She was silent as the tea and biscuits were served. She took the tea and drank it without sugar or cream. Her hand shook a little. She took a biscuit, slowly ate that... then another, and... that one was gone a little faster. So she was hungrier than she thought. She looked up when he was asking her about her learning more. Pippa almost choked.

Swallowing the suddenly sticky substance, she felt it go down like a lump so sit in her stomach as if a rock. Her eyes met his then and she said quietly, "They're dead and I have nothing, what is there to know?" She had not read the whole article, only the names, so she didn't see the part where she was an heiress.