Unmasked by the Marquess Quotes

“He wanted to memorize every inch of her, every curve and angle, the strong length of her thigh and the delicate bones of her wrist, storing up memories against a bleak and empty tomorrow. But that wasn’t how love worked. Love wasn’t a sum safely invested in the five percents. One couldn’t prevent future sorrow by capitalizing on present bliss. All he could do was have this moment, wring all the joy out of it, and then somehow continue after it was over.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“The real Lord Pembroke wanted to read lurid novels and cuddle on the sofa. All this lord-of-the-manor business was because he was embarrassed by his father’s excesses and anxious about providing for those who would have been cut off without a groat if he hadn’t stepped in to shore up the estate’s finances.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Then tell me.” He’d fix it. Whatever it was, he’d move heaven and earth to make things right for her. Here he was sending her sweets and haberdashery, servants and barnyard fowl. Did she not understand that he would do more, if she would let him?”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“He sat back down at his desk and attempted to write Robin a note. Something brief and friendly, just the sort of thing you write another man after licking his tongue on your sofa.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“From Furnival, she knew that Alistair had received the cut direct from a few gentlemen at his club, but when she questioned Alistair about it, he only said that he had been looking for a way to have fewer dull conversations, and that if he had known that making an improper marriage would do the trick he might have tried it a decade ago.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Hugh Furnival, who had known Robin since Cambridge, seemed only minorly discomfited. “Well, I knew you weren’t quite in the ordinary way of things,” he said after a mere moment of stunned silence. “I wondered if you might be French.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“For weeks she had felt lucky to be desired by a man who was open-minded enough to tolerate her strange attire. But it occurred to her now, looking at his darkening eyes and feeling his erection hardening beneath her touch, that it wasn’t a question of toleration. He liked this. He liked her, funny clothes and odd hair and the entire in-betweenness of her. She wasn’t an ordinary woman, but he wasn’t an ordinary man either. They fit together, and it felt right.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“She was the only wife for him, she was the only conceivable mistress for this house. Dreary and derelict, Broughton needed champagne laughter and infinite sunniness. It needed love. He needed love.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Robin, I don’t think I’ll ever have the words to describe what you did for me. I was living a half life until that day you let Louisa’s bonnet loose in Hyde Park. Portia says I was on ice, and she has the right of it. I wasn’t living. I was only . . . there.” “Well,” she said, her eyes wet, “somebody really ought to build a statue of me. I’m amazing.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“I’m afraid you haven’t yet realized how much trouble this will all be.” “You’ve been nothing but trouble since I met you. And I’ve never been happier. I want a lifetime of trouble from you.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“It will be my pleasure, my absolute delight to deal with anyone who wants to make trouble for my wife or children. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to it.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Alistair, do you realize that you have a kitten peeking out of your coat?” “We’ll discuss kittens later. Will you marry me, Robin?”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“He took her hands in his, nearly crushing them. “Hear me now, Robin. I will marry you regardless of what you’re wearing. And I will marry you. You could be dressed as a goat or as the Archbishop of Canterbury and it’s all the same to me.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Alistair walked directly to the stables and was in his traveling chaise within a quarter of an hour. By the time he realized he was still holding the kitten it was too late to turn back.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“My dear Aunt Pettigrew,” he said in his most aristocratic tone. “If you do not find brotherly love and filial respect to be standards worthy of being upheld, then you and I shall simply have to disagree.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“During the two weeks that passed since he received the newspaper, various Allenbys found daily excuses to visit. Mrs. Allenby, it would seem, had adopted Alistair and there was no reversing the process.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“This was what money and power were for: not to hoard up in the name of prudence and security, but to spend and use to take care of the people who needed it. The people who needed him, or at least whose lives would be better for a bit of help. Two months of knowing Robin, and his sense of value had twisted around so that he could scarcely recognize it anymore.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“But that wasn’t how love worked. Love wasn’t a sum safely invested in the five percents. One couldn’t prevent future sorrow by capitalizing on present bliss. All he could do was have this moment, wring all the joy out of it, and then somehow continue after it was over.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Louisa told Mrs. Trout you meant it as a present.” She opened her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “They both thought it very gracious of you.” He looked so outraged at the idea of being considered gracious that she couldn’t hold back her laughter.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“They stared stupidly at one another for a moment. Then, to her horror, he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Alistair!” she cried, wiping her hand on her skirts. “Don’t you dare behave gallantly to me.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“You.” She rose to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at him. “You are nothing but an arrogant, overbearing bastard.” All true. All irrelevant. He opened his mouth to say as much, but she cut him off.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“A changeling. She liked the sound of that, as silly as it was. She had been in between for so long. Neither man nor woman, neither servant nor gentlefolk. Neither fraud nor honest.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Do you want me to?” she asked again. “Yes, for God’s sake, come home with me.” The carriage was slowing down. “Please.” “And what will we do when we get there?” “I’ll draw you a picture once we get inside.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“God help her, but she was going to have to add a mania for subdued tailoring to her list of depravities.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“They were drinking champagne while listening to a man in a velvet dinner coat read a poem about rats.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“they would never touch one another again. As simple as that. When all else failed, he could still rely on his aptitude for self-denial.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked. He lifted his gaze to meet hers and raised a single eyebrow by way of answer. That eyebrow did all kinds of things to her that eyebrows weren’t supposed to do.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Don’t call me that unless you mean to be my friend.” Friend. “Robin.” He heard her sharp intake of breath. “I’ve tried, but I don’t think I can stop being your friend.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“I’m not going to expose you or your sister, or do anything to harm you.” He spoke so gravely that it felt like an oath. Her eyes went wide. “Why not?” “Revenge, like horticulture, is beneath me.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess

“Well, actually . . .” Gilbert began. Alistair hastily drained his glass. Had any sensible observation commenced with “Well, actually”? If so, Alistair had never heard it.”
― Cat Sebastian, Unmasked by the Marquess