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| Link | Quote | Stars | Tags | Author |
| 6701e6d | Todo pasa. Tarde o temprano. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| 402b7e0 | Hij ziet er anders uit alsof hij ongeveer honderd is.' 'Vind je?' antwoordde zijn moeder... 'Hoe oud denk je dat ik ben?' Hal maakte een wegwerpgebaar en glimlachte. 'Ach mama, jij bent nog lang niet zo oud,' antwoordde hij geruststellend. 'Jij bent hooguit ergens in de zestig.' Karina was in werkelijkheid achtendertig... In de zestig, ja hoor, dacht ze. | John Flanagan | ||
| 6bcf645 | I also received a note from the Unknown, the first in two days. I pounced on it eagerly, for receiving his letters had come to be the most important part of my day. Instead of the long letter I had come to anticipate, it was short. I dropped the note on my desk, feeling as if I'd reached for a blossom and had been stung by an unseen nettle. My first reaction was to sling back an angry retort that if gifts were to inspire such an ungallant r.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| d6900e8 | My bout with the Marquis was much like the others. Even more than usual I was hopelessly outclassed, but I stuck grimly to my place, refusing to back up, and took hit after hit, though my parrying was steadily improving. Of course I lost, but at least it wasn't so easy a loss as I'd had when I first began to attend practice--and he didn't insult me with obvious handicaps, such as never allowing his point to hit me. Bran and Savona finished .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 1fb5629 | I went straight back to my room, surprising Mora and one of her staff in the act of packing up my trunk. Apologizing, I hastily unlaced the traveling gown and reached for my riding gear. Mora gave me a slight smile as she curtsied. "That's my job, my lady," she said. "You needn't apologize." I grinned at her as I pulled on the tunic. "Maybe it's not very courtly, but I feel bad when I make someone do a job twice." Mora only smiled as she ma.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| a8d6ec3 | My spirits were high as I joined Nee and Bran. But instead of walking down the stairs to go into the ballroom with the rest of the guests, Nee and Bran led the way across the hall, to the gallery that overlooked the ballroom, and stopped at the landing at the top of the grand stairway. And there we found Shevraeth waiting for us, looking formidable and remote in his usual dark colors. Remembering with dismaying intensity that the last time.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 24daca6 | When we reached our hall, Nee offered to share hot chocolate with me. Shaking my head, I pleaded tiredness--true enough--and retreated to my rooms. And discovered something lying on the little table in the parlor where letters and invitations were supposed to be put. Moving slowly across the room, I looked down at an exquisite porcelain sphere. It was dark blue, with silver stars all over it, and so cunningly painted that when I looked clos.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 02df968 | Had I been downstairs among the glittering throng, I would have loved it, but I now had Shevraeth standing right beside me, holding out his arm. I just I would manage to do something embarrassing. I took a deep breath, straightened my shoulders, and tried my best to smooth my face into a polite smile as I put my hand on his sleeve. Just before we started down, he murmured, "Think of this as a battle." "A battle?" I repeated, so surprised .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 583d5b6 | Flauvic's remark about scholarship, I decided before the day ended, was a kind of double-edged sword. When I discovered my ancestor Ardis was not so much prominent as notorious, my first reaction was a snort of laughter, followed by interest--and some indignation. The queen's memoir, which was replete with gossip, detailed Ardis's numerous and colorful dalliances. Her ten-year career of flirtation came to a close not long after she became e.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| e1ec8f9 | She knew how to allure by denying, and to make the gift rich by delaying it. | Anthony Trollope | ||
| 972d8d4 | She had married a vulgar man; and, though she had not become like the man, she had become vulgar. | Anthony Trollope | ||
| 25b7539 | Standing near one of the potted shrubs that isolated the food and drink, I sipped at the punch and started picking out individual voices from the chatter around me, and individual dancers from the mass. I overheard a conversation from the other side of the shrub. "...see Tamara? That's the third time she's gotten him." Curious, I looked at the dancers and easily found Lady Tamara--dancing with Shevraeth. They made a very handsome couple, he.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| e876164 | Before I left, I held my candle up, scanning that barren desk. Why would Shevraeth work there when he had what was rumored to be a fabulous suite of rooms in the Royal Wing--including at least one study? Because he could be alone, of course. Except for a certain snotty countess bounding in and starting quarrels. Sighing to myself, I retreated to my rooms to think out my strategy. I didn't notice the waiting letter until I sank down on my pi.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 4c40dcd | And so passed the next several days. I prowled around the various Court functions to mark where Shevraeth was, and if I spotted him I'd invariably sneak back to the State Wing and slip into the memoirs room to read some more--when I wasn't writing letters. My response to the Unknown had caused a lengthy answer in kind, and for a time we exchanged letters--sometimes thrice a day. It was such a relief to be able to express myself freely and w.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| dcd1149 | He never pronounced judgment on current events and people, despite some of my hints; and I forbore asking directly, lest I inadvertently say something about someone in his family--or worse, him. