reggie wasn’t sure which she would promise. She wasn’t sure who she was bargaining with, or what they’d prefer. She should have asked Mr. Heselton, she thought, and felt a manic laugh bubble up in her throat.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Marriage is always rather a leap into the abyss for a woman.”
“For anyone,” Colin said. “Though I’ll admit your point. Bonds . . . well, they bind, to be dreadfully obvious about it. Takes a bit of nerve to hold out your hands that way.”
Reggie’s eyebrows went up, and a sudden smile flashed in the moonlight. “Colin MacAlasdair,” she said, “are you daring me to marry you?”
“Of course,” he said, though he hadn’t thought of it before.
Her laughter rippled through the darkness. “Well, God knows I’m not much for backing down,” she said.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“This time, Reggie caught him by surprise.
More precisely, she climbed up to his balcony again and knocked at his window while he was trying to translate another page of Janet’s diary. Colin snapped his head around and saw a white human form. He was on his feet in an instant, knocking the chair over and then kicking it out of the way, feeling the energy of transformation begin to crackle along his bones.
Then he saw Reggie’s face.
When he opened the door to the balcony, any impulse to leave human form had subsided, but his heart was still pounding away in his throat. He was leaning against the balcony in an outwardly casual pose, but Reggie nonetheless looked back at him with her dark eyes wide. “Maybe I shouldn’t surprise you, in the future” she said.
“Not in this house,” said Colin. “I’m a terribly placid chap in most circumstances, I assure you.”
“Ha,” said Reggie, and stepped inside at his gesture of invitation.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“So I’ll be very modern and not ask any more questions about Mr. MacAlasdair. I’m certain that he’ll answer any that really matter before very long.”
Her meaning broke upon Reggie like the first rays of sun when one had spent the night before surrounded by music and suspiciously green drinks.
Mater was talking about marriage. Whatever she’d noticed, whatever she’d worked out, Mater expected marriage, or at least expected Colin to propose. He, Reggie was damned sure, had no idea of doing any such thing.
She would have put a hand out to steady herself, but the only objects nearby were Mater herself and the rosebush, thick with thorns.
How bloody appropriate.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Although,” Mater said, “it’s to be hoped that Regina didn’t give you nearly as much trouble as when she was younger. We never had much doubt that she’d come through illness, as a girl” she said to the table, shaking her head and smiling affectionately at Reggie, “but we often wondered whether the household would survive.”
“Slander,” said Reggie, after swallowing a bite of muffin. “Slander and calumny. I shall file a suit directly. And Edmund was a hundred times worse. I didn’t have friends smuggle reptiles into my room.”
These days, the reptiles in her bed did their own smuggling. Reggie tried to stifle a laugh when she thought of that and nearly choked on her tea as a result.
“Are you all right?” Miss Heselton asked. “If you’re feeling unwell—”
“She’ll be fine,” Mater said as Reggie finished her coughing fit. “Too easily amused, but fine. I recognize that expression.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Briefly, she forgot whose arms she was in and why, and muttered a profane question up at the man—handsome enough, but dashed impertinent to be toting her about like this.
“You hit your head, Reggie,” he said, and his voice reminded her that he was Colin.
“But you are a dragon,” she said, frowning up at him.
“You’re not imagining that part,” he said, his mouth twitching.
“And we—”
“We did.”
“Oh. Jolly good,” she said and let her head fall back against his shoulder.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Reggie, sweetheart, I’ll need you to open your eyes. Just for a bit.”
“Ugh,” she said and sighed. “All right.”
The light still hurt. She was staring into Colin’s eyes now, though. They were the same metallic silver that they’d been in his dragon form, with serpentine vertical pupils. “You . . .” She waved a hand, trying to think of words. “You changed.”
“It seemed wise at the moment. And you can shut your eyes again. What’s your name?”
“Regina Talbot-Jones. Typical of a man to forget, after,” she said, laughing as the idea struck her.
Colin’s hand tightened on hers. “And what year is it?”
“Eighteen ninety-five.”
He sighed. “All right. I’ll be picking you up now. Put your arms around my neck, aye? And hold tight. This will take a while.”
“I guess you can’t fly me,” she said with a sigh of her own, “in the middle of the day.”
“For sixpence I would,” he said curtly, “and damn the daylight. But I’d not be able to carry you without hurting you, and you can’t hang on like this. Brace yourself.”
