His Grace, the Duke Quotes

“I care about you. About us. I make you this vow: I will marry you, or no one.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, the Duke

“No, no, no. Not here, Cabbage. Just hold on.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, the Duke

“I want to find someone who can grow with me, sharing in strength and purpose. I want roots buried deep. I want to be so entangled in another person that I don’t know where they end and I begin. I”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, the Duke

“I think I like Michael…for was it not the lure of the Michaelmas ball that first brought us all together?”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“Welcome to the world, my little love. It is strange and wonderful and full of so many beautiful things.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“Tom has always been a free spirit. He was made to sail away, but he always sails back again. Shall we be his safe harbor?”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“Over the cliff, and over again.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I will love your son until my last breath. I will be a duchess, a wife, a mother, a proud lioness. We Richmond ladies are strong, are we not? I didn’t know my own strength at first, but James helped me to see it. He is so good and kind, so strong, so loving. I will not fail him. Not ever. And I love Alcott. It is safe in my hands…”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“This is my house now,” she replied, keeping her arm around his waist as she turned to watch the caravan approach. “You wanted a duchess, and you have one. It’s your own fault you picked one who prefers to solve her problems by hurling fists rather than whispering gossip.” “I think James has excellent taste,” Burke said from his other side. “I could not have picked a more perfect duchess for you.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“What do we do now?” she murmured. “Now, we sleep,” James replied, kissing her shoulder. “And in the morning, we’ll have breakfast and walk to the church in Finchley. I’ll marry you with Burke and Tom to witness. Then we’ll all come back here and do this again.” “Every day,” Burke replied. “Forever,” Tom added. Rosalie smiled. She couldn’t help it. Forever sounded good.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“In our marriage bed, there are no husbands or wives. There is only love and pleasure.” “Then we shall never leave it ever,”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“You’re going to marry me because I only feel alive in your arms,” he declared, grazing his lips up the curve of her neck. “Because your voice is my favorite sound. Because I breathe easier when you’re in the room. You’ll marry me because I love you. I’ve loved you almost from the first, I was just too stubborn to say it.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“This is your room now,” he said, breaking their kiss. “My duchess, my wife, my redeeming angel.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I want to marry you, Rosalie Harrow. I want you to be my duchess and my wife. I want to wake with you in my arms every morning. But most of all, I want you to want me…want us. Enough to stay, enough to try this, enough to trust us with your heart and earn the right to love you. And I want this painful moment to be over, and I want you to answer me, because if I’m left wondering if you’ll ever say yes much longer, the ulcer I’ve named after you will burst, and I’ll die, and this will have all been for nothing.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“A tear slipped down her cheek. “And now?” “And now I want you to marry me. I want you all to stay here with me. I am your Atlas, Rosalie. It all falls on my shoulders. For us all to be together, I must be your husband. Only my title can protect us all. The only way it protects you is if we’re married. But it must be your choice. Your money frees you to choose.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“A swell of relief filled Rosalie, warming her from head to toe. Burke would live. James and Tom were safe. George was happy. Olivia would be married. All was well. All was as it should be.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“In the moment, my focus was on Burke,” James went on, looking again at Tom. “I needed you to be there for her, and you were. We’re all here for each other. We are…trees.” His lips quirked into a reluctant grin. Tom’s brows lifted. “You really mean it, J?” James smiled. “If Burke is a tree, and Rosalie is a tree, then I must be a tree as well, eh? Roots entangled, we will always support each other. Yes?”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“In the moment, my focus was on Burke,” James went on, looking again at Tom. “I needed you to be there for her, and you were. We’re all here for each other. We are…trees.” His lips quirked into a reluctant grin.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I love you, Tom Renley, and you are mine. You’re all mine,” he added, glancing over at James and Rosalie. “I take what I want, and I protect what I take. Let’s not make it a habit of testing my will again, but now you all know. There is no limit to what I would do for you. Any of you.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I love you, Tom Renley. Find us later, or there will be hell to pay. You think she’s possessive? You clearly haven’t considered what it means to belong to James Corbin.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“You know, I think I might be learning to like you…despite the fact that you stole my fiancé away.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“You are the light in our darkness. You are the safe harbor in the storm-swept seas of our lives. Without you, we wilt and die. Without you…god, help me—”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“She will not marry you if you cast us out. To marry Rosalie Harrow is to marry Horatio Burke and Tom Renley. Can you accept her terms? Can you gain two husbands with your wife?”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I can’t bear to be apart from you anymore,” she whispered. “I can’t pretend I don’t need you, watch for you, ache for you. No more stairwells. No more shutting me out. Please, James…it’s so cold outside your walls. Let me in—”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“Put your hands on me, James.” He ghosted his lips over her skin. “And why would I do that?” “Because I am desperate for you,” she replied, her body trembling. “Because your every denial splinters my soul, while your every stolen look sets me on fire. I feel your eyes on me, James. I always feel you. I knew you were in the room by the feel of your eyes watching me. I am burning. James, please, just this once, catch fire with me—”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I don’t know about you, but I want more,” she whispered. “I need more. I want to live fully. I want to live out loud. Boldly. Freely. I want to…run naked through a forest, scream in a crowded room, leap from a cliffside and splash into the ocean below.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“It all came down to choices. We choose who we love. We choose who we fight for…who we die for…who we burn the world to ash for.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I was a fool for taking so long to see you for what you are. My love. My mate. My wife in my heart, if not on paper. You will not doubt my constancy again. Do you understand? You will never doubt me or our love again. Say it.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“You came into my life and burrowed into my very soul, bringing me comfort and friendship, two things I thought I could never earn. And you offered both wholly without conditions. You give, Tom. Men have only ever taken from me. Even Burke takes all my passion, he rips it from my chest. And I want to give it,” she added. “I give it gladly. I’d give him anything. Any piece of me…but you are the first man I’ve ever met who gives first. You make me laugh. You make me dream. Tom, you are my hope for a happier future.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke

“I didn’t think it was possible to love a person the way I love Burke. My love for him is something…wild,” she whispered, feeling the way her heart quickened. “With Burke, I feel so free. In loving him, I have set my soul free. It scares me. It thrills me. He makes love feel like a leap of faith, and every day I get a little braver, a little more ready to test my wings.”
― Emily Rath, His Grace, The Duke