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 3833dd6 | My gaze fell on a plain door-tapestry at the other end of the room. I turned and saw a narrow, discreet outline of a door tucked in the corner between two bookshelves; that was the service door, then. Might I find some kind of archive beyond that tapestry? I crossed the room, heard no noise beyond, so I lifted the tapestry. The room was small, filled with light. It was a corner room, with two entrances, floor-to-ceiling windows in two wal.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 8a4f066 | I stepped into the room and bent down to lift up two or three of the papers. Some were proposals for increases in taxes for certain nobles; the fourth was a list of people "to be watched." I looked at him in surprise. "You found these just lying around?" "Yes," he said, sitting back on his cushion. The morning light highlighted the smudges of tiredness under his eyes. "He did not expect to be defeated. Your brother and I rode back here in .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| a1786a4 | Wish I could have been there," I said. "You could have been." This brought me back to reality with a jolt. Of course I could have been there--but I had left without warning, without saying good-bye even to my own brother, in my haste to retreat to home and sanity. And memory. I glanced at him just in time to see him wince slightly and shake his head. Was that regret? For his words--or for my actions that day? "What you said last night," I d.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| af55e79 | He dropped the tapestry back into place and stood with his back to it, looking at me across the width of the room. "It seems," he said, "that seeking your opinion will not cease to embroil us in argument, whatever the cause. I apologize. I also realize trying to convince you of my good intentions is a fruitless effort, but my own conscience demanded that I make the attempt." I couldn't think of any reply to make to that, so I whirled around.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 5b23c20 | Have you gone to Petitioners' Court, or talked to the Renselaeuses? When his grace the Marquis of Shevraeth was up at Tlanth during winter, he rode around the county with Lord Branaric and answered questions very freely, no matter who asked." "No. I...keep running afoul of him." "Running afoul on political questions?" he asked. "It never gets that far." I felt my face burn. "Purely personal questions--usually with me misconstruing his motiv.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| f6d7685 | Was there a letter with it?" "No. But who else would know?" "It might not be a Name Day gift at all, though it's awfully expensive for an admirer to start with," Nee said slowly. "Savona, you think?" I felt my cheeks go red. "Could be, except my understanding is, he usually writes love letters to go with gifts." "Love letters," I said, grimacing. "I don't want those." Nee and Branaric both grinned. "Well, I don't," I protested. "Anyway, wha.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 247481a | Me di cuenta de que intentaba convencerse a si mismo, de que trataba de reunir el valor necesario para atravesar esa puerta. Pero aun le faltaba mucho para poder hacerlo. --Es la tension --le explique--. La espera. --?Que quieres decir? --A veces parece peor que la simple confrontacion. Te parece que si pudieras hacer algo dejarias de sentirte como si trataras de desprenderte de tu propia piel. Asintio. --Pues si, asi es como me siento. --E.. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| b6404ef | Me gustaria quedarme contigo, Patrick. ?Te parece bien? --Es la mejor oferta que he recibido este ano, Ange. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| ede41ff | El tema, escribio el, es el dolor. Cuanto acumulo, cuanto esquivo. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| 7042245 | The Unknown was not likely to wear the jewelry I sent. I knew that. Yet it gave me pleasure to plan the design and select just the right gem. It was a ring I wanted, a fitting return for my own ring, which I wore frequently. Around it Azmus etched laurel leaves in an abstract, pleasing pattern. Leaves, spring, circles--all symbols that complemented the friendship. The gemstone was the best ekirth that Azmus could find, carefully faceted so .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 453ae31 | Tis true I haven't seen much of anyone these mornings, but I've been locked up studying for a special project. But I'm nearly done, and so I find myself free." Then Trishe had her opportunity to come forward and request that I join them, which I professed myself honored to do, and the awkward moment passed. I urged my mount in on the other side of Trishe's and, in the friendliest voice I could assume, told her how they would all know about .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 6c1b4bf | We all turned, and my brother appeared with four other gentlemen. Branaric called jovially, "Found you, Mel, Nee." And he bowed to the other ladies, who in turn greeted the arrivals: Geral, Savona, Lord Deric of Orbanith, and Shevraeth. "What's toward?" the Duke asked. Tamara's gaze was still on me. I saw her open her mouth, and before she could say anything that might sting me with embarrassment, I stuck out my hand and said, "Look at my r.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 4072547 | Remembering what the Princess had told me about histories, I had to grin as I replaced the dusty book for what would probably be another hundred years. So now where? Of course I knew where. I turned toward the corner, staring at the tapestries to the little alcove where the memoirs for the heirs were stored. Bunching my skirts in either hand so they wouldn't rustle, I moved stealthily to the tapestry and stood listening. No voices, certainl.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| c3bd274 | Marec was waiting in Shevraeth's tiny room. Shevraeth shut the door, and Marec dropped down onto the bed, snickering hoarsely in an effort to keep from being overheard by the boys. "You were terrifying." Shevraeth looked at him in surprise. "I was? I meant to be reasonable." "Sometimes reasonable is frightening," Marec said, still snickering." -- | Sherwood Smith | ||
