Ranulf Quotes

The conversation was dangerous for it was designed to incite physical violence and, if left to continue, might have succeeded. But the pain Ranulf first wanted to inflict was humiliation, and that could not be achieved with fists.
It required intellect.And maybe a slight emotional push. ~ Michele Sinclair

Ranulf searched for something to distract him from what she was doing. Only one topic came to mind.Their kiss.
"About this morning.Your memory is faulty."
Concentrating,Bronwyn was just about to sever the final stitch. "How so?" she murmured.
"I believe you kissed me."
His nearness coupled with the unexpected reminder of their embrace caused her hand to quiver just as she sliced the last stitch, giving him a small scrape.
"Ow! You did that on purpose!"
Bronwyn jumped back. She was no longer nestled between his legs, but neither was she out of his reach. "I did no such thing. Besides,it is a small sratch, so stop disgracing yourself by acting so cowardly," she scolded, waving the sharp blade around as if it was another appendage.
"Cowardly?" Ranulf bellowed, as he jerked the knife out of her hand. "You, angel, should be thanking me for being damn near to a saint! You have to be one of the most difficult women I have ever met."
Bronwyn's chin popped up angrily, her deep blue eyes flashing. "I'm not difficult. You're the one yelling." She turned, grabbed his tunic, and threw it at him. "I'm done.You can get dressed now. ~ Michele Sinclair

The man was impossible. To her every retort,he had a counter. "A beak you may want to avoid for I will use it."
His dimples turned into craters. "Aye, my lady,that you most certainly are not afraid of using. I think I actually see the small scars along your wrists and hands from where you missed your intended target and clipped yourself."
Edythe opened her mouth,ready to send out another assualt, when the sparkle in his hazel eyes captured her attention. Tyr was not making fun of her. Rather,he was truly enjoying their conversation, and if she was being honest, so was she. Inclining her head in agreement, she curled her lips mischievously and said, "Inflictions all finches must learn to endure."
"Indeed they must," Tyr replied with a bow. "You,Lady Finch,are a genuine surprise. These past few days,your elder sister has been gracious, kind, and all things a lady should be when welcoming a guest, but it seems that only my friend Ranulf can turn her into a fiery tempest. And each time she does, it pulls him farther in.I see now why he is susceptible to such treatment."
Edythe briefly closed her eyes and gave a quick shake to her head. "You enjoy being insulted?"
"You have not insulted me, you couldn't. You don't know me well enough.Nor I you. We just merely sparred and I am finding that I like wit in a woman, a most uncommon trait where I have been. If I were not so decided in my ways,you,dear Finch, would be in trouble."
"Well,then I thank the Lord ~ Michele Sinclair

Bronwyn jumped when the door of her room sprang open and bounced against the stone wall. Something only one person would do.
Lily.
"Lillabet! What are you doing here? Ranulf-"
"Ranulf?" Lily asked as she cocked her head to the side and wrinkled her nose. "I had forgotten that was his name. Lord,what a mouthful. ~ Michele Sinclair

Pasting on her most endearing smile, Bronwyn stood up and interrupted, "I must beg everyone's pardon for retiring early. I have been needing to speak with my husband all day. So, we will see you in the morning." She then looked down at Ranulf to ensure he understood that she was serious.
He arched a single brow, but said nothing as he rose to join her, ignoring the short coughs and snorts of laughter of his men. Bronwyn instantly froze as she realized what the small group-including her husband-believed she had meant. Mustering up the remnants of her pride,she forced herself to march on.
"It's nice to know you've been wanting me all day, but if you desire for us to be alone, there are more discreet ways of letting me know," Ranulf teased as he lifted the flap of their tent.
Bronwyn knew her already red face was turning an even more brilliant color, but she refused to let Ranulf believe he had totally won. "You,husband, are far more in need of a modesty lesson than I."
Ranulf let go the heavy material and then crossed his arms with a smug look of satisfaction Bronwyn wanted to both remove and indulge. "Don't believe in modesty.Never have.Kind of liking the fact that you don't either," he said, hinting at what he thought was about to come next.
Bronwyn took a step back and waved a finger. "I said I wanted to speak with you alone...about tomorrow. ~ Michele Sinclair

