““Olivia began the search feeling calm, numb even. She did not wish to break the chest unless she had to, and the quantity of papers had multiplied in her absence, appearing on the nightstand, taking up a new shelf on the bookcase. But as she searched, heedless of what she knocked over, or pages she ripped in her haste, her actions began to summon a different mood. She tore through the papers as though she were in the grip of some silent, unfolding hysteria.””
![“Speak plainly, sir.' '*Sir*? I say, Lyd. Are you always so formal with men you've made love with?' The whip of her head caused the bird [on her hat] to saw wildly, like a famished woodpecker in range of a tree.” quote by Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d6/meredith-duran-2968_quote_speak-plainly-sir-sir-i-say-lyd-are-you_184237.jpg)