Lady Julia Grey Quotes

Earnshaw is quite a famous name, thanks to Miss Brontë . I did not realise there were Earnshaws in this country."

Mrs. Earnshaw gave a sharp nod. "Aye. And Heathcliffs and Eyres, as well. Proper little thieves, those Brontë girls. ~ Deanna Raybourn

Something had shifted between us, faintly, but the change was almost palpable. Our friendship had sat lightly between us, an ephemeral thing, without weight or gravity. Once, in the Boboli Gardens, under the shadow of a cypress tree on an achingly beautiful October afternoon, he had kissed me, a solemnly sweet and respectful kiss. But weeks had passed and we had not spoken of it. I had attributed it to the sunlight, shimmering gold like Danaë's shower, and had pressed it into the scrapbook of memory, to be taken out and admired now and then, but not to be dwelled upon too seriously. Perhaps I had been mistaken. ~ Deanna Raybourn

You'll be seeing him tomorrow night, anyway."

"I am?" Hyacinth asked, at precisely the moment Mr. St. Clair said, "She will?"

"You're accompanying me to the Pleinsworth poetry reading," Lady D told her grandson. "Or have you forgotten?"

Hyacinth sat back, enjoying the sight of Gareth St. Clair's mouth opening and closing in obvious distress. He looked a bit like a fish, she decided. A fish with the features of a Greek god, but still, a fish.

"I really…" he said. "That is to say, I can't - "

"You can, and you will be there," Lady D said. "You promised."

He regarded her with a stern expression. "I cannot imagine - "

"Well, if you didn't promise, you should have done, and if you love me…"

Hyacinth coughed to cover her laugh, then tried not to smirk when Mr. St. Clair shot a dirty look in her direction.

"When I die," he said, "surely my epitaph will read, 'He loved his grandmother when no one else would.'"

"And what's wrong with that?" Lady Danbury asked. ~ Julia Quinn

Julia Woodhull was many things: a lady of secrets, a patriot's niece, and a dead man's daughter. But one thing Julia Woodhull was most certainly not was a fool. ~ Katlyn Charlesworth

Honoria couldn't help but watch her make her way over to
Daisy, and Mr. Bridgerton said, "Don't worry, she's mostly
harmless."
"My cousin Daisy?" she asked dubiously.
"No," he replied, momentarily nonplussed. "Lady Danbury."
Honoria looked past him to Daisy and Lady Danbury. "Is she
deaf?"
"Your cousin Daisy?"
"No, Lady Danbury."
"I don't believe so."
"Oh." Honoria winced. "That's too bad. She might be by the
time Daisy is through with her.
"That's not going to end well," he murmured.
Honoria could do nothing but shake her head and murmur,
"No."
"Is your cousin fond of her toes?"
Honoria blinked in confusion. "I believe so, yes."
"She'll want to watch that cane, then."
Honoria looked back just in time to see Daisy let out a small
shriek as she tried to jump back. She was not successful with the
latter; Lady Danbury's cane had her pinned rather firmly. ~ Julia Quinn

She was in love. Lady Sarah Pleinsworth was in love.
And it was grand. ~ Julia Quinn

Hyacinth," Lady Bridgerton said in a vaguely disapproving voice, "do try to speak in complete sentences."
Hyacinth looked at her mother with a surprised expression. "Biscuits. Are. Good." She cocked her head to the side. "Noun. Verb. Adjective."
"Hyacinth."
"Noun. Verb. Adjective." Colin said, wiping a crumb from his grinning face. "Sentence. Is. Correct. ~ Julia Quinn

I'm not trying to impress you," he replied, glancing up at the front of the room. "Gads," he said, blinking in surprise. "What is that ?"
Hyacinth followed his gaze. Several of the Pleinsworth progeny, one of whom appeared to be costumed as a shepherdess, were milling about.
"Now that's an interesting coincidence," Gareth murmured.
"It might be time to start bleating," she agreed.
"I thought this was meant to be a poetry recitation."
Hyacinth grimaced and shook her head. "An unexpected change to the program, I'm afraid."
"From iambic pentameter to Little Bo Peep?" he asked doubtfully. "It does seem a stretch."
Hyacinth gave him a rueful look. "I think there will still be iambic pentameter."
His mouth fell open. "From Peep?"
She nodded, holding up the program that had been resting in her lap. "It's an original composition," she said, as if that would explain everything. "By Harriet Pleinsworth.The Shepherdess, the Unicorn, and Henry VIII ."
"All of them? At once?"
"I'm not jesting," she said, shaking her head.
"Of course not. Even you couldn't have made this up."
Hyacinth decided to take that as a compliment.
"Why didn't I receive one of these?" he asked, taking the program from her.
"I believe it was decided not to hand them out to the gentlemen," Hyacinth said, glancing about the room. "One has to admire Lady Pleinsworth's foresight, actually. You'd surely flee if you knew what was in store for you. ~ Julia Quinn

