What could be so damning that he found it difficult to speak?
Honora crossed the room and placed a tumbler of brandy on the table in front of Kendall before dropping back into her seat.
“Your brother borrowed money from those ruffians at the Pit, ignorant to the exorbitant rate of interest,” Honora said, clearly aware of Kendall’s dealings with the Maguires. No doubt she knew of Ava’s attendance and of Valentine’s involvement, too. “Money he used to pay Mr Fairfax. The scoundrel is blackmailing Mr Kendall.” She cast Kendall a sidelong glance and shook her head. “Oh, if only you would have sought my help sooner.”
A heavy silence descended, almost suffocating in intensity.
The colour drained from Ava’s face as she stared wide-eyed at her brother.
Valentine sat back in the chair as if someone had slapped him to his senses, while Kendall’s cheeks turned crimson.
“Mr Fairfax is in London?” Ava’s voice trembled.
What the hell had this blackguard done to make her fear him so?
“No. I meet him at the coaching inn near Frimley,” Jonathan explained. “As long as I pay him the agreed sum, he assures me he will not venture farther north.”
“Frimley?” Ava’s hand shook as she gripped the stem of her glass. “But that is only thirty miles away.” She brought the glass to her lips and drained it of sherry before shuddering visibly.
“I have hired a runner to watch him in my absence.”
With a host of questions filling his head, Valentine wasn’t sure which one to ask first. Why did Kendall not just shoot the rogue and dump his body in the Thames? And why had Kendall called Valentine out when he had more important problems?
Even for a man with some intelligence, it still proved baffling.
Valentine cleared his throat. “May I start by asking about the threat that prompts you to pay the blackmailer?” No sooner had the question left his lips than he felt Ava’s penetrating stare search his face. “What hold does the man have over you?”
Perhaps Fairfax had witnessed fraudulent business deals.
Jonathan looked at Ava, his eyes softening with what appeared to be compassion.
“Does it have something to do with me?” Ava suddenly asked.
A nervous silence hung in the air while Valentine awaited an answer.
After exhaling a weary sigh, Kendall said, “It is not so much that Fairfax holds a secret, but that he has made threats regarding the safety of my family.”
“You mean me,” Ava blurted. “Fairfax has threatened to hurt me.”
“He has.” Kendall’s tone was full of regret.
For the second time this evening, a fury to rival that of the devil’s burning rage burst to life in Valentine’s chest. If Kendall did not have the courage to snuff out this blackguard, Valentine would. He would see to it that Fairfax hadn’t a breath left in his lungs let alone enough to make despicable demands.
Through the chaos of his mind, a thought struck him. He turned to Ava. “Might I be right in thinking you once thought yourself in love with Mr Fairfax?”
Hell, it killed him to utter the words, no less imagine that her heart once pined for another. So much for the calm, rational approach. The sooner he dealt with Fairfax, the better, for his heart was liable to give out.
“Not in love with him, no,” she answered honestly. “Perhaps it was more of a mild infatuation, one quashed when I realised his intentions were far from honourable.”
Valentine saw the truth in her eyes, eyes that still held a hint of fear. “And he harmed you in some way?”
Ava gulped. “He tried to force a wedding, if you understand my meaning.”
The blood froze in Valentine’s veins. “Then there is little point discussing the blackmail because I am going to kill him anyway.”
Honora gasped. “Lucius, do not lower yourself to this man’s standards. There must be another way to get rid of him.”
“Fairfax wants the licence Father secured to access the mines,” Kendall said. “By all accounts, Father promised him a partnership. He also demands the return of the ruby he says was promised to him upon our father’s death. Payment for his services.”