My God! You really like her,don't you? I knew you were attracted to the woman, but you really like her.I should have known. From the moment you returned to camp that night, grumbling about how the woman in this area were too damn pretty, I knew a female had finally burrowed underneath that hardened exterior. I just never dreamed you would also get to her."
"I hope I'm around when a woman finally lays claim to your sanity. With your impetuous personality,your actions will be far more out of character than mine."
Tyr clapped his mug on the table and threw his hands up in the air. "Not me. I swore an oath against women and commitments, and it is an oath I intend to keep.But you,my friend, are not me and do not have my reasons for rejecting happiness.Go to her, a woman like that would forgive a man, she might even find life in a stone. So much so,that she may even consider marrying him. Of course,he might have to grovel a little."
Ranulf pushed himself up,wishing Tyr was correct.Unfortunately, Bronwyn wasn't about to marry a man like him, not before and certainly not now. "I'm going to take a walk. ~ Michele Sinclair

Vic pointed at him, two finger-guns of approval. "I like a man who knows the value of words, doesn't spend 'em too cheap." Ranulf nodded. "That is the manner in which I roll. ~ Claudia Gray

I hope Lily told you how happy I was by the offer to marry your commander."
"She mentioned it," Ranulf grimaced.
"Who knows? Maybe Rolande and I will meet and decide to stay together, forgoing the annulment."
Ranulf rocked back on his feet, picking up the basin, and stood up, causing water to slosh on to the floor from the abrupt movement. She sounded so damn happy. He plopped the water bowl back on its table. And why shouldn't she be? "You will like my commander. He is as handsome as Lillabet is beautiful."
Pain flashed in Bronwyn's eyes, turning them dark, almost black. If Ranulf's aim had been to hurt,he had struck true, resulting in a desire to inflict similar anguish. "As long as he doesn't lie to me and make me out the fool, I will be content."
"I suspect he won't if you don't lie to him first."
Bronwyn pushed herself out of the chair as a frisson of anger shot up her spine. "Maybe I won't if he doesn't order me away from my home without the courage to look me in the eye when he does so."
"I never pretended to be someone else."
"In that you are correct, my lord.You made it very clear from the beginning that you were a hateful man," she seethed.
"Didn't seem to bother you when you used your female wiles to entice me to your bed," Ranulf hissed back.
Bronwyn marched over to the door and swung it wide open. "I wonder just how my sister will deal with your barbarism. She is sweet,beautiful, and innocent,but she also knows no ~ Michele Sinclair

I say,she is sinfully attractive when she's angry.You may not claim to have a way with the ladies,but when you want to make one mad,you are indeed an expert."
Ranulf clenched his teeth and said nothing, but sent Tyr a flash of warning.
Tyr dismissed the look and pressed on,opting for a flank attack. "You know that dress she was wearing? She would wear that color more often, complements that odd color of blue in her eyes."
Ranulf sank onto the bench across the table from Tyr and raked his hands through his hair. "Take my advice and avoid looking too long at them.They can confound a man.Make him believe in lies."
"You might be right," Tyr agreed and moved to pour himself some more wine. "But when a man can't think straight,is it she who is telling the lies or is it he who is telling them to himself?"
"If you are trying to make a point, don't."
"No,no point." Tyr sighed and swirled his mug. "Just that she was looking pretty tonight. Did you not think so?"
"No."
"Well,I did.I especially liked the hair. Normally I do not like stuff being all free like that,gets in the way.I usually prefer a woman's hair to be pulled back and tidy,but hers...well,I just might have to change my mind."
Nothing from Ranulf.Not even a twitch.Damn.The man was stubborn.
Tyr swallowed the mug's contents for fortification.If he got out of this with his skin still intact,he would be lucky.He had maybe one more shot before Ranulf got up to leave,so it had to ~ Michele Sinclair

