Win Hathaway Quotes

“You were never one to moon over handsome boys, or talk about balls and parties, or dream about your future husband.”

“That was because of Merripen,” Win admitted. “He was all I ever wanted.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Seduce Me at Sunrise

“He was too sick- he didn't think he could keep it down- but to please her, he drank a little. The crisp-sour taste made him recoil. "What is it?"
"Mint tea."Win's angel-blue eyes stared into his without blinking, her beautiful face neutral. "You must drink all of this, and then perhaps another cup. It will make you better."
He knew at once Win was lying. Nothing could make him better. And the bitter tang of morphine in the tea was impossible to conceal. But Merripen sensed an intent in her, a strange deliberateness, and the idea came to him that she was giving him an overdose on purpose. His exhausted mind weighted the possibility. It must be that Win wanted to spare him more suffering, knowing the hours and days to come were beyond his endurance. Killing him with morphine was the last act of kindness she could offer him.
Dying in her arms... cradled against her... as he relinquished his scarred soul to the darkness... Win would be the last thing he would ever feel, see, hear. Had there been any tears in him, he would have wept in gratitude.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Mine Till Midnight

“There was a tap at the door, and it opened. His lips parted to snarl at the visitor.
"May I come in?" he heard a girl ask softly.
The curse died on Kev's lips. His senses were overwhelmed. He closed his eyes, breathing, waiting.
It's you. You're here.
At last.
"You've been alone for so long," she said, approaching him, "I thought you might want some company. I'm Winnifred."
Kev drew in the scent and sound of her, his heart pounding. Carefully he eased to his back, ignoring the pain that shot through him. He opened his eyes.
He had never thought any gadji could compare to Romany girls. But this one was remarkable, an otherworldly creature as pale as moonlight, her hair silver-blond, her features formed with tender gravity. She looked warm and innocent and very soft. Everything he wasn't. His entire being responded so acutely to her that he reached out and seized her with a quiet grunt.
She gasped a little but held still. Kev knew it wasn't right to touch her. He didn't know how to be gentle. He would hurt her without even trying. And yet she relaxed in his hold, and stared at him with those steady blue eyes.
Why wasn't she frightened of him? He was actually frightened for her, because he knew what he was capable of.
He hadn't been aware of pulling her closer. All he knew was that now part of her weight was resting on him as he lay on the bed, and his fingertips had curled into the pliant flesh of her upper arms.
"Let go," she told him gently.
He didn't want to. Ever. He wanted to keep her against him, and pull her braided hair down and comb his fingers through the pale silk. He wanted to carry her off to the ends of the earth.
"If I do," he said gruffly, "will you stay?"
The delicate lips curved. Sweet, delicious smile. "Silly boy. Of course I'll stay. I've come to visit you.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Seduce Me at Sunrise

“He had no desire to form attachments to people. That would have required more trust and intimacy than he could summon. But he did care for all the Hathaway brood, even Leo. And then there was Win, for whom Kev would have died a thousand times over.
He would never degrade Win with his touch, or dare to assume a place in her life other than as a protector. She was too fine, too rare. As she grew into womanhood, every man in the county was enthralled by her beauty.
Outsiders tended to view Win as an ice maiden, neat and unruffled and cerebral. But outsiders knew nothing of the sly wit and warmth that lurked beneath her perfect surface. Outsiders hadn't seen Win teaching Poppy the steps to a quadrille until they had both collapsed to the floor in giggles. Or frog-hunting with Beatrix, her apron filled with leaping amphibians. Or the droll way she read a Dickens novel with an array of voices and sounds, until the entire family howled at her cleverness.
Kev loved her. Not in the way that novelists and poets described. Nothing so tame. He loved her beyond earth, heaven, or hell. Every moment out of her company was agony; every moment with her was the only peace he had ever known. Every touch of her hands left an imprint that ate down his soul. He would have killed himself before admitting it to anyone. The truth was buried deep within his heart.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Seduce Me at Sunrise