Then his arms were around her, beneath her knees and her neck. Colin lifted her and held her, her head against his hard chest. It would have been very pleasant to lie that way if the motion hadn’t set her brain bouncing against the inside of her skull. She bit her lip. She would not cry out, because Colin was doing the best he could, and she would certainly not be sick, because it was disgusting and would just make her head hurt more.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Colin and Edmund were here. How embarrassing.
“She’s alive. Conscious too,” Edmund said in the bluff pretend-nothing’s-really-wrong tone she’d only heard him take about horses and hounds before.
Colin said something rough. He said it in a foreign tongue—not French or German—and it had a number of syllables, but Reggie knew an oath when she heard one.
“. . . gonna hope,” she managed, though her tongue was as swollen as her brain from the feel of it, “you’re not mad ’m alive.”
“For the love of God, woman,” said Colin, “don’t talk.”
Close up—and he was close up now—his voice didn’t sound normal. His accent was very thick now. More to the point, his voice had dropped at least an octave, and it sounded almost sibilant. Reggie heard more swishing grass and felt a shadow fall over her, then a hand on her arm. It was Colin’s, she thought, but even hotter than he normally was.
“…’s wrong w’ you?” she asked. She didn’t want to open her eyes to find out, because of the light needles.
“A damned fine question” he said. “Do not move. Do what I say this time.”
As Reggie wasn’t inclined to move anyhow, she held still while an equally warm set of fingers travelled gently but urgently over her head, at first avoiding the sticky place on one side and then probing lightly around its edges. No amount of gentleness could have made that not hurt, and she couldn’t manage to control herself. She cried out and batted at Colin’s arm. “Stoppit. Go ’way.”
“Damned if I will.” He caught her fingers in his free hand. “There’s a bloody great lump here,” he said, not to her, “but nothing feels broken. But she’s bleeding. Quite a bit, and would you for the love of God go get a doctor? Make yourself useful, man!”
“I—” Edmund started to retort angrily, and Reggie wondered if she’d have to get up and deal with the two of them, because she’d quite cheerfully kill both if so. Moving hurt. Thinking hurt. Edmund and Colin shouting hurt. Luckily for everyone, she heard Edmund take a long breath. “I’ll go down to the village and get Dr. Brant if you take Reggie back to the house. We can’t bring him out here, and I don’t want to leave you both waiting—not when she might come back.”
She? Reggie was puzzled for a moment, then remembered: Janet Morgan. Ghost, witch, and generally unpleasant person. Quite possibly the reason she was lying on the ground with spikes in her brain.
“Stupid cow,” she said.
“Stupid? I’d love it if she were,” said Edmund.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Every village has to have its rumors, you know. Having me around might be doing them quite the service.”
He wanted to ask. He wanted, more than that, to put a hand over hers or an arm around her shoulders, but surrounded by people, and with her looking so spiky, he decided on discretion.
“For a time, perhaps,” he said lightly, “until the baker’s son gets himself called out for pistols at dawn.”
“People don’t duel these days,” said Reggie, and then she tilted her head to study Colin’s face, her own expression softened now by amusement and surprise. “And you know that.”
“It’s possible that I do.” Colin rearranged his hand, watching Reggie over the edge of the cards. “Laws change so quickly, you know. And I’ve never really bothered.”
“With dueling? I’m surprised.”
“Do you really think I’m the sort to go around calling men out?”
“No.” She dimpled. “I think you’re the sort to get a challenge every day or two, if people let you into polite company.”
“Hardly,” said Colin. “One only got called out, you understand, if one got caught. Credit me with some grace, at least.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“All the same, I hope you didn’t have to go to very much trouble.”
“I gave him a tenner this morning. And I’m sure he thinks I have—” She bit her lip. Beneath violet-striped cotton, her breasts rose with a quick inhalation. “Some kind of secret.”
She still didn’t look at him.
“A lover out there, maybe?” Colin said, dropping his voice and coming closer to the truth than she’d managed. Reggie sat very still, except to swallow, and he watched the motion of her neck. There was color creeping up from the edge of her bodice, and he didn’t think it was all embarrassment.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Reggie leaped backward, which might have allowed her a graceful escape—she wasn’t sure whether the shape had seen her yet—except that fear had narrowed her perception and skewed her sense of direction. In short, she ran into a tree. Her head hit the bark with an audible whack and a jolt of dull pain. She bit back a curse, then froze as the creature, alert now, turned to take another look at her.
Hitting one’s head was not a recipe for improved vision. She saw a dark shape, blurred around the edges, with those huge silver eyes. She managed not to shriek when it moved closer. Then she saw a hint of blue in the eyes, and the outlines of the creature became clearer. Reggie saw a long neck—curved horns—wings—
Fairy tales had been long ago for her, but a few images had stuck. She thought dragon, with, possibly, the first sense of relief any human being had ever felt on making that identification.
