Meta meme: 30 Days of Shipping

[luxken27]

Day 14 - What is your favorite book pairing?

Definitely my favorite pairing is the couple at the center of the very first Julia Quinn novel I ever read, Minx:

It takes a minx to tempt a rogue...

Henrietta Barrett has never followed the dictates of society. She manages her elderly guardian's remote Cornwall estate, wears breeches instead of frocks, and answers to the unlikely name of Henry. But when her guardian passes away, her beloved home falls into the hands of a distant cousin.

...and it takes a rogue to tame her

William Dunford, London's most elusive bachelor, is stunned to learn that he's inherited property, a title... and a ward bend on making his first visit his last. Henry is determined to continue running Stannage Park without help from the handsome new lord, but Dunford is just as sure he can change things... starting with his wild young ward. But turning Henry into a lady makes her not only the darling of the ton, but an irresistible attraction to the man who thought he could never be tempted.

I picked this book up on a lark during one of my breaks from college, hoping to find something decent to read during the plane ride back to school. This sounded like a fun story, but oh man - it was so much more than that. Crisply written, with vivid, funny characters and a heart-wrenching story, I instantly fell in love with JQ and promptly bought all of her books. I'm about four away from being completely caught up :) What Happens in London won the 2010 RITA (for Regency Historical Romance), which is the highest award bestowed by the Romance Writers of America, and considering it was her third RITA win, she was inducted into the Romance Writers Hall of Fame this year as well =)

Here's a little excerpt from the novel that kinda perfectly encapsulates why I enjoy this author, and these characters in particular:

As Dunford was quietly inspecting the front of his new home, a movement in an upstairs window caught his eye. The sun was glinting off the glass, but it appeared to be a girl with long, brown hair. Before he could get a better look, however, she'd turned and disappeared into the room. That was odd. No servant would be standing idle by a window at this time of day, especially with her hair unbound. He wondered briefly who she was, then let the thought drift from his mind. He'd have time enough to find out about her. Right now he had more important things to attend to.

The entire staff of Stannage Park had assembled in front of the house for his inspection. There were about two dozen altogether - a small number by ton standards, but then again Stannage Park was a fairly modest home for a peer of the realm. The butler, a thin man named Yates, was taking great pains to make the process as formal as possible. Dunford tried to humor him by adopting a slightly austere manner; it seemed to be what the servants expected of the new lord of the manor. It was hard to suppress a smile, however, as maid after maid bobbed a curtsy in his honor. He had never expected a title, never expected lands of his own or a household to go with it. His father had been a younger son of a younger son; God only knew how many Dunfords had had to die to put him in line for this inheritance.

After the last maid had bobbed up and down, Dunford returned his attention to the butler. "You run an excellent house, Yates, if this introduction is any indication."

Yates, who had never acquired the stone-faced facade that was a prerequisite among London butlers, flushed with pleasure. "Thank you, my lord. We do try as hard as we can, but it's Henry we'd have to thank."

Dunford raised a brow. "Henry?"

Yates gulped. He should have called her Miss Barrett. That's what the new Lord Stannage would expect, him being from London and all that. And he was Henry's new guardian, wasn't he? Mrs. Simpson had pulled him aside and whispered that particular tidbit in his ear not ten minutes ago. "Umm, Henry is..." His voice trailed off. It was so hard to think of her as anything but Henry. "That is to say..."

But Dunford's attention had already been captured by Mrs. Simpson, who was assuring him that she had been at Stannage Park for over twenty years and knew everything about the estate, well, at least about the house, and if he needed anything...

Dunford blinked as he tried to focus on the housekeeper's words. Dimly he sensed that she was nervous. That was probably why she was rattling on like a... like a something. What exactly he didn't know, and what was she saying? A flash of movement in the stables caught his eye and he allowed his gaze to wander in that direction. He waited a moment. Oh, well, he must have imagined it. He turned back to the housekeeper. She was saying something about Henry. Who was Henry? The question formed on his tongue and would have rolled off his lips if a giant pig hadn't suddenly exploded out through the partially open door of the stables.

"Holy, bloody..." Dunford breathed, unable to complete his curse. He was mesmerized by the sheer ludicrousness of the situation. The creature was hurtling across the lawn moving faster than any pig had a right to. It was an enormous porcine beast - surely that was all one could call it - this was no ordinary swine. Dunford had no doubt it would feed half the ton if taken to a proper butcher.

