Page 39 of How to Ruin a Rake

“I was thinking about things you could do to make this up to me.”

“Such as?”

She took a visible breath and held his gaze. “I want you to sleep with me.”

“That’s already a given. There’s only one bed, and I have no intention of sleeping on the floor.”

Her cheeks went pink. “I meant I’d like you to make love to me.”

Max stared at her for what felt like a full minute. “What bizarre notion is this? I’ve already as good as ruined you, and now you want to make it worse?”

“Not at all. You need to think about this from my point of view. I was already ruined; I have no chance of making a good marriage. I think it’s only fair that you make up for that by giving me the sexual experience I will never have.”

“You’re insane.”

“If you agree to seduce me, I won’t mention your name to my family.”

Max went still. “That’s blackmail.”

She shrugged. “It will benefit you and means we’ll both be getting something out of this arrangement.” She leaned forward, her hands clasped together on her lap. “Please think about it, Max. You’d be doing me a great favor.”

He shot to his feet. “I don’t like this at all.”

She smiled sweetly. “Perhaps you could think it over on your walk? I’m going to take that nap.”

Dinner was a quiet affair. Allegra chatted away to the Joneses, while Max spoke only when necessary, his blue gaze fixed on her whenever he had the opportunity. Allegra wasn’t quite sure where the idea for her preposterous proposal had come from, but she was convinced it was a good one. She had nothing to lose, Max would hardly suffer, and she would not regret the loss of her maidenhood at all.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. But ultimately, it came down to Max. She wasn’t the kind of woman who could persuade him to bed using her beauty or wit, so practical blackmail would have to do.

After a hearty slice of apple pie and custard, Allegra wiped her mouth on her napkin and smiled at her hosts.

“Thank you; that was delightful.” She glanced over at Max. “Are you coming upstairs, brother? I can read to you from my book of John Wesley’s sermons.”

He stood when she did, his gaze steady. “I need to check the horse first, but I will see you presently.”

Allegra left Pippin in the kitchen and went upstairs. She considered undressing and trying to look alluring so that when Max returned, he would cast all his doubts to the wind and ravish her with great enthusiasm. She snorted. For one, she didn’t have the beauty to incite instant lust in a man, and secondly, it wasn’t that warm. She had little appetite for sitting around in her petticoats awaiting a man who might choose to stay out for hours.

With a sigh, she went to sit in the chair beside the fireplace and took out her book of sermons. For some reason, Wesley’s words didn’t inspire anything in her but a vague sense of irritation. In theory, she was all for preserving her virginity for her husband, but in practical terms, it wasn’t very appealing.

She was just setting the book aside when Max came in and locked the door behind him. He looked his usual handsome self, his blue eyes glinting, the gold of his hair shining in the candlelight, but his smile was absent. He looked over at her as he removed his boots and set them by the hearth.

“I hope your reading has helped you change your mind.”

“Not at all,” Allegra said. “In fact, I was just thinking about how annoying it is when men preach to women about matters they cannot possibly understand.”

“How very radical of you. Next, you’ll be insisting women should preach the word of God.”

“Well, why not? We are half the population.”

He sat down opposite her and held her gaze. “I see that you are in an argumentative frame of mind.”

“No, I’m nervous, and I tend to babble when I’m unsure of how I’m being perceived,” Allegra retorted. “Perhaps if you gave me an answer to my proposition, I might feel somewhat better.”

He sighed. “Allegra …”

“Max, this is the only opportunity I am likely to have in my life to experience the delights of sexual congress. As someone who has actively made everything in my life worse, I think the least you could do is assist me in this matter.”

“You still might marry, and what will you tell your husband when he realizes you aren’t a virgin?”