Page 17 of How to Ruin a Rake

“Have you?”

His brow creased. “Have I what?”

“Ever wondered if your appalling reputation will prevent any decent woman’s family from wanting an alliance with you?”

He smiled. “No. I’m the eldest son of a duke. All women want to marry me, regardless.”

“Not this one.” Allegra stared pointedly at him.

“And after I went to all that effort to feed you.” He mock-frowned. “The ingratitude.”

Allegra took a deep breath. “Perhaps we should stop squabbling and consider our current situation.”

“Why? I enjoy squabbling with you. It takes my mind off our ‘current situation.’”

Allegra opened her reticule and took out her purse. “As I didn’t have to pay for our lodgings last night, we aren’t completely out of money.” Max grimaced. “And I have my pearl necklace and earrings to barter with if necessary. As we have no idea where we are, I suggest that we keep going until we find an inn or a village where we can get our bearings.”

“An excellent plan,” Max said.

Allegra gave him a sideways look. It was highly irritating that even after two nights out in the open, he still looked remarkably fresh and handsome, whereas she was certain she looked like a drab.

He raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“I was waiting for you to disagree with me,” Allegra said. “Or repeat what I said and claim it as your own idea.”

“Good lord, you do have a low opinion of men, my lady,” Max said. “Your plan is sound, your reasoning impeccable, and I am more than happy to be on our way. Does that suffice?”

“Yes.” Allegra put her purse back in her reticule, and Max strapped it to the saddle. “Perhaps we should be on our way.”

This time, Lady Allegra insisted on mounting the horse without his assistance, which led to her hopping up and down in a most ungainly manner while she cursed under her breath—all of which Max found highly entertaining. She finally sat in front of him, her nice round arse pressed firmly between his thighs, and he gathered the reins around her.

“At some point we’ll run out of land,” Max commented, as the horse plodded onward along the deserted country lane surrounded by fields and the occasional tree. “They’ll have to be some fishing ports or villages on the coast.”

“I’m sure there will be,” Lady Allegra said, her gaze fixed firmly forward, the ribbons of her bonnet taking flight in the gusty wind.

“Shall we stick to our tale of a carriage accident?” Max asked. “And that we are brother and sister?”

“As we will be arriving with no obvious conveyance, we can hardly present ourselves otherwise,” Lady Allegra said. “And I suspect that the idea that we might be married would seem even more ridiculous than us being brother and sister.”

“Why would you think that?”

“You’re far too pretty to choose a plain wife, sir.”

“I seem to remember you saying that beauty is only skin deep,” Max replied. “And, let’s be clear, my father will choose my bride for her family alliances rather than her prettiness.”

“You shouldn’t let him force a bride on you.”

“I hardly have a choice,” Max said. “He controls everything in the family.”

“You could still defy him.”

Max snorted. “I’ve tried that. It never ends well.”

“I suppose that explains why you are considered a rake,” Lady Allegra said slowly. “Does he dislike your behavior?”

“Very much so, but trust me, if I am a rake, it’s entirely because I wish to be one, and it has nothing to do with my father.”

There was quite a long pause before she replied, “If you say so.”