I suppose. I do hope Charlotte thinks to give her an extra day
off this week." Lady Winstead gave a little nod, as if agreeing with
herself. "I believe I will go find her right now and make that
suggestion. It is the least we can do. Miss Wynter truly saved the
day."
Honoria and Iris watched her leave, then Iris said, "I suppose it
depends upon your definition of the word 'saved. ~ Julia Quinn

Hyacinth," he said.
She looked at him expectantly.
"Hyacinth," he said again, this time with a bit more certitude. He smiled, letting his eyes melt into hers. "Hyacinth."
"We know her name," came his grandmother's voice.
Gareth ignored her and pushed a table aside so that he could drop to one knee. "Hyacinth," he said, relishing her gasp as he took her hand in his, "would you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?"
Her eyes widened, the misted, and her lips, which he'd been kissing so deliciously mere hours earlier, began to quiver. "I ... I ... "
It was unlike her to be so without words, and he was enjoying it, especially the show of emotion on her face.
"I ... I ... "
"Yes!" his grandmother finally yelled. "Yes! She'll marry you!"
"She can speak for herself," he said.
"No," Lady D said, "she can't. Quite obviously. ~ Julia Quinn

Children," Lady Bridgerton said with a sigh as she retook her seat. "I am never quite certain if I'm glad I had them. ~ Julia Quinn

Places I Would Rather Be, Edition 1821
By Lady Olivia Bevelstoke
France
With Miranda
With Miranda in France
In bed with a cup of chocolate and a newspaper
Anywhere with a cup of chocolate and a newspaper
Anywhere with either with a cup of chocolate or a newspaper ~ Julia Quinn

But you have told me," Elizabeth protested, "time and again, that the hallmark of civilization is routine."
Lady D shrugged and made a fussy little chirping sound. "A lady cannot take it upon herself to occasionally change her routine? All routines need periodic readjustment. ~ Julia Quinn

The two of you together are a menace," Penelope remarked.
"My aim in life," Lady Danbury announced, "is to be a
menace to as great a number of people as possible, so I
shall take that as the highest of compliments, Mrs.
Bridgerton."
"Why is it," Penelope wondered, "that you only call me
Mrs. Bridgerton when you are opining in a grand fashion?"
"Sounds better that way," Lady D said, punctuating her
remark with a loud thump of her cane. ~ Julia Quinn

If one read [Lady Whistledown's Society Papers] often enough, one could almost feel a part of London society without actually attending any balls. ~ Julia Quinn

You've already danced with him," Louisa said.
Annabel nodded. "I know."
"People will talk."
Annabel turned and blinked, trying to set her cousin's face into focus. "People are already talking," she said.
Louisa opened her mouth as if she planned to say more, but then she just smiled. "Annabel Winslow," she said softly, "I do believe you are falling in love."
That snapped Annabel right out of her daze. "I'm not."
"Oh, you are."
"I hardly know him."
"Apparently you know enough. ~ Julia Quinn

I'm too tall to be a girl, I never had enough dresses to be a lady, I wouldn't call myself a woman. I'd say I'm somewhere between a chick and a broad. ~ Julia Roberts

Miranda was nineteen. Her experience with men consisted of Winston and himself. Both of whom had
heretofore been brotherly figures. The poor girl must be confused as hell. Winston had suddenly decided
that she was Venus, Queen Elizabeth, and the Virgin Mary all rolled into one,and Turner had all but
forced himself on her. Not exactly an average day in the life of a young country miss ~ Julia Quinn

