"Lords and Ladies" + "The Golden City"

[fiefoe]

It's a toss-up between Terry Pratchett 's quips and his lovable characters: man-around-the-castle Shawn Ogg, the beekeeper, Nanny Ogg...

__ "I tole 'em Mistress Weatherwax'd get her knic- would definitely be sarcastic when she found out," said Jason.
__ "Kings are a bit magical, mind. They can cure dandruff and that."
__ Truly stupid wizards have the life expectancy of a glass hammer.

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Back when I was in this constant search to find the perfect romance book, Catherine Nicolson's "Chase the Moon" came awfully close. Unfortunately this one reminds me of too much of "The Cazalets". Mary/Mara starts out as a kitchen maid, and next thing we know she was a femme fatale.

__ The girl stepped back, as meek as a book returned to its place on the library shelf.
__ She had always had an indestructible quality, but now she seemed honed, sharpened into a definition of herself.

__ Into her mind came spinning, in a glittering jumble, all the treasures she had ever coveted. A magic lantern. A kaleidoscope. The painted monkey from the apothecary's window. <> This place was all of those things and their master. The golden city. At the back of her mind, where the tin monkey still banged its gilt-fringed drum, she had always believed it existed somewhere. Now, swaying above the rain-black carriageway, she advanced towards it like a warrior queen in her chariot. Before her the gaslights trembled, the pavement shimmered in amazement, and all the world stood still.

__ What happened?... There was no answer from the realm of impoverished fact which could answer that question. We peeled potatoes together, and walked in the sunken garden on a frosty day. And these were visions from the beginning of time, always known, utterly new. Revelations. The robin came down, long-legged, with his bloodied breast, and looked at us from one eye and then the other, and we were the robin, and we were each other, and we were perfect knowledge. We walked like gods, we were trees walking, the the red of her fingers' ends against the white of the potatoes was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.