“She had never been in love before. She'd tried to save herself the pain, but all her pretending and hiding the truth from herself had not saved her at all. And even though this love was painful, it...”

“Magdalen's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. She was so sweet and beautiful. She would make a wonderful margrave's wife. Avelina had already made up her mind that the margrave had not killed ...”

“But in her heart she truly believed she was a better lady than Lady Dorothea ever was. Was it wrong to think she was nobler in her heart than the true nobleman's daughter?”

“Why could he not have chosen some other woman? Why Avelina? But he knew why. It was because she had seemed good and kind and had expressed her thoughts without any false pride or pretense. He had a...”

“I should like the woman I choose to be very honest, generous, and to have a sincere faith in God, rather than mindlessly following the rules.”

“She was so lovely, it hurt his chest to gaze at her, especially knowing she was courageous and clever too.”

“When I was a little girl I used to read fairy tales. In fairy tales you meet Prince Charming and he's everything you ever wanted. In fairy tales the bad guy is very easy to spot. The bad guy is alw...”

“There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.”

“...fairy tales, just a fancy word for lies...”