These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1) QUOTES

21 " Rose.It was her. Not some copy, not some actress. I knew it with every beat of my frantic heart. Then terror filled her eyes.

“Evelyn,” she gasped. “He’s in here—”

A hand appeared out of the shadows and clamped over her mouth. And she vanished. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

23 " Our cab set off down the crowded Victoria Street toward the heart of the city, trundling past drab buildings and gray street corners at an agonizingly slow speed rivaling that of a dying cow. To make the trip even more enjoyable, pungent city scents seeped through the hansom doors—strangely enough also reminding me of a dying cow. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

25 " Laura, that dress is not suitable for today, I’m afraid. It’s only a small dinner party,” I said, hastily stuffing it into the abyss of her wardrobe in exchange for a simple, undecorated blue dress, which would, as Laura passionately claimed, “accentuate her sapphire orbs so Mr. Edwards could not look away.” I sincerely hoped she meant her eyes. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

27 " My breath returned as I observed my escort. He was wearing the same black coat and trousers from the evening of Sir Winston’s ball. No strange clothes, altered features, or even a false mustache. He cared not one whit about his reputation. “Fine disguise,” I said. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

29 " Damn them both! Mr. Kent here while he was supposed to be helping me—much like he accused Mr. Braddock of earlier! And Mr. Braddock pretending to be concerned about my reputation, kissing me in a brothel, and then suggesting that I forced him? Ridiculous. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

31 " What on earth is his hold over you? Did he threaten you? Beat you up? You know, I could help if he injured you—”

“Dearie, we owe ’im our lives.” I gaped at them, certain I was mishearing. Perhaps they owed him their wives? Knives? "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

33 " He’s a boy,” the merchant replied bluntly. He held out his hand to denote height. “Like a man, but smaller. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

35 " Miss Wyndham, when I first met you in London, I thought you the most intelligent and the strongest girl I had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She would never moon after some mopey, dark boy. She would look for the man that challenged her, amused her, and made her sparkle and enjoy life. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

37 " Do you act the same in society as you do in private? Do you speak to everyone the same way?"

"No, no quite," I replied, wincing.

"Of course. No one does. You put on one disguise for society. You put on another for your sister. For your parents. Your customer the other night."

I felt my face warm. "But what about in private? Anyone can be themselves then without--ah! Ow!-- without putting on an act."

“We do not remain the same each minute to the next. Every word you hear, every sight you see, every smell, every thought you have, every moment—it all changes you. We keep putting on mask after mask, layers over layers. That’s how one grows. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)

39 " The absolute joy in life, in friendship, in love, is learning about a person, deciphering them, taking each and every mask off to find a new one, waiting to be explored and understood. "

― Tarun Shanker , These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks, #1)