Elizabeth Jane Howard

Charity felt rather snoozy after the long sermon, and she was really very grateful when Reverend Meeps offered her a cup of tea. Church was not so bad when the minister remembered you were only human.

Charity liked brandy. She liked the way it burned her throat while soothing the ache in her heart.

Laughter is just like champagne -- only without the headache afterwards.

It's not a luxury if you can't do without it!

Why does getting ahead always have to involve getting up early?

Sir Humphrey looked like a sleepy old hippo -- and when he yawned in that big, big, hippopotamus way Charity couldn't help doing likewise.

When you fall asleep after a big lunch you're really just saving up energy to work off all the calories later on.

Charity knew she had to begin looking for a job soon. Definitely tomorrow, or the next day. Or perhaps the day after that. Charity didn't believe in procrastination. She just needed to plan her strategy. She was sound asleep on the sofa when Lady Margaret got back from London.

The real point of watching television is to forget that you have a brain.

Some girls have a real sexy giggle, but whenever I laugh it always comes out somewhere between a bellow and a snort!

You can't oversleep if you don't make plans to wake up early.

Why do they call them daytime dramas, anyway? Shouldn't they be bedtime dramas? All anyone ever talks about is getting someone into bed! Plus if you're at home watching, you're probably watching in bed. And if you're like me, after an hour or two of watching all those sexy goings-on you forget the silly story entirely and fall asleep. Just like it's bedtime!

Giving the rugged repairman the eye was one thing -- but Charity had no intention of snogging away a whole rainy afternoon when she was supposed to be catching up on her work. Lady Margaret was counting on her! But then again, Lady Margaret didn't have big brown eyes and a cheeky grin.

I'm not lazy. I'm just really gifted, only instead of being good at music or math I'm good at sleeping late.

Holidays were invented so single women could overeat without feeling guilty.

A massage is just like a movie, really relaxing and a total escape, except in a massage you're the star. And you don't miss anything by falling asleep!

A rainy day is like a lovely gift -- you can sleep late and not feel guilty.

Charity groped for the phone, coming up with it at last and croaking "hello" in a voice that sounded exactly like a bullfrog's mating call. Which made a kind of twisted sense -- last night she'd been hunting for a mate as well.