Audrey Rose Wadsworth Quotes

“Pretend I am as capable as a man? Please, sir, do not value me so little!”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper

“I was determined to be both pretty and fierce, as Mother had said I could be. Just because I was interested in a man’s job didn’t mean I had to give up being girly. Who defined those roles anyhow?”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper

“We were all here to learn. He was the one who had a problem, not I. Perhaps it was time for fathers to teach their sons how to behave around young women. They were not born superior, no matter how society falsely conditioned them. We were all equals here.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

“Mr. Thomas Cresswell might not truly hold the title of prince, but the was perfectly fine. To me, he'd always be the king of my heart.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

“You do say you like a man with a rather large—”

“Stop.” I held my hand up. “I beg of you. My uncle is right there.”

“Brain.” He finished anyway, grinning at my reddening face. “You truly astound me with the direction your filthy mind travels in, Wadsworth.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“Oh, how I despised remaining silent under such awful judgment. I’d like to remind each man who held such poor opinions of a woman that their beloved mothers were, in fact, women.

I didn’t see any men running about, birthing the world’s population then going on to make supper and tend to the house. Most of them buckled to their knees when the slightest sniffle attacked them.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper

“Men are keen on blaming women for the rise in sin. It's been something plaguing humanity since the Bible first accused Eve of tempting Adam. As if he had no mind to taste that forbidden fruit before she offered it to him. Everyone seems to forget God told Adam the fruit was forbidden. He created Eve later.”

“Honestly?” I snorted. “I didn’t realize you were so well versed in religion.”

Thomas placed my hand in the crook of his arm, steering us toward my uncle, who’d just exited the station. “I enjoy causing discord when forced to attend parties. You ought to hear the arguments that break out from uttering something so supposedly blasphemous. The one question no one can answer is always, if Adam had been warned, why didn’t he pass the message along to his wife? Seems he was more to blame than she was. Yet Eve is always the villain, the wicked temptress who cursed us all.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“Thank you for the shoes, Thomas.” I looked at the stack of boxes, teetering precariously close to the edge of the settee now. He caught my stare and nudged them back to safety. “All of them. It was very sweet. And highly unnecessary.”

“Your happiness is always necessary to me.” He tilted my chin up and kissed the tip of my nose. “We’ll find new ways of navigating the world together, Wadsworth. If you can no longer wear heels, we’ll design flats you adore. If you ever find those no longer work, I’ll have a wheeled chair made and bejeweled to your liking. Anything at all in the universe you need, we will make it so. And if you’d prefer to do it on your own, I will always step aside. I also promise to keep my opinion mostly to myself.”

“Mostly?”

He considered that. “Unless it’s vastly inappropriate. Then I’ll share it with gusto.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“She’s the muscle. I’m clearly the charm.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“However, grieving or being affected by something doesn't make you weak, Wadsworth. Sometimes strength is knowing when to tend to yourself for a bit.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

“How did you know?”

“I…” Thomas swallowed hard, his attention fixed on the painting. “The truth?”

“Please.”

“You’ve got a dress with orchid blossoms embroidered on it. Ribbons in the deepest purple. You favor the color, but not nearly as much as I find myself favoring you.” He took a deep breath. “As to the stars? Those are what I prefer. More than medical practices and deductions. The universe is vast. A mathematical equation even I have no hope of solving. For there are no limits to the stars; their numbers are infinite. Which is precisely why I measure my love for you by them. An amount too boundless to count.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Hunting Prince Dracula

“I find myself striving to learn new talents, especially when the result is you looking—”

“Radiant?” I guessed.

“I was going to suggest ‘like you wish to destroy my virtue at once,’ but I suppose yours isn’t a terrible deduction, either.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“I long to live in a world where equal treatment is not something in need of commending”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“You may hate the truth, deny it, curse it, but the fact remains you are equally enchanted by it. Knowing the flames are hot isn’t always a deterrent from playing with fire.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“Mephistopheles waved her off as she left. “One more woman running off with another man. I’m losing my touch.”

“Have you considered you might be a Thorne in their sides?” Thomas asked. “You certainly can be a pric—”

“Thomas,” I whispered harshly, pinching the inside of his elbow.

“How clever,” Mephistopheles said blandly. “You’ve made my name into a pun. What other comedic brilliance will you think of next? I wish I could say I missed this”—he motioned between himself and Thomas—“but that sort of lying doesn’t pay my bills.”

“Nor do the gemstones on your suits,” Thomas muttered.

“Are you still jealous about my jackets?” Mephistopheles grinned.

“For the love of the queen,” I said, interrupting before they really got into it.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“Everyone deserved to live freely and in honor of themselves. A basic right should not be a luxury.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“You know? I believe this is the most precious rose I’ve ever received.”

He gave me a slow, playful smile. “My magic trick was fairly impressive, too. Do you think Mephistopheles will take me on? I could practice. Actually,” he said, taking my arm in his, adjusting his gait as I moved unsteadily beside him, “we ought to do an act together. What do you think of ‘the Amazing Cressworths’? It’s got a pleasant sound to it.”

