Polly

“I was so afraid for you, I forgot to be afraid for your enemies. I should have remembered. Dear Captain.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar

“Maybe it would have made no difference, but he could not bear the thought of her, so proud and alone, going out to do battle with the world, without knowing someone loved her so much he would fight any battle by her side.”
― Mia Vincy, A Dangerous Kind of Lady

“Family! With a sigh, she headed toward the gate and her waiting carriage. Her sisters hated her, her mother forgot her name, her grandmother thought her unimportant, and her husband wanted her gone. If she’d known it would be like this, she would have brought her cat.”
― Mia Vincy, A Wicked Kind of Husband

“Remarkable ploy of the Barrayarans," Mehta expounded thoughtfully. "Concealing an espionage ring under the cover of a love affair. I might even have bought it, if the principals had been more likely."

"Yes," Cordelia agreed cordially, writhing within. "One doesn't expect a thirty-four-year-old to fall in love like an adolescent. Quite an unexpected - gift, at my age. Even more unexpected at forty-four, I gather."

"Exactly," said Mehta, pleased by Cordelia's ready understanding. "A middle-aged career officer is hardly the stuff of romance.”
― Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honour