The pig reached the assembly of servants, and the maids shrieked, running in every possible direction. The pig, stunned by the sudden movement, stopped, raised its snout, and let out a hellish squeal. And then another, and another, and...

"Will you shut up!" Dunford commanded.

The pig, sensing authority, didn't just shut up - it actually laid down.

Henry did a double-take, impressed in spite of herself. She had dashed downstairs the minute she saw the pig emerge from the stables and had arrived in the front drive just as the new Lord Stannage was trying out his new lordly imperiousness on barnyard animals.

She ran forward, forgetting that she hadn't managed to take that bath she knew she needed, forgetting that she was still garbed in boys' clothes. Dirty boys' clothes.

"So sorry, my lord," she muttered, offering him a tight smile before leaning down and grabbing the pig's collar. She probably shouldn't have interfered, should have let the pig get bored of sitting on the ground, should have laughed when it came forward and did unspeakable things to the new Lord Stannage's boots. But she took far too much pride in Stannage Park not to try to salvage the disaster in some way. There was nothing in the world that meant as much to her as this smoothly running estate, and she couldn't bear that someone might think that free-roaming pigs were a common occurrence, even if that someone was a London lord of whom she heartily wanted to be rid.

A farmhand ran up, took the pig from her, and led it back to the stables. Henry straightened, suddenly aware of the way every last servant was gaping at her, and wiped her hands on her breeches. She glanced over at the darklyhandsome man standing across from her. "How do you do, Lord Stannage?" she said, curving her lips into a welcoming smile. After all, there was no need for him to realize that she was trying to scare him away.

"How do you do, Miss, er..."

Henry's eyes narrowed. He didn't realize who she was? No doubt he'd been expecting his ward to be a trifle younger, a pampered and spoiled young miss who never ventured out of doors, much less ran an entire estate. "Miss Henrietta Barrett," she said in a tone that said that she expected him to recognize the name. "But you can just call me Henry. Everybody does."

You can read a two-chapter excerpt from the novel here.


Previous...
Day 01 - What is your current favorite ship? Sam Thomas/Stacey McGill, Baby-sitters Club
Day 02 - What was your very first ship? Ryan/Stacy, Kids Inc
Day 03 - A pairing that needs to happen now? Seeley Booth/Temperance Brennan, Bones
Day 04 - The pairing with the most chemistry? Matt Hunter/Maxie Jones, General Hospital
Day 05 - The pairing with the least chemistry? Sesshoumaru/Kagome, Inuyasha
Day 06 - The best kiss? Tommy Quincy/Jude Harrison, Instant Star
Day 07 - The most heartbreaking scene? Shawn Brady/Belle Black, Days of Our Lives
Day 08 - The pairing with the most baggage? Miroku/Sango, Inuyasha
Day 09 - The most believable relationship? Jonathan Creek/Maddie Magellan, Jonathan Creek
Day 10 - Why aren't these two married in real life? Jason Cook/Kirsten Storms
Day 11 - What is your dream pairing? Charlie Thomas/Janine Kishi, Baby-sitters Club
Day 12 - Who had the best wedding? Byron Sully/Michaela Quinn, Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman
Day 13 - What is your favorite television pairing? Ryan/Stacy, Kids Inc

Upcoming...
Day 15 - What is your favorite real life pairing?
Day 16 - What is the absolute worst pairing?
Day 17 - A pairing you thought would never work out, but did?
Day 18 - What is the cutest pairing?
Day 19 - A pairing you've rooted for since the beginning?
Day 20 - The "can't stand the sexual tension anymore" pairing?
Day 21 - A pairing you like and no one else understands why?
Day 22 - A pairing you hate and no one else understands why?
Day 23 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out great?
Day 24 - A crazy love triangle/quadrilateral that worked out badly?
Day 25 - A pairing that was/would-be adorable, but could never work out?
Day 26 - A pairing that you hated and ended up loving?
Day 27 - A pairing that you loved and ended up hating?
Day 28 - A pairing that you will never understand?
Day 29 - What ship had the best proposal?
Day 30 - Your favorite ship forever and ever and ever?