It might well appear to Sir Walter that there had been no quarrel. It was often the case that gentlemen did not observe the signs. - Susanna Clarke
The pools had been written onto the fields by the rain. The pools were a magic worked by the rain, just as the tumbling of the black birds against the grey was a spell that the sky was working and the motion of grey-brown grasses was a spell that the wind made. Everything had meaning. - Susanna Clarke
When you're writing, you're creating something out of nothing ... A successful piece of writing is like doing a successful piece of magic."[As quoted on WritersServices, 6 March 2012] - Susanna Clarke