If you do not apologize to Lady Honoria," Marcus said, his voice so mild as to be terrifying, "I will kill you."
There was a collective gasp, and Daisy faked a swoon, sliding elegantly into Iris, who promptly stepped aside and let her hit the floor.
"Oh, come now," Mr. Grimston said. "Surely it won't come to pistols at dawn."
"I'm not talking about a duel," Marcus said. "I mean I will kill you right here. ~ Julia Quinn

You know all of the young gentlemen better than I do," Lady Manston continued. "Are there any we should avoid?"
All of them, George wanted to say.
'What about Ashbourne's son?'
"No."
"No?" his mother echoed. "No, as in you don't have an opinion?"
"No, as in no. He is not for Billie."
Who, George could not help but note, was watching the mother-son exchange with an odd mix of curiosity and alarm.
"Any particular reason?" Lady Manston asked.
"He gambles," George lied.
Well, maybe it wasn't a lie. All gentlemen gambled. He had no idea if the one in question did so to excess.
"What about the Billington heir? I think he - "
"Also no."
His mother regarded him with an impassive expression.
"He's too young," George said, hoping it was true.
"He is?" She frowned. "I suppose he might be. I can't remember precisely. ~ Julia Quinn

Good choice dancing with this one...I've always liked her. More brains than the rest of her family put together. ~ Lady Danbury to Colin Bridgerton ~ Julia Quinn

Until you've lived through all that," he said, "don't you ever complain about what we have. Because to me ... to me ... " He choked on the words, but he barely paused before he continued. "This - us - is heaven. I can't bear to hear you say otherwise. ~ Julia Quinn

You can't marry her," Araminta insisted.
Benedict turned to his mother. "Is there any reason I need to consult Lady Penwood about this?"
"None that I can think of," Lady Bridgerton replied.
"She is nothing but a whore," Araminta hissed. "Her mother was a whore, and blood runs - urp!"
Benedict had her by the throat before anyone was even aware that he had moved. "Don't," he warned, "make me hit you."
The magistrate tapped Benedict on the shoulder. "You really ought to let her go."
"Might I muzzle her?"
The magistrate looked torn, but eventually he shook his head. ~ Julia Quinn

I vow to spend the rest of my life keeping your hands and feet warm. ~ Julia Quinn

For a moment he could do nothing but close his eyes. Was this a taste of the rest of his life as Billie Bridgerton's husband? Was he destined to live in terror, wondering what sort of danger she'd thrown herself into that day? Was it worth it?
"George?" she whispered. She sounded uneasy. Had she seen something in his expression? A sign of doubt?
He touched her cheek, and he looked into her eyes. He saw his whole world there.
"I love you," he said.
Someone gasped. It might have been his mother.
"I cannot live without you," he said, "and in fact, I refuse to do so. So no, you will not be going on some ill-advised mission to the coast to hand off a potentially dangerous package to people you don't know. Because if anything happened to you…" His voice broke, but he didn't care. "If anything happened to you, it would kill me. And I'd like to think you love me too much to let that happen."
Billie stared at him in wonder, her softly parted lips trembling as she blinked back tears.
"You love me?" she whispered.
He nearly rolled his eyes.
"Of course I do."
"You never said."
"I must have done."
"You didn't. I would have remembered."
"I would remember, too," he said softly, "if you'd ever said it to me."
"I love you," she said immediately. "I do. I love you so much. I - "
"Thank God," Lady Manston exclaimed. George and Billie both turned. ~ Julia Quinn

A gentleman would've risen when a lady entered the room.' I paused by the seat but did not sit down.
'Well, when one comes in I'll make sure I stir myself.'
Ouch! I walked into that one. A point to him. ~ Julia Golding

Sophie stared at the door, trying desperately to keep her eyes focused on anything but Benedict. She'd spent all week hoping for a glimpse,but now that he was here, all she wanted was to escape. If she looked at his face, her eyes inevitably strayed to his lips. And if she looked at his lips, her thoughts immediately went to their kiss. And if she thought about the kiss...
"I need that thimble," she blurted out, jumping to her feet. There were some things one just shouldn't think about in public.
"So you said," Benedict murmured, one of his eyebrows quirking up into a perfect-and perfectly arrogant-arch.
"It's downstairs," she muttered. "In my room."
"But your room is upstairs," Hyacinth said.
Sophie could have killed her. "That's what I said," she ground out.
"No," Hyacinth said in a matter-of-fact tone, "you didn't."
"Yes," Lady Bridgerton said, "she did. I heard her."
Sophie twisted her head sharply to look at Lady Bridgerton and knew in an instant that the older woman had lied. "I have to get that thimble," she said, for what seemed like the thirtieth time. She hurried toward the doorway, gulping as she grew close to Benedict.
"Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," he said, stepping aside to allow her through the doorway.But as she brushed past him, he leaned forward, whispering, "Coward. ~ Julia Quinn

