[b]Ava watched Andreios in awe as he explained to her his take on her situation. She hadn't thought of it like that; no, she'd been blindly accepting whatever it was her father said. But the fact of the matter was, if she just did whatever he wanted now, she would never become happy. For now, she would remain optimistic & see to it that she didn't end up just like her mother & father.

"Then I've decided," Ava said aloud, full of determination, "I won't be letting Papa marry be off to the richest man he can find. When I marry, it's going to be with a man I love, or not at all. If I really insist on this, he'll do it. Don't you think so too, Mr. Andreios?"

Satisfied with her decision, Ava thought back to her mother's teasing over how Ava apparently found Andreios attractive. It wasn't common, but women of her status could marry below their class. If she showed interest in Andreios, would he eventually consider her as bride material? Probably not.

He probably thought she was very little better than a child. All the same, Ava's nervousness around him persisted, & she constantly felt like they had already known each other for a long time. Maybe she was already in love with someone.[/b]