“Cressworth? Did you honestly combine our names? And why does your name go first?” I stared at him out of the corner of my eye, mouth curved upward despite my best efforts. “I think the most amazing part of our act would be not lulling the audience to sleep with your wit.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“While my cousin had the voice of a nightingale, Thomas’s singing was atrocious. A cat in heat held a note in a more pleasant manner than he did. At least it proved he wasn’t limitlessly skilled, which pleased me to no end.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“Beyond life, beyond death. My love for thee is eternal."
"That's beautiful. Was that in the letter?"
"No. It's how I feel about you." I swore my heart stuttered a moment”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“He turned to me, expression as serious as I'd ever witnessed it. "You would miss me terribly and know it. Just as I would miss you in ways I cannot fathom, should we ever part.”
― Hunting Prince Dracula, Kerri Maniscalco

“I sat on the bed beside my cousin, fiddling with the folds of my skirts. “About that… what in the name of the queen possessed you to run off with a man you scarcely know? I hope he didn’t spin you a story too good to be believable.”

“Most stories are too good to be true. That’s what makes them enchanting.”

“And dangerous,” I muttered.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“I don’t believe it,” I muttered. “How on earth did he manage to get the padlocks back onto the can?”

Thomas opened his mouth, but Mrs. Harvey silenced him with a look. “Not a word out of you, dear. Or I swear I’ll finish my story about poor Mr. Harvey and his underthings.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“You’re both so intelligent in matters involving the mind, but the heart? It’s as if beings from other galaxies are puzzling out fried potatoes.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“if Thomas had been hurt, I would have plowed through the entire country if I had to, leaving bones and ash in my wake.”
― Hunting Prince Dracula, Kerri Maniscalco

“I cannot have men stationed outside the first-class promenade. How will that look to well-paying passengers? This is not a workhouse and I will not treat my passengers like prisoners. They’re not being terrorized with a theatrical murder tonight and I intend to keep it that way. I will not make them suffer.”

I physically had to check to see if my head had exploded from such a ridiculous statement. Gentle prodding of my hair proved my skull was still intact, miracle of all miracles.

“You cannot be serious.” Thomas tossed his hands in the air. “It would seem an awful lot better to have crew members posted along the decks than to see dismembered body parts floating about while first-class patrons made their way to breakfast and tea. ‘Oh, look, Miss Eldridge, there’s a mauled torso. Won’t you pass the cream and sugar?’”

“Don’t be absurd,” the captain said, aghast.

“Apologies,” Thomas said, not sounding at all sorry, “I’m only following your lead.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“While that may be true, we really should be on our way. We've got that experiment we need to check on in the laboratory. Remember?'
'Actually, you're wrong again, my dear.'
I was so mad I could scream some of the worst obscenities I'd heard at the docks at him. He was ruining our exit strategy, and I was most certainly not his dear.
When I thought all hope was lost, Thomas checked his watch. 'We should've left precisely three minutes and twenty-three seconds ago. If we don't run now, our experiment will be destroyed.' He turned to the editor and superintendent. 'It's been as pleasant as a fast day in Lent, gentlemen.'
By the time they figured out his parting was, in fact, an insult, we were already rushing out through the bustling newsroom.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper

“It was a nice story, but most fairy tales had a dark side to them, especially when it came to a princess’s fate. “A footman or maid?”

“I—I don’t believe anyone else is missing,” Lady Crenshaw said. “But Elizabeth wouldn’t… she’s such a good girl. She probably didn’t wish to ruin our trip. It’s not as if she’s a lower-class trollop.”

I chomped down on my immediate response, face burning. If she were a he, I doubted they’d call her such names. And her station had nothing to do with the matter whatsoever. Plenty of less fortunate families had more class than Lady Crenshaw had just showed.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“I laid facts out for you, Miss Wadsworth. You assumed I meant lover. You assumed he was untrustworthy, simply because of our professions. Your prejudice interfered with your ability to inquire further, to ask more specific questions, to separate fact from the fiction of your mind. You had the opportunity to clear everything up; I would not have lied to you. That was a choice you made, and did I benefit from it? Of course I did. I make no denial of the fact I’ve used this method on people before, and I will most certainly do so in the future. If you’re angry with anyone, it ought to be yourself as well. You created an illusion of the truth you wanted to see.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini

“Perhaps it’ll give me an idea for the perfect main course. What do you think of roasted goat?”

“After witnessing its beheading or before?” she asked, looking like she was moments away from vomiting. “You do know that’s what cookbooks are for, correct? Inspiration without the labor. Or carnage. I swear you miss being surrounded by death.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Capturing the Devil

“Don’t worry, this isn’t what your role in the finale is going to be. This is just for fun.”

I seriously questioned their idea of a good time. Swinging from a tiny little bar more than twenty feet in the air seemed like certain death. How she managed it in beaded costumes with long trains was either a miracle or magic or both.

Sebastián swung over from his side of the practice room, legs over the bar and arms extended outward, a wide grin on his face. As if he weren’t already talented enough with his contortions, now he was doing them in the sky. “Easy, see? All you have to do is let go.”

“You’re all mad,” I muttered under my breath. “Absolutely mad.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Escaping from Houdini