Olivia Atwater

...women who don’t understand personal boundaries always offend me,” Elias said finally. “Dim-witted people offend me even further.”
“Oh dear,” Dora said mildly. “That must be very difficult indeed.”

browbeat her way into an appointment

s it happens, I saw us both exactly as we are now, in our evening best. But I think that I was covered in blood, and that seems to me to be a sort of bad omen, at best.”

“Well!” Elias said. “How convenient. Two French linguists at once. I will sit between you then, and solicit two opinions at once.”

That is... most kind of you,” Dora told her. “But I fear it is more of an affliction than a grace. I am often not emotional enough, my lady.”
“You were quite emotional enough to calm an angry magician and drive him to tears,”

One does not simply say let us go and get married, if you are amenable.”

Then again, since Dora had no sense of fear, she was quite good at projecting a mild, distracted sort of confidence

“I’m quite sure it’s impolite to stare at cripples,” Elias told Dora in a droll tone.

“I don’t mind,” Albert said cheerfully. “Besides which, I’m quite sure it’s even worse to call a man a cripple, Elias.”

The Lord Sorcier hissed in an irritated breath. But he shoved to his feet and offered one gloved hand out towards Dora. “I would like the record to state that I am doing this only under great duress,” he told them both.

“You may note it on my dance card later, if you like,” Dora told him.