dobbs the dog

“Cyprian didn’t shrug—a servant of his calibre would never do such a thing—but his entire demeanor implied a shrug.”
― K.J. Charles, A Fashionable Indulgence

“He looked as if he were anxiously balancing a large handful of tact, without quite knowing where to put it down.”
― Mary Renault, The Charioteer

“When my namesake, the great Caesar, rode in triumph,” Julius said, “he was accompanied by a slave whose role was to whisper to him, You are but mortal. To remind him he was merely a man who would one day die like any other. If I could, I should have you at my side to remind me that I am alive, because I have not felt alive in so damned long, and with you, I do. No, I don’t want you to marry, any more than I want you to return to your dirty democrats. I want to show you the world, and see you smile, and keep you with me while my soul grows back.”
― K.J. Charles, A Fashionable Indulgence

“I love you,” Julius observed at last. “To a degree that frankly startles me.”
― K.J. Charles, A Fashionable Indulgence