Ranulf stared blankly into the campfire, trying to ignore Lily.
"White horses always look dirty," Lily told the young smitten soldier sitting beside her. "That's why I refuse to ride them.Brown ones may be just as filthy,but at least I cannot see the dirt. Black ones less so,but I have found that in general dark horses suit me better."
"You just think you look better on them," Edythe protested before succumbing to several seconds of coughing.
Bronwyn studied her redheaded sister for a moment.Tyr put another blanket around Edythe's shoulders and eventually the coughs quieted. Turning her attention to Ranulf,Bronwyn promised him softly, "You'll have to ignore them."
Ranulf grimaced and sent a reproving look to his youngest sister-in-law. It,just like the others he had sent Lily throughout the day,changed nothing. "I just find it hard to reconcile the child I hear now with the woman who appeared after your death. With you gone,she had to grow up.Now that you are back..."
Bronwyn snuggled up against his side with a sigh. "I admit I encourage it.Life will force Lily to grow up soon enough and I am glad it was not my death that thrust it upon her. In the meantime,you ignore her prattle and I'll just be amused it," she advised before planting a gentle kiss on his arm.
Ranulf,with his free hand, raked his fingers through his short hair. How had he gotten into this predicament? But it took only one look at the huddled form next to him to remember exactly ~ Michele Sinclair

On Aditya," First Citizen Yaggo declared, "there are no classes, and on Aditya everybody works. 'From each according to his ability; to each according to his need.'"
"On Aditya," an elderly Counselor four places to the right of him said loudly to his neighbor, "they don't call them classes, they call them sociological categories, and they have nineteen of them. And on Aditya, they don't call them nonworkers, they call them occupational reservists, and they have more of them than we do."
"But of course, I was born a king," Ranulf said sadly and nobly. "I have a duty to my people."
"No, they don't vote at all," Lord Koreff was telling the Counselor on his left. "On Durendal, you have to pay taxes before you can vote."
"On Aditya the crime of taxation does not exist," the First Citizen told the Prime Minister.
"On Aditya," the Counselor four places down said to his neighbor, "there's nothing to tax. The state owns all the property, and if the Imperial Constitution and the Space Navy let them, the State would own all the people, too. Don't tell me about Aditya. First big-ship command I had was the old Invictus, 374, and she was based on Aditya for four years, and I'd sooner have spent that time in orbit around Niffelheim."...
"But if they don't have votes to sell, what do they live on?" a Counselor asked in bewilderment.
"The nobility supports them; the landowners, the trading barons, the industrial lords. The more nonworking adherents they have ~ H. Beam Piper

Everyone is lonely," Ranulf said, but he smiled. "We have to remember that life is to be lived one day at a time. You cannot worry about past or future. Happiness is in the now."
Raquel laughed. "Vic has totally brainwashed you. ~ Claudia Gray

Your perception is correct.I am what you describe."
"Which one?The gruff fool or the fair wise man?" Laon inquired,simultaneously releasing a half smile.
Ranulf cocked his right brow.It had been a long time since he had done any self-examination, and last time he had,the cpnclusion had been unsettling. "I do not know myself. I probably have the capacity to be either...depending on the conversation."
"Fair answer.I think I might like you yet, my lord. ~ Michele Sinclair

The midnight hour passed, making it Christmas Eve and the beginning of possibly the worst day Ranulf could remember. The embers in the hearth were dying and he had no more logs for the fire. For hours,he had paced the planks of his solar unceasingly and every once in a while out of frustration and the need to do anything phsyical, he tossed a piece of wood violently into the flames. As a result, the room was hot, he ran out of logs, and his mind was no calmer for the effort. ~ Michele Sinclair

