Page 65 of How to Ruin a Rake

Max thanked him and proceeded to wash, shave, and make himself presentable. For some reason, the very sight of Allegra made his normal charm disappear to be replaced by a helpless sea of muddled fury. It could not continue. He had to calm down and at least try to be pleasant to her and the rest of the family while he worked out how to extricate them from this awful situation.

Except for that Cooper fellow. He tied his cravat and pinned it in place. He had no desire to be pleasant to him. He was far too familiar with Allegra for Max’s liking.

He put on his coat and boots, went down the main staircase, and was directed into the dining room by a passing maid. To his relief, Lady Allegra wasn’t present, but Mr. Cooper was.

He looked up as Max came in and smiled. “Good morning, my lord. I hear you are staying on as a guest.”

Max inclined his head an icy inch. “Yes, my father had to return to London.” He helped himself to the dishes on the sideboard and sat down opposite Mr. Cooper at the table. “Are you a guest here, sir, or are you employed in some capacity?” Max asked.

Mr. Cooper chuckled. “You have a very sharp eye, my lord. I have previously been employed by the aristocracy, but not for some years. I’m a scholar and a writer affiliated to the cathedral at Wells, which is how I became acquainted with Lord Dorian.”

“You’re a friend of the family, then.”

“I’d like to consider myself one, yes.” Mr. Cooper looked directly at Max. “And you? How long have you known the Musgrove family?”

“My father has been acquainted with the earl for more than twenty years,” Max said.

“Good morning.” Julian Laurent, a gentleman Max knew slightly, came into the dining room. He was dressed in exquisite taste and had a decided twinkle in his eye. Laurent surveyed them both and smiled. “It’s nice to see you getting acquainted. You have so much in common.”

Laurent was known for his famous wit, but in this instance, Max didn’t think he was very funny.

“How so?” Mr. Cooper asked.

“You share an interest in Lady Allegra, yes?”

Mr. Cooper looked at Max. “We do?”

Max smiled, finished his food, and got to his feet. “I think I’ll take a stroll around the grounds.”

He sought directions from the butler and left by a side door. A long avenue of trees marched down toward a lake and a picturesque stone bridge. As it was a fine day, he decided to head that way. Had Laurent confirmed Max’s suspicion that Mr. Cooper was after Allegra? If so, it was quick work on her part to consider another man after what they’d so recently shared.

He’d thought it meant something to her … ​but perhaps he’d been wrong. And why did he care anyway? God, he hated feeling like this. He was the one who left his partners, he was the one every woman desired, and—

He stopped walking. When had he become such an arrogant prick? After what he’d put her through, Allegra had every right to prefer another man to him, and if Cooper was what she wanted, he’d have a perfect excuse not to marry her. For some reason, that didn’t make him feel any better, which was why he wasn’t in the best of moods when he spotted his prey.

He marched up to Allegra, who had just crossed over the bridge. She didn’t look very pleased to see him, which suited his current state perfectly.

“What is going on?” Allegra said in a deadly calm voice. “You promised me—”

“I promised I would do my best,” Max said. “And, obviously, as usual, I wasn’t good enough, and bloody Landon and my brother blurted everything out to my father.”

“Why didn’t you just deny everything?”

“Because I am trying to be a better man!” Max only realized he might have raised his voice when Allegra scowled even harder. “I didn’t know our fathers were friends and that mine would suddenly develop this ridiculous puritanical streak about honor.”

“I told him there was no need for you to marry me.”

Max stared at her. “And let me guess, he ignored you completely. He told me the marriage was practically settled, and that I should get used to the idea.”

“He certainly wasn’t interested in my suggestions.” Allegra sighed, and her shoulders drooped. “What are we going to do?”

“If we both continue to refuse the match, they can’t force us,” Max said. “This isn’t the dark ages.” He paused. “And it looks as if you already have a suitor for yourself.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mr. Cooper. He professed an interest in you over breakfast. And I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to favor him.”

Allegra stared at him for a very long minute as her dogs roamed restlessly around her. “You are offended by the possibility that I might marry someone else? Even when it gives us the perfect excuse not to marry ourselves?”