‘Berinthia?’ he mumbled vaguely. ‘What the devil—?’ ‘Oh, Rupert, wake up, pray,’ begged Miss Flimwell throbbingly. ‘You must go after her at once or all is lost!’ He put up a hand to shade his eyes. ‘Go after her...after whom?’ ‘Pippa, of course. Oh, Rupert, she has gone—run off—eloped!’ ‘What?’ Suddenly Rupert was wide awake and springing from the bed, Miss Flimwell moving hastily out of his way. ‘When did she go?’ he asked curtly as he reached for his dressing robe and shrugged it on. ‘Who discovered it? Her maid? What time is it now?’ His cousin, a twittering creature at the best of times, struggled to answer his barrage of questions, hurrying behind him as he speeded out of his room and up towards his niece’s chamber on the floor above. ‘Yes it was her maid. It must be gone five now, for the girl went in to light the fire in Pippa’s room and found all in chaos. Oh, Rupert, she must have had it all planned.