Thinking it Ranulf, she tugged the garment down and beamed the incomer a smile. The smile changed to one of shock at seeing her sisters-both up and already dressed.
Seeing her initial jubilant welcome, Edythe snorted and rubbed her arms vigorously in an attempt to get warmer. Lily, on the other hand, laughed. "Sorry. You obviously hoped we were someone else," she mumbled, not meaning it at all.
Tyr poked his head in and, looking at Edythe, said, "We are to be leaving soon.Be ready."
Edythe issued him a scowl and rubbed her very red nose. "I heard you the first five times," she moaned. "The man does not believe in sleep and cannot seem to get it through his head that some do," she added, speaking to Bronwyn but keeping her gaze on him.
Tyr arched a single brow and stepped inside. "I sleep,just not all day."
Edythe sniffed.She wasn't feeling her best, but she was not about to let Tyr chide her without consequences. "You may have been the one standing beside me at the alter, but that doesn't give you permission to act like my husband."
"I know your husband well, and Garik's going to feel the same way," Tyr responded, crossing his arms.
Edythe lifted her chin and several locks of her red hair fell around her shoulders. "Not after I'm done with him. He'll be glad to have a wife. And the fact that I like to sleep in bed, he's going to consider a bonus." Then with a manufactured flair, she stepped around him and plopped down on the fur blankets wit ~ Michele Sinclair

Bronywyn jumped at the abrupt and very loud pounding at her door. She pushed herself up to a sitting position on her bed and glanced out the window.It was pitch-black outside, hours before dawn. Only one person would be causing a commotion at such an hour and be able to get away with it. Ranulf. She rubbed he eyes and tried to ignore the deafening banging, hoping he would get the hint.He did not.
"Bronwyn,open this door or I swear on all the things you hold sacred,I will break it down. ~ Michele Sinclair

It must be a great comfort tae him, and tae all, that you have helped so considerably with matters of the Clan," Aiden said. To his left, Ranulf choked on the contents of his tankard and Adalwulf's eyes narrowed. ~ Claire M. Banschbach

So tell me about your eldest daughter. I assume you will say she is blond, blue-eyed,and beautiful beyond compare."
"Ranulf,you are far too cynical."
"You have said so before.So speak. Tell me of your temptresses and how their beauty can ensnare my men with a mere glimpse."
"And for that last sarcastic remark, I shall describe them in detail,and maybe someday you,too,will have daughters and understand the fear that lurks in my aged heart. ~ Michele Sinclair

Devout follower of Advent, eh?"
"Maybe I should have said recently devout," Bronwyn clarified.
A roar of laughter broke over the crowd. Tyr wiped away the tears forming in his eyes. "Oh,she got you, Ranulf. I told you not to evict a woman from her home. They have all kinds of ways of exacting revenge, and keeping a man from enjoying a good meal...well, that was brilliant and evil."
Bronwyn waited for Ranulf's rebuke, but instead, he joined his friend, and within minutes,the whole group was laughing, though only a handful truly understood why. ~ Michele Sinclair

So,tell me,just how long have you known the king...I mean personally?"
Ranulf pivoted and followed her with his vision as she went back to the prickly bush to pick more flowers. She was shutting him out and he didn't know just what it was she was protecting or why. But pressing would not gain her trust. "Not long and yet forever," he finally answered.
Bronwyn's mouth curved into an unconscious smile. "You know,that is exactly how I feel about you. ~ Michele Sinclair

What did you say?" Bronwyn asked.
Ranulf scowled, hating to be caught mumbling. Something else he never did. "I said that I don't yell! I don't shout! Ever!"
"I find that hard to believe,my lord, for I have heard you do quite a lot of both since you arrival. ~ Michele Sinclair

Ranulf had spent much of his life watching those he loved wrestle with the seductive, lethal lure of kingship. It had proved the ruination of his cousin Stephen, a good man who had not made a good king. For his sister Maude, it had been an unrequited love affair, a passion she could neither capture nor renounce. For Hywel, it had been an illusion, a golden glow ever shimmering along the horizon. He believed that his nephew had come the closest to mastery of it, but at what cost? ~ Sharon Kay Penman