I had the pleasure of dining with your
brother."
"Gregory? Really? You'd classify it as a pleasure?" But he was
grinning as he said it, and Honoria could instantly picture what life
must be like in the Bridgerton household: a great deal of teasing and
a great deal of love.
"He was most gracious to me," she said with a smile.
"Shall I tell you a secret?" Mr. Bridgerton murmured, and
Honoria decided that in his case, it was right and proper to listen to
gossip - he was an incredible flirt.
"Must I keep the secret?" she asked, leaning forward ever-soslightly.
"Definitely not."
She gave him a sunny smile. "Then yes, please."
Mr. Bridgerton leaned in, just about as far as she had done. "He
has been known to catapult peas across the supper table."
Honoria gave him a very somber nod. "Has he done this
recently?"
"Not too recently, no."
She pressed her lips together, trying not to smile. It was lovely
to witness this type of sibling teasing. There used to be so much of it
in her home, although most of the time she'd been but a witness.
She was so much younger than the rest of her siblings; in all
honesty, most of the time they'd probably just forgotten to tease
her.
"I have but one question, Mr. Bridgerton."
He cocked his head.
"How was this catapult constructed?"
He grinned. "Simple spoon, Lady Honoria. But in Gregory's
devious hands, there was ~ Julia Quinn

Eloise, whose mouth was as sharp as Hyacinth's (though thankfully tempered by some discretion), had
remarked that they had best get Hyacinth married off quickly or their mother was going to become an
alcoholic. Lady Bridgerton had not appreciated the comment, although she privately thought it might be
true. ~ Julia Quinn

Annabel stared at the door, then turned to Sebastian, feeling quite dazed. "I think my grandmother may have just given me permission to ruin myself."
"I'll do all the ruining tonight," he said with a grin. "If you don't mind. ~ Julia Quinn

Of course, an old wine is like an old lady, and traveling can disturb her. ~ Julia Child

I cannot feel like a duchess in my
mother's sitting room."
"What do you feel like, then?"
"Hmmm." She took a sip of her tea. "Just Daphne
Bridgerton, I suppose. It's difficult to shed the surname in
this clan. In spirit, that is."
"I hope that is a compliment," Lady Bridgerton remarked.
Daphne just smiled at her mother. "I shall never escape
you, I'm afraid." She turned to Gareth. "There is nothing like one's family to make one feel like one has never
grown up. ~ Julia Quinn

It's a curse, really," Lady Danbury said. "I'm the only person I
know my age who has perfect hearing."
"Most would call that a blessing."
She snorted. "Not with that musicale looming over the horizon. ~ Julia Quinn

First of all, this goes no further than this room."
"Agreed," she said quickly.
Anthony looked pointedly at Simon.
"Of course," he replied.
"Mother would be devastated if she learned the truth."
"Actually," Simon murmured, "I rather think your mother would applaud our ingenuity, but since you have quite obviously known
her longer, I bow to your discretion."
Anthony shot him a frosty look. "Second, under no circumstances are the two of you to be alone together. Ever."
"Well, that should be easy," Daphne said, "as we wouldn't be allowed to be alone if we were courting in truth, anyway."
Simon recalled their brief interlude in the hall at Lady Danbury's house, and found it a pity that he wasn't to be allowed any more private time with Daphne, but he recognized a brick wall when he saw one, especially when said wall happened to be named
Anthony Bridgerton. So he just nodded and murmured his assent.
"Third - "
"There is a third?" Daphne asked.
"There would be thirty if I could think of them," Anthony growled.
"Very well," she acceded, looking most aggrieved. "If you must. ~ Julia Quinn

All three men looked at the woman in the doorway, but they all saw different things.
Alex saw a rather attractive young lady with a remarkable air of vitality in her silver eyes.
John saw the woman he'd come to like and admire tremendously this past week, looking rather fetching and grown-up in her new gown and coiffure.
Dunford saw an angel. ~ Julia Quinn

