His Merciless Marriage Bargain

She reached for his sweater, clinging to the softness, needing support, but the cashmere stretched, yielding, and she leaned against his chest, unable to stand. - anything made from cashmere or shawls like "pashmina' show an utter lack of CONSCIENCE and humanity when it comes to other sentient beings i.e. animals.

Her eyes opened wide. “You expect me to live in Venice for the next year?” “I expect you to live with me for the rest of your life.” - lol that was cheeky but sweet

“It’s true, though, that the flooding has been worse in recent years, and that’s due to climate change?” “Venice has been sinking for hundreds of years, but it’s not just because of climate change and the rising seas. The more we develop outlying areas, with the pumping of water and natural gas, the more Venice is negatively impacted. It is serious. It’s devastating for those of us who love Venice.” - how can we reduce the effects of climate change? Stop aninal agriculture for one...

All her life she’d struggled with the sense of inadequacy. She knew she was smart, capable, but it didn’t seem to be enough. People valued beauty. So many in society placed beauty as the ultimate achievement. And beautiful was the one thing she’d never be, despite her attempts to improve her appearance through makeup and exercise and good hair care. - people are shallow if they only value beauty. More often beautiful people are vain, shallow and utterly selfish/self-centred

The brush of his fingers against her neck sent a shiver of pleasure from her, while the long velvet, fur-lined cloak felt like heaven. It was soft and yet with enough weight to cocoon her in warmth. - using "fur" anything in this day and age should make one feel hugely ashamed!

“No, and that’s the lie. I don’t presume to understand all your family dynamics, but you were not put on earth to be your sister’s caregiver. You’re here to be you, and live your life, and find happiness in your life.” - when you love someone and find they're less capable of looking after themselves, a really decent person would ensure their family was safe...

Were there twenty-nine-year-old virgins out there? - more of them out there thankfully...