| e6c4d9f | If you're capable of simple truth, just spit it out." "Your brother has agreed to a truce," the Marquis started. "Truce? What do you mean, a 'truce'?" I snarled. "He wouldn't surrender, he , unless you forced him by threats to me--" "I have issued no threats. It was only necessary to inform him that you were on your way here. He agreed to join us, for purposes of negotiation--" A sun seemed to explode behind my eyes. "You've got Bran? " ".. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| d47f68a | When I emerged from the room, I found the riding all waiting, their gear on and horses ready. I turned to Nessaren. Until that moment I hadn't considered what it meant to have them with me. Was it possible I was a prisoner? She bowed. "We're ready to ride, my lady, whenever you like." "Ride?" I repeated. She grinned--all of them grinned. "We thought you'd want to get caught up on events as quick as could be." Her eyes went curiously blank a.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 187ea37 | My dear Countess," a fluting voice said at my right ear, and Lady Tamara's soft hand slid along my arm, guiding me toward the lowest tier near the fireplace. Several people moved away, and we sank down onto the cushions there. Tamara gestured to one of the hovering foot-servants, and two glasses of wine were instantly brought. "Did I not predict that you would show us the way at the races as well?" "I won only once," I said, fighting agains.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| e436eff | Tuve la impresion de que el tal Rogin era de los que se meten a poli por el mismo motivo por el que otros se convierten en carceleros: para dar rienda suelta a su sadismo de una manera socialmente aceptable. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| 073cffa | Kenzie... Me di la vuelta para mirar a Bolton. --Si usted y su socia no son ni civiles ni polis, ?que son? Me encogi de hombros. --Un par de idiotas que se creen mas duros de lo que realmente son. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| fdaa4ba | We all believe lies that bring us more comfort than the truth. | Dennis Lehane | ||
| 2425515 | I always thought there was very little wit wanted to make a fortune in the City. | Anthony Trollope | ||
| 57fdf28 | When at last Deric and I settled into his carriage, he dropped back with a sigh of relief. "Well, that's over. Good food and good company, but none of it worth sitting mum while Fialma glared daggers at me." Remembering the Marquise's opening statement, I realized suddenly what I'd missed before--some of what I'd missed, anyway--and tried unsuccessfully to smother a laugh. It seemed that Deric was deemed an appropriate match for the daughte.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| ad50489 | thumbs through Sarah Bakewell's At the Existentialist Cafe and is momentarily | Adrian McKinty | ||
| 2e390a5 | That afternoon we rode into an armed camp. I glanced about at the orderly tents, the soldiers in battle tunics of green and gold mixing freely with those in the blue with the three white stars above the black coronet. As we rode into the camp, sending mud flying everywhere, people stopped what they were doing to watch. The closest ones bowed. I found this odd, for I hadn't even been bowed to by our own warriors during our putative revolt. A.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| f81068c | My friendly guise of the morning notwithstanding, I had no wish to blunder into the memoir room if Shevraeth was working there. I vowed... The thought vanished when I happened to glance out one of the many arched windows lining the long hallway and saw two figures in one of the private courtyards. The glass was old and wavery, but something about the tall figure made me stumble to a halt and reach to unlatch the window. As I did, my mind .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 2ca0765 | Stablehands ran to the bridles and led the horses to a picket as Nessaren and I walked into the tent. Inside was a kind of controlled pandemonium. Scribes and runners were everywhere that low tables and cushions weren't. Atop the tables lay maps and piles of papers, plus a number of bags of coinage. In a corner was stacked a small but deadly arsenal of very fine swords. Seated in the midst of the chaos was Shevraeth, dressed in the green an.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 5c5fec5 | Arasa, whose blue silk gown flattered her attractive, plump figure, seemed perfectly happy to share her two swains with me. She greeted me with a smile and complimented me sunnily on my gown. "Were you hinting about a special party?" she asked, hugging herself. "Oooh, I do hope so!" "I was," said I, watching Geral and Alcanad Hazhlee watch her. I dropped some hints about costumes and mysteries, and she giggled and shivered. I realized that .. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| f46fbb8 | While I sipped at my coffee, one by one the staff finished their chores and vanished through the tent flaps, until at last Shevraeth and I were alone. He turned to face me. "Questions?" "Of course! What happened?" He sat down across from me. "Took 'em by surprise," he said. "That part was easy enough. The worst of it has been the aftermath." "You captured the commanders, then. The Marquise and--" "Her daughter, the two mercenary captains, t.. | Sherwood Smith | ||
| 1f70716 | So the Marquise is a prisoner somewhere?" I asked, enjoying the idea. He grimaced. "No. She took poison. A constitutional inability to suffer reverses, apparently. We didn't find out until too late. Fialma," he added drily, "tried to give her share to me." "That must have been a charming scene." "It took place at approximately the same time you were conversing with your forty wagoneers." He smiled a little." | Sherwood Smith |