You're going to be my grandmother."
"You silly child. In my heart, I've been your grandmother for years. I've just been waiting for you to make it official. ~ Julia Quinn

Having never had dealings with Bow Street, Lady Fieldhurst was not quite certain what to expect: perhaps a stout fellow past his prime, befuddled with sleep or spirits, with a bulbous red nose - the same sort as might be found in any number of watchmen's boxes across the metropolis. The individual who entered the room in [the footman's] wake, however, was very nearly her own age. To be sure, his nose was somewhat crooked, as if it had been broken at some point, but it was far from bulbous, and it was certainly not red. He was quite tall, almost gangly, with curling brown hair tied at the nape of his neck in an outmoded queue. He wore an unfashionably shallow-crowned hat and a black swallow-tailed coat of good cloth but indifferent cut; indeed, his only claim to fashion lay in the quizzing glass which hung round his neck from a black ribbon, and which he now raised, the resulting magnification revealing his eyes to be a warm brown. Julia might have been much reassured as to his competence, had it not been for the fact that his mouth hung open as from a rusty hinge. ~ Sheri Cobb South

Perriwickturned to Penelope as he set the tray down on a table. "If I might be so bold, my lady-"
"Perriwick!" Blake roared. "If I hear the phrase 'if I might be so bold' one more time, as God is my
witness, I'm going to toss you into the channel!"
"Oh dear," Penelope said. "Perhaps he does have the fever, after all.Perriwick , what do you think?"
The butler reached for Blake's forehead, only to have his hand nearly bitten off. "Touch me and die,"
Blake snarled. ~ Julia Quinn

But this month is all about CITY OF JASMINE which I hope you already have in your hot little hands. My favorite review snippet? KIRKUS REVIEWS said it's "part screwball comedy".
I can't tell you how much time I spent with Carole Lombard and William Powell and Irene Dunne when I was writing it. I adore the 30s comedies for their light-hearted take on relationships and adventure - and the glamorous settings and occasional dash of intrigue only heighten the magic. (Did you know that Nicholas Brisbane from my Lady Julia series was named for THE THIN MAN's Nick Charles? And apologies to Dashiell Hammett, but I fell in love with the film long before I read the book and appreciated how much it had been lightened in the adaptation!) So when you're reading CITY OF JASMINE, give some thought to who you'd like to see playing Evie and Gabriel - I'd love to hear who you'd cast in your own production. ~ Deanna Raybourn

I have an evening dress, pink mull over silk (I'm perfectly beautiful in that), and a blue church dress, and a dinner dress of red veiling with Oriental trimming (makes me look like a Gipsy), and another of rose-coloured challis, and a grey street suit, and an every-day dress for classes. That wouldn't be an awfully big wardrobe for Julia Rutledge Pendleton, perhaps, but for Jerusha Abbott - Oh, my! ~ Jean Webster

You'll lose your audience and then where will we be? We have future gray-eyed babies to feed, you know. ~ Julia Quinn

Daphne looked down and noticed that her hand was clenched into a fist. Then she looked up and realized her mother was staring at her, clearly waiting for her to say something.
Since she had already exhaled, Daphne cleared her throat, and said, "I'm sure Lady Whistledown's little column is not going to hurt my chances for a husband."
"Daphne, it's been two years!"
"And Lady Whistledown has only been publishing for three months, so I hardly see how we can lay the blame at her door."
"I'll lay the blame wherever I choose," Violet muttered. ~ Julia Quinn

Miss Featherington!' Lady D boomed. 'You haven't told me who you suspect.'
'No, Penelope,' Colin said, a rather smirky smile on his face, 'you haven't.'
Penelope's first instinct was to mumble something under her breath and hope that Lady Danbury's age had left her hard enough of hearing that she would assume that any lack of understanding was the fault of her own ears and not Penelope's lips. But even without glancing to her side, she could feel Colin's presence, sense his quirky, cocky grin egging her on, and she found herself standing a little straighter, with her chin perched just a little higher than usual.
He made her more confident, more daring. He made her more ... herself. Or at least the herself she wished she could be. ~ Julia Quinn

Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest will soon follow.
-Lady Whistledown ~ Julia Quinn