How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
With the baby near due now, the King refused to allow Azalea and her sisters to spend tea up in Mother's room, or even to visit longer than several minutes a day. (1.14)
It seems kinda harsh to not let children see their mother—but when we realize how seriously ill she is, well, it kinda makes sense. The King seems to make rules both to benefit others, and to feel like he's in control of a situation (even when he's not, because how do you control someone else's health?).
Quote #2
"Miss Azalea," he said, dipping his pen into the inkwell. "We have rules in this household, do we not?"
[…]
Azalea clenched her fists and bit back a sharp retort. Two years! Nearly two years she had run the household while Mother was ill, and he still made her knock! (1.55-60)
The King is certainly fond of his rules—he even makes his daughter knock every time she enters the library where he gets work done, despite the fact that she's got to come see him an awful lot since she's running the household now. Is this too extreme, or just a way of making sure things stay in order?
Quote #3
"One cannot run the country without laws; one cannot manage a household without rules. It is so." (1.64)
Guess who said this? Yep, it's the King. This is our surprised face. On a less snarky note, it's interesting how he draws a parallel between order in the family and order in the country. Are families like mini-countries, or are countries like enlarged families?
Quote #4
"The King's going to be dreadfully cross," she said. "Didn't he make you promise to stay inside?"
"We are inside!" said Bramble. "Da-dum! Next time the King will have to rethink his wording." (2.30-31)
That's the thing about rules: sometimes you can find wiggle-room in the wording that'll let you bend or twist them to get what you want. And as we get to know Bramble, it's increasingly obvious that she's clever enough to, ah, creatively interpret almost any rule that comes her way.
Quote #5
She told them about how balls and promenades and courting weren't allowed, and how they were to keep inside, not even allowed out to the gardens. She told them that the windows would be draped for a year and that they would have to get used to wearing black for a year, too. And she told them about the clocks, how they would be stopped at the time of that person's death, and that music wasn't allowed either. (4.20)
Wow—there are a lot of rules associated with mourning. It sounds like a serious drag. But there's a reason for all these rules, right? We learn later on that what you do in mourning is supposed to reflect how you feel. So letting people party 24/7 wouldn't be appropriate, since when someone you love dies you're probably not partying on the inside. The rules, then, are there to help honor that.
Quote #6
Azalea hadn't thought she missed the King, his hard adherence to rules and his formalities, but the giddiness in her chest proved otherwise. (4.48)
It's pretty significant that when Azalea thinks of the King, one of the first things that comes to her mind is how rules-oriented he is. This shows how central this trait is to his whole personality. It also shows that Azalea is maybe one step closer to accepting her dad for who he is and loving him anyway. It's a slow road, but she eventually gets there.
Quote #7
None of the girls objected, not even Eve, who almost smiled and said, "We must be breaking at least fifty rules." (5.42)
Dancing in mourning is a big no-no, but Azalea convinces her sisters to do it anyway in an attempt to cheer them up. The King is furious when he catches them at it, of course—but even that anger is not enough to keep the girls from trying to dance. It's tough when something you love is against the rules, right?
Quote #8
Azalea grasped the King's coat about her neck, tightly, and the boiling hotness escaped to her tongue.
"You can't leave yet!" she said. "Rule number twenty-one! We have rules!" (5.112-113)
Oh snap. Here Azalea is, reminding the King that they have rules, when usually it's the other way around. It turns out that rules can do one important thing: they can protect you. It's emotionally damaging for Azalea and her sisters when the King leaves for war without saying goodbye, and she's hoping here that reminding him of the rules will get him to follow them. Unfortunately this doesn't work out the way Azalea had hoped.
Quote #9
"Oh, my lady. Your father would never approve. I know him too well." Azalea leaned in.
Elopement […] forbidden love […] if Fairweller was caught courting a young lady without her father's permission, he would end up in a duel. (21.235-236)
There are apparently a ton of rules about courtship in Azalea's world, and getting the lady's father's permission seems to be a big deal. This makes it all the more ironic when the people doing the courting are Fairweller (who is very serious and orderly) and Clover (who is seen as too good-natured and obedient to ever break any rules). It just goes to show that the quiet ones always surprise you.
Quote #10
"Haste away, young lady. A young Captain Bradford is waiting for you in the ballroom. He's spent many hours filling out parliamentary paperwork, as well as a lengthy wait for parliamentary approval, before I would allow him to see you." (30.30)
The rules for courtship get worse when you're royalty, it turns out. Azalea had been kinda heartbroken that she hadn't heard from Mr. Bradford after the whole thing with the High King D'Eathe went down, but it turns out that he's been following the rules and pursuing her through the proper channels (a.k.a. parliament). She's mostly just happy to learn that he cares about her after all—sometimes rules can obscure the fact that people have feelings.