Page 29 of How to Ruin a Rake

“Possibly, but you weren’t here, either.”

He nuzzled her throat. “Did you miss me?”

“Hmph …” Allegra resisted the urge to lean back against his torso and purr. He really was good at being a rake. “Not at all.”

“Liar.” He kissed her ear. “Do you think you could stop chatting? I’ve had far too much brandy, and I really need to get some sleep.”

Allegra woke up the next morning and was immediately aware of the heavy weight of Max’s thigh over her hip, and that her nightgown had rucked up sufficiently for them to be skin to skin. It was a peculiar sensation but not unpleasant. His arm was still wrapped around her waist, and he was snoring gently in her ear. She considered her predicament and reluctantly decided that she really had to get up before she did something ridiculous like touch him purposely.

He snorted in his sleep, as if the very idea of him welcoming her touch was absurd. His breath smelled of old brandy and smoke and was not pleasant, reminding her that beneath his charms, he was just a man. She eased his arm away from her waist and gently rolled him onto his back. He didn’t wake up, and she was able to get out of bed, get dressed, and go down to the private parlor to await her breakfast.

If all went to plan—and it appeared that they now had the money to complete their journey in style—she’d be back home in a day or two with nothing to do but contemplate a future dependent on her parents’ and her brother’s kindness. She sighed. It wasn’t the most enticing of prospects. She was unlikely to have children unless she lowered herself to marry someone of an inferior class, like a vicar or a man with an actual profession.

It wasn’t fair.

One thing that her unexpected journey with Max had shown her was that she was a calm and resourceful woman who was more than capable of getting herself out of scrapes. If it hadn’t been for her unease at the previous hostelry, they would both probably be dead.

“Good morning, dear sister.” Max came in, looking remarkably handsome for a man who’d been wearing the same clothes for days. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you.” She smiled at him. “I have ordered you some coffee, but you’ll have to speak to the landlady about your breakfast. I believe they have gammon and eggs.”

He nodded, left for a time, and then reappeared with a tray of coffee and her toast and marmalade.

“You should eat something more substantial,” he said as he put down the tray. “We have a long day of traveling ahead of us. Mr. Archer reckons we should stop near the River Waveney for the night and then proceed toward King’s Lynn the following day.”

“King’s Lynn is relatively close to my parents’ estate,” Allegra said. “Perhaps it would be better for you to leave me there and let me send a note to my family to come and pick me up.”

“No, I’m taking you home,” Max said. “I owe you that.”

“You can’t let anyone see you,” Allegra objected. “That would ruin everything.”

“I’m not that stupid. The last thing I want is to be looking down the barrel of your father’s best hunting rifle.”

“He is a very good shot,” Allegra said. “And so is my brother.”

“Wonderful.” Max made a face.

The maid came in with Max’s breakfast, and he set about the task of eating while Allegra toyed with her toast. The truth was she didn’t want to go home, but there seemed no escaping it.

“You’re very quiet this morning.” Max sipped his coffee and considered her over the breakfast table.

Allegra smiled sweetly and buttered another piece of toast that she probably wouldn’t eat.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m perfectly fine, sir.”

“You don’t look it.” He held her gaze. “Anyone would think you’re sad because you’re going to miss me.”

“Ha!” Allegra snorted. “The man who abducted me in the mistaken belief that I was my sister and has now ruined my reputation completely?”

“I don’t think it’s as bad as all that.”

“Of course you don’t. Because unlike a woman, you can go around doing whatever you want, and you’ll never suffer any consequences or harm your reputation.”

He set down his cup. “I agree that it isn’t fair, but I didn’t make the rules.”

“But you benefit from them, don’t you?”