A Sinister Establishment Quotes

“Although she still found it a difficult idea to digest, the truth was she no longer needed to borrow the duke’s consequence, for she possessed her own now and if there was any advantage in being the Duchess of Kesgrave, it was the ability to browbeat public servants.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“Alas, when she opened her mouth to thank him, her composure deserted her completely and all she could manage was a low, distraught plea. “You must stop doing this!” she said desperately. It was not the response Kesgrave anticipated. Oh, no. Having been impressed by Bea’s pluck and daring from the very first, even while her refusal to abide by his authority drove him mad with frustration, he’d never imagined that the presentation of a simple band could have such a disastrous effect on her self-possession. Kesgrave’s confusion, so readily apparent in the way he drew his eyebrows together and pursed his lips, helped relieve some of Bea’s distress. After two decades of falling short of her aunt’s unreasonable expectations, it was still revelatory to exceed his. Taken aback by her discomfort, Kesgrave immediately complied with her request, promising never to repeat the event. “I could not even if I desired to,” he assured her, “for the bracelet is the only item of your mother’s in need of reclaiming.” It was perfect, Bea thought, the characteristic pedantry of his reply, and under ordinary circumstances, it would have elicited from her a fond mocking rejoinder. But everything about the moment felt remarkable, even the sunlight filtering through the window, bathing them in a golden glow, and she answered instead with terrifying honesty. “You must stop making me love you more, Damien. The feeling is already so overwhelming, I can scarcely breathe.” His features remained steady but his eyes—oh, yes, his eyes—blazed with emotion and he raised his hand as if to touch her. Mindful of their situation, however, he let it drop before he made contact, and his lips curved slightly as he shook his head to deny her request. “I fear I cannot, Bea, no. Your brief spells of breathlessness are the only advantage I have in this relationship, and I am not prepared to relinquish it.” The duke spoke softly, emphatically, and Bea waited for amusement to enter his eyes, for she knew he was teasing, but his expression remained fervent. Warmed by his gaze, she longed to move closer, to draw his lips to hers, and it was only the presence of her family that kept her firmly rooted to the spot.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“it was what she believed was happening that shaped her reality, not the events themselves.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“she had striven to make herself worthy of their love, shrinking deeper and deeper into herself in the hopes of one day becoming so inoffensive she would please them.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“but also last night as a creature of sensation in his arms.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“But she did not want to let the mistakes of the past repeat themselves. Last time, she had fallen silent, sanctioning her own exile and withering on the edges of society. By not defending herself, she had created her own terrible consequences.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“Even if she was not addressed with derision on a single occasion, the result would be the same because it was what she believed was happening that shaped her reality, not the events themselves.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“She was relieved to know with unequivocal certainty exactly where she stood.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment

“It would be so easy—effortless, really—to succumb to her insecurities, to simply sink into them like a rock falling to the bottom of the Thames, and it was the ease itself that terrified her. She would not cower as a duchess the way she had cowered as a debutante.”
― Lynn Messina, A Sinister Establishment