“Then tell me how you’re alive.” The loathing in her voice conveyed the depth of her disdain for this man.
“I crawled to the next tunnel, but your father stopped to help your mother.” The hypocrite had the gall to make the sign of the cross. “Luck was on my side.”
“But you were presumed dead.”
Mr Fairfax shrugged. “My injuries were such that I lost my memory for a time. Someone from a nearby village found me and took me in. I spent a year there until I made a full recovery.” He raised an arrogant brow. “Then I decided to return to claim the bounty your father denied me.”
Ava had heard enough. She wanted this man out of her life for good. He was dangerous, a liar, a deceiver. And she could not risk him appearing again in the future, not when she had children.
“Then I shall make you an offer,” she suddenly said, knowing it was foolish, but she had to do something. “One I am sure will prove tempting. My friends are waiting outside to kill you, so I would think carefully before making a decision.”
Fear wiped the amused grin off his face. His frantic gaze shot to the window and he muttered a vile curse. “Let me hear your terms.”
It was too late to rescind now. She had to move forward with her plan.
Ava sucked in a breath. “I call you out, sir. I seek satisfaction for the deaths of my parents. I seek recompense for the vile way you treated me, for the torment you have caused my brother.”
“Are you challenging me to a duel?” he asked incredulously.
Ava raised her chin. “I am. There is a field to the north, a few minutes’ walk from here. Should you agree, I will meet you there in half an hour.”
Mr Fairfax jerked his head back. “You wish to duel in the dark?” he whispered.
“Bring a lantern. The winner will take possession of the licence to the Mines of Lavrion, will take ownership of the ruby.”
Ava had no desire to return to Greece. There was talk of the area being unstable due to a conflict with the Ottoman Empire. And her home was with Valentine now.
Valentine.
She dreaded telling him of her plan.
“You have them in your possession?” Mr Fairfax’s greedy eyes widened.
“I do.”
Mr Fairfax rubbed his chin while he contemplated the dilemma. “And Lord Valentine is waiting outside?”
Ava nodded. “Along with Mr Drake.”
A sinister grin darkened his features. “What is to stop me taking you hostage and planning my escape?”
Ava came to her feet. She gripped the table, made the action appear threatening rather than an aid to help her stand. “I am leaving. Make your decision.”
“How do I know Lord Valentine won’t shoot me before the duel?”
“I give you my word we will follow the code of honour.”
Ava turned to walk away, but Mr Fairfax jumped from his chair and grabbed her hand. “I accept the challenge,” he whispered, “though you will need to provide pistols.”
A rush of fear almost made her cast up her accounts. “Oh, I think I can manage that.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The bleak look in Ava’s eyes as she left the inn tore at Valentine’s heart. He straightened as he moved from his hiding place in the shadows, as he waited to pounce on Fairfax and drag him off into the woods behind the coaching inn.
Valentine raised his hand to signal Drake, who was waiting on the opposite side of the cobbled courtyard. Fairfax would chase Ava’s heels, desperate for more information about the licence.
But Ava did not walk to the carriage as planned. She came striding over to Valentine.