Robin

“There’s an insult buried in there somewhere, but I can’t quite see it.”
― Ian Rankin, The Falls

“When did a person begin to emerge from that fantastical sea of childhood onto the dry land of adult existence?”
― Erin Hart, False Mermaid

“But Miss Ferguson preferred science over penmanship. Philosophy over etiquette. And, dear heavens preserve them all, mathematics over everything. Not simply numbering that could see a wife through her household accounts. Algebra. Geometry. Indecipherable equations made up of unrecognizable symbols that meant nothing to anyone but the chit herself. It was enough to give Miss Chase hives.

The girl wasn’t even saved by having any proper feminine skills. She could not tat or sing or draw. Her needlework was execrable, and her Italian worse. In fact, her only skills were completely unacceptable, as no one wanted a wife who could speak German, discuss physics, or bring down more pheasant than her husband.”
― Eileen Dreyer, It Begins with a Kiss

“I abhorred weakness of any kind but most particularly in my tea.”
― Deanna Raybourn, A Curious Beginning