How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I'm not an ordinary girl, pining after romance and a husband. May the Horrors take me if ever I grow ordinary, like Pearl! (3.22)
Briony expresses the same disdain for love and romance that many girls do before they fall in love for the first time. She (a bit dramatically perhaps) suggests that she wants to be taken by evil spirits if she "grows ordinary."
Quote #2
It wasn't quite a question. It was more of an invitation to tell him whatever I chose. I could talk about Petey, I could not talk about Petey. […] Eldric gave me a choice, and it was this that made me want to tell him everything. (10.128)
Eldric's patient approach with Briony allows her to slowly let her guard down with him, and by being her friend first, he is able to win her trust and affection without making her feel pressured or defensive. Good move, Eldric.
Quote #3
It feels as though it's been months since Eldric arrived, but it's been only five weeks. If you want to stretch out your life, here's my advice. Look about for new experiences, lots of them. It slows down time. (12.2)
Here we start to see Briony's feelings toward Eldric develop. Pro tip: friendship is the key to a complicated person's heart. Briony's feeling that Eldric has been there for longer comes from a sense of closeness and comfort that she has developed with him.