I’m not going to tell you how I think you should live your life, or what I think you should do,” said Mary. “Now’s not the time. But I will say this: Don’t try to paper over things that matter, Laura. The cracks will appear. Maybe not immediately, but they will.

Drain your drink, come on. You don’t leave a full glass in a pub. Charles II outlawed it.

Don’t run away from it, just because it’s difficult.

Life would be easier for some people if it wasn’t such a big deal.

To know yourself is to know where you’re from.

It’s just odd being a guest at the wedding. When you dreamed about it for so long, even if you we’re a different person, and it was years ago. Sounds so stupid. I was stupid.

It was dreadful, when she thought about it with the tiniest bit of hindsight, to admit this was the case. That a small part of herself was such a masochist, so enjoyed putting herself through all of this, that she liked hearing sad songs on the radio and staring gloomily out the window late at night. The tears in her eyes as she walked home of an evening, thinking about how much she loved him and how great they were together. It was so adolescent.

She knew him so well, the amused, detached tone of his voice, the scroll of his ear, his eyes, his bony frame. Someone whom she always wanted in the room, someone who saw the world the same way, and it had always been like that.

You don’t fall in love with someone because it’s convenient.

I'm not weird,' Elle said defensively.'I mean in a good way. All the best people are.' He swallowed, as if he were thinking carefully. Elle saw he was a little bit drunk. 'You've got staying power. Like with the Georgette Heyers. Reading all of them, getting obsessive about them. And you know, much better to be obsessed with crummy romance books than, er - hard-core porn, or something.