Who the hell ordered the servants to keep everyone out? You know better than most, Ranulf, the dangers of a hungry mob. ~ Michele Sinclair

Then he issued a single pointed stare at Bronwyn-the first direct look he had given her all evening, and added, "And good night to you, my lady. May tomorrow bring you the future comfort and happiness you deserve."
Then he turned, and all the heads and eyes in the crowd followed Ranulf across the courtyard as he headed alone toward the Tower Keep. My lady, he had said.Those two words Ranulf had emphasized conveyed more than a thousand speeches. If there was any doubt Edythe had about his feelings that erased it.Ranulf had practically announced to all present that, despite everything, Bronwyn was not just a lady, but his lady. ~ Michele Sinclair

Eleanor reached over and stroked his foreman.
"Was I fair?" Henry whispered.
She nodded. "Very. Besides, I think our Ranulf gave you the justification for some of the changes you have been considering.Perhaps a court of law is needed."
"He did.And besides it was all highly entertaining.I had to bite my tongue when Craven started all that nonsense about Ranulf trying to kill him with an arrow."
"So you knew from the beginning..." Eleanor murmured in partial disbelief and admiration.
"That Ranulf was up to something? The man would never let anyone-even me-insult his honor without response. It was hard to wait until the oaf finished everything Ranulf needed him to say...and come to think of it...it was very convenient for Lady Bronwyn to be in disguise. How is it that you did not inform me earlier of what was to happen?"
"I did not know," Eleanor rejoined quickly. "I met with his wife, who never owned to her true identity...but I liked her and suspected she would enjoy the night much better as one of my ladies-in-waiting.It is a great honor,you know."
"And the idea of coming in masquerade?"
"Well,it has been dull lately."
"And you never knew who she was.Never thought to tell me you suspected Lady Bronwyn was not whom she professed to be."
"I only knew for sure that I liked her and that she was Laon's daughter. And as for the masquerade, I did it for you, my king."
"Me?"
"Mmm-hmmm," Eleanor purred against his ear. "I kno ~ Michele Sinclair

Just what we need.A dull-witted lord," Constance mused. "At least he doesn't seem menacing anymore."
Just wait,old woman, and you will learn just how menacing this dull-witted lord can be, Ranulf promised. ~ Michele Sinclair

You're bloody brilliant, Ranulf."
"Well, yes," Ian said as Win let him go and headed toward the door. "But would you mind telling me what brilliance I imparted this go round? ~ Kristen Callihan

Damn you to tell," she hissed.
With each struggle, the wires of her wimple poked his chest, causing him a surprising amount of pain. He was about to yank the horrid thing off when she came to an abrupt halt at Father Morrell's rebuke. "I am shocked, my lady.You have always been a girl of common sense.To use such language, on Christmas, and in the chapel!"
Bronwyn bit down hard on her bottom lip, her fury inflamed further. She forced herself to stand still and succumb to the proceedings. Ranulf may be keeping her here now,but that didn't mean she couldn't escape before night fell.
"And you,Lord Anscombe," Father Morrell huffed, "this is most irregular. How am I to know this lady comes willingly to this marriage carried upon your shoulder?"
"Father,you have one duty in front of you at this moment,and that is to wed me to this woman. The salvation of our souls can wait until tomorrow. ~ Michele Sinclair

Vic bears you no ill will. He is outside drinking the Dew of the Mountain and will be glad to see you yourself again Ranulf said to Lucas. ~ Claudia Gray

Unable to stop himself, Ranulf buried his fingers in the dark gold and whispered, "With you,I just might have found the home I never had. ~ Michele Sinclair

