"He'd call me false and faithless and I've always had a weakness for those two words; next to cruel, they're the nicest words for a woman to hear, and not so hard to earn." - Letter 5, page 18.

"As far as I'm concerned, I shan't try to justify myself more than anybody else. Certainly, Monsieur de Valmont comes to my house and he is accepted everywhere. This is one more absurdity to add to the thousand and one others condoned by society. You know as well as I do that we spend our lives noticing them, complaining about them, and committing them. Monsieur de Valmont has an honored name, great wealth, and many likable qualities and he recognized early on that to acquire social prestife two things only were required: to be equally adept at flattery and ridicule." - Letter 32, page 62.

"I had to be cautious to avoid compromising...