“Holy Christ, how Win devastated him. He had starved for her for so long, dreamed of her so many nights, and woken to many bitter mornings without her at first he hadn't believed she was real.
He thought of Win's lovely face, and the softness of her mouth against his, and the way she had arched beneath his hands. She had felt different, her body supple and strong. But her spirit was the same, radiant with the endearing sweetness and honesty that had always pierced straight to his heart. It had taken all his strength not to go on his knees before her.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Seduce Me at Sunrise

“Only when they approached the Rutledge did Win break the silence. It pleased her that she sounded so calm. "I will abide by your wishes, Kev. From now on, our relationship will be platonic and friendly. Nothing more." She paused at the first step and looked up at him solemnly. "I've been given a rare opportunity... a second chance at life. And I intend to make the most of it. I'm not going to waste my love on a man who doesn't want or need it. I won't bother you again.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Seduce Me at Sunrise

“At least work keeps you from your vices," Win quipped one evening before supper, rubbing his hair affectionately as she joined him in the parlor.
"I happen to like my vices," Leo told her. "That's why I went to the trouble of acquiring them."
"What you need to acquire," Win said gently, "is a wife. And I'm not saying that out of self-interest, Leo."
He smiled at her, this gentlest of sisters, who had fought so many personal battles for the sake of love. "You don't possess a molecule of self-interest, Win.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Married by Morning

“By the way, I've just learned that Countess Ramsay and her daughter Miss Darvin wish to come for a visit. We received a letter from them earlier today."
"The devil you say!" Leo was outraged. "For what purpose? To gloat? Take inventory? I've still got a year left before they can lay claim to the place."
"Perhaps they wish to make peace and find an acceptable solution for all of us," Win suggested.
Win was always inclined to think the best of people and believe in the essential goodness of human nature.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Married by Morning

“The muted light of dawn barely leavened the darkness, but it was enough for Amelia to see two people in the bed. Merripen was on his side, the formerly strong lines of his body collapsed and sprawling. And there was the slim, neat shape of Win sleeping beside him, fully clothed, her feet tucked beneath the skirts of her house dress. Though it was impossible for such a delicate creature to protect someone so much larger, Win's body was curved as if to shelter him.
Amelia stared at them in wonder, understanding more from their tableau than any words could have conveyed. Their position conveyed longing and restraint, even in sleep.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Mine Till Midnight

“It was a noisy household, full of children. Kev could hear them beyond the closed door of the room he had been put in. But there was something else... a faint, sweet presence nearby. He felt it hovering, outside the room, just out of his reach. And he yearned for it, hungered for relief from the darkness and fever and pain.
Amid the clamor of children bickering, laughing, singing, he heard a murmur that raised every hair on his body. A girl's voice. Lovely, soothing. He wanted her to come to him. He willed it as he lay there, his wounds mending with torturous slowness. Come to me...”
― Lisa Kleypas, Seduce Me at Sunrise

“We didn't know whom to fear for more, Win with her weak lungs, or Leo, who was bent on destroying himself."
"But they came back well," Catherine said.
"Yes, both of them were finally well. But different."
"Because of France."
"That, and also the struggles they'd been through. Win told me that one isn't improved by being at the top of the mountain, one is improved by the climb."
Catherine smiled as she thought of Win, whose patient fortitude had carried her through years of illness. "That sounds exactly like her," she said. "Perceptive. And strong.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Married by Morning

“We didn't know whom to fear for more, Win with her weak lungs, or Leo, who was bent on destroying himself."
"But they came back well," Catherine said.
"Yes, both of them were finally well. But different."
"Because of France?"
"That, and also the struggles they'd been through. Win told me that one isn't improved by being at the top of the mountain, one is improved by the climb."
Catherine smiled as she thought of Win, whose patient fortitude had carried her through years of illness. "That sounds exactly like her," she said. "Perceptive. And strong.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Married by Morning