I think you use people's reactions as a test...And it is unfair."
Unfair! The man had no diea what the word meant. He possessed his limbs and all his senses. He had a beautiful life,friends,and family. Ranulf neither sought nor wanted pity, for life could have issued a much harsher sentence to be endured,but neither did he need the scorn and antipathy that came from people's unreasonable fear. And if boldly displaying his injury kept people away,the better. "A test that you might have prematurely passed," Ranulf gritted out. ~ Michele Sinclair

What the..." Ranulf barked behind her. "Where's the meat? The butter?"
Bronwyn smiled. It was going to be a hard few days for everyone at Hunswick,suddenly observing Advent, but it might inspire the new residents to not just enjoy the fruits of everyone's labor,but appreciate and contribute.
Turning around,Bronwyn pasted on what she hoped to be an incredulous look and said, "During Advent Fast?Now,my lord, you wouldn't want others to think you a heathen."
Ranulf picked up the mug,sniffed the tea with disdain,and put it back down before flopping into one of the hearth chairs. "I know a hell of a lot more about the topic than you.And I could care less about the opinion of others."
"I doubt that," Bronwyn murmured, just loud enough for him to hear, "on either point."
Ranulf leaned forward and grabbed the plate of fish and potatoes. He took several bites and waved his fork around the platter. "The Church calls for their followers to celebrate the season of Advent the four weeks before Christmas, which is nonsense because I know of no one who rejoices in the idea of starvation and...abstinence."
Bronwyn's heartbeat suddenly doubled its pace and she had to fight to remain looking relaxed and unaffected. "I believe humility is a large purpose behind the fast."
"And control," Ranulf replied with a grunt. "If I kept such an absurd custom, I and my men would have starved many a year. ~ Michele Sinclair

I myself like..." She paused for a second straining to remember the young soldier's name that was at the gate. "Tory.He's...sweet. He could return to Syndlear with me tomorrow since you are on the mend."
Ranulf's body instantly stiffened. He had not intended for his comment to be interpreted in such a way.Just the opposite. Instead of being flattered, she produced a name and offered to leave. Well,she wasn't going to leave in the morning,but Tory sure as hell was.
"What if my wound gets worse?" Ranulf posed gruffly.
"It is fine."
"It may not be.Remember.I don't get fevers. I'm not like other men."
You sure aren't, Bronwyn murmured to herself. ~ Michele Sinclair

The last time Ranulf had run into Sulien, the older man had called him a misbegotten English Judas and spat onto the ground at his feet. Yet now that same man was approaching the bed with a jovial smile, so apparently pleased to see the Judas again that Ranulf half-expected him to announce that a fatted calf had been killed in his honor. ~ Sharon Kay Penman

So you did see me."
"Studying your hard-earned prize from afar? Yes, I knew.I make it a point to know where my enemies are," Ranulf replied, keeping his focus on the afternoon horizon.Detachment, not animosity,laced his tone. ~ Michele Sinclair

I guess it's hard, being apart all the time."
"It really is. If Lucas were still here, everything would be different."
Vic's smile turned smug. "Yeah, I'd have a roommate who could beat me at chess instead of the other way around."
Ranulf never looked up from the chessboard. "I hear your insults and plan to silence them with my victory."
"Keep dreaming," Vic called. ~ Claudia Gray

But where are we going?"
Glancing back at her,he smiled a wicked smile. "Westminster."
"Westminster! Now? What about the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord? I'm the First Footer! I can't just leave."
Ranulf came back in and gave her a comforting kiss on the forehead before placing a softer one on her lips.
Unfortunately, that is one tradition we must break.So pack only what is necessary and don your warmest gown."
Bronwyn's heart started pounding as she realized just who Ranulf intended to see and confront. "What are you planning to do to Luc?"
But the question was issued to an empty corridor. Ranulf was gone, and the next time she was to see him,they would be riding out of Hunswick at a speed she wouldn't understand for another three days. ~ Michele Sinclair

Ranulf,don't leave me."
"I'll never leave you.I am yours forever.Even in the next life. I love you.Wait for me. ~ Michele Sinclair