“Colin?”
She whispered the name, partly because she wanted to be discreet but mostly because she didn’t think she had enough air in her lungs to speak louder.
Even as the massive head moved in what she could only assume was a dragonish attempt to nod, Reggie squirmed inwardly, embarrassed to have asked. As though there were many dragons around Whitehill—as though any sinister third cousin of Colin’s would actually bother to correct any mistaken identity.
“What are you doing out here?”
The mouth began to open, disclosing extremely large, extremely sharp teeth. Then Colin stopped and looked down at Reggie. She wasn’t sure what his expression meant—not until he sighed and lowered his head toward her.
Ah. He couldn’t speak English in this form. She couldn’t speak Dragon, if that was even a language.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“And if the ground’s done anything to offend you, do say the word and I’ll call it out like a gentleman. It’s a rather vast foe to take on alone, though you seem to be making a good start,” he added, waving his hand toward where her boots were clicking on the cobblestones.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“What exactly are we looking for, by the way?”
“A body in a trunk would be ideal,” said Reggie. “Or bloodstains.”
“Long knives with serpents carved into the hilt,” Colin volunteered. “Evil symbols scratched in the wall.”
Reggie laughed and then shrugged as she tried to come up with a serious answer. “Anything with a name on it that we don’t recognize, I suppose. Or pictures or maps. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Shocking,” said Edmund, rolling his eyes.
Stepping past time, Reggie toed him in the side with one booted foot. “A little less sarcasm there, if you please.”
“Watch out, Reggie—if I fall over, this whole place could come down.”
“Quite likely,” said Colin, looking up at the rafters. He raised a hand and tapped one of his long fingers against the wood. “Nobody breathe too hard, hmm?”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Pity we’re not doing this three years from now,” said Edmund, “when they’ve redone the whole place.”
Reggie shrugged. “They might keep the stairs. Pater’s traditional.”
“I’d think so,” said Colin from behind her. “Regina Elizabeth?”
“And here I’d been hoping you hadn’t paid attention to that,” said Reggie.
“A vain hope I fear. Though a very impressive one.”
“I think it’s only the threat of treason,” said Edmund, “that kept ’em from going the other way ‘round. Reggie here was the first child. Spoiled, naturally.”
Walking single file as they were, it was a trivially easy matter for Reggie to lean forward and flick Edmund in the back of the neck with her thumb. “No such thing, Edmund St. John.”
“Ouch,” he said, though Reggie knew it was mostly for show.
Colin laughed. “I should have known. Though you’re not much like the oldest of my family.”
“Well, you’re not much like Edmund. You dress too well, for one thing.”
“I have better things to think about,” said Edmund.
At the same time, Colin said, “I’d been hoping you’d notice,” and Reggie felt his breath on the back of her neck with each word. She almost stumbled.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Mater, why don’t you and Miss Heselton take the main attics? Edmund and Colin and I are truly hardy souls.”
“Well—” Mater said, frowning slightly as she weighed chills and dust against her husband’s plans for Edmund, then the aforementioned plans against the likely volleys back and forth between Reggie and Miss Heselton.
“Wouldn’t want either of you ladies to catch a chill,” Edmund said heartily, with a smile Reggie absolutely knew Miss Heselton was going to take the wrong way. “House is full of invalids as things stand, you know.”
“It’s so very sweet of you to be concerned,” said Miss Heselton. “But aren’t you worried about Miss Talbot-Jones’s health too? She seems very sturdy, I’m sure . . .”
Edmund, in the way of men in general and himself in particular, noticed none of what “sturdy” meant in this context. “Oh, Reggie’s a fine strapping girl,” he said, and as Reggie considered proving as much by kicking him in the shin, he went on, “but we’ll send her in your direction if she starts to have the vapors. Good hunting!”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“Now he heard other noises as well: Miss Heselton’s sharp, quick breathing and her brother’s low and urgent repetition of the Lord’s Prayer. In ironic counterpart, Edmund was swearing steadily.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady

“And what on earth,” Colin asked, tilting his head to the side and staring at her, “are you?”
He hadn’t pulled the sinisterly curved knife that books said was generally inevitable in these situations. He hadn’t tried to throttle her—which was an acceptable alternative from the perspective of your average faceless fiend or ax-wielding maniac—and he didn’t sound angry.”
― Isabel Cooper, The Highland Dragon's Lady