Sometimes silence was easiest, when the only word left was good-bye.

A lang, lang time ago…” MacPhee began, ignoring St.Vincent’s low groan, “there was a bonnie maid called Malvina. She was the betrothed of Oscar, the braw warrior who won her heart. Oscar bade his beloved tae wait for him while he went tae seek his fortune. But one black day Malvina received word that her lover had been killed in battle. He would lie forever in eternal rest in the faraway hills…lost in endless slumber…” “God, I envy him,” St. Vincent said feelingly, rubbing his own dark-circled eyes.

She was a beautiful woman, if not a happy one, and attracting a man was never a problem. Keeping one, however, was a different matter.

In the fairy tale you mentioned last night, I would probably be the villain. But it's possible the villain would treat you far better than the prince would have.

I had never felt the allure of another human being this strongly, warmth and curiosity mixing to form an unspoken question in the air.

One could pick apart love, examine every filament of attraction, and still it would never be fully explained. It simply was.

Daisy had known the novel was silly even as she had read it, but that had not detracted one bit from her enjoyment.