Alexia,” she hissed to her friend, “there are knees positively everywhere. What do I do?

It'll all end in tears and oil.

Stop playing verbal games with me, madam, or I shall go out into that ballroom, find your mother, and bring her here

How was I to know idiocy was only a temporary condition, especially in your case? It never has been before!

Lyall had spent centuries nibbling about the great layered cake that was polite society while Lord Akeldama acted the part of the frosting on its top.

Someone was trying to kill Lady Alexia Maccon. It was most inconvenient, as she was in a dreadful hurry. Given her previous familiarity with near-death experiences and their comparative frequency with regards to her good self, Alexia should probably have allowed extra time for such a predictable happenstance.

These feelings you engender in me, my lord, are most indelicate. You should stop causing them immediately.