MAIL ORDER BRIDE: ARISTOCRAT: The Duke’s Engagement (Historical Victorian Duke Romance) (New Adult Romance Short Stories) by Elaine Young

impression on you.  I know you like cowboys, and he was quite the gentleman!”
    “Well we’ll see.  I know my parents won’t approve.  They have their hearts set on me being a mail-order bride.  The application has already been sent.  I might bring it up with them later but I’ll probably just meet up with Jacob tonight and see how things go.”
    That night at dinner, Tina and her parents enjoyed another delicious meal.  The topic turned to her mail-order bride application.
    “So we should hear back in a couple of weeks about that application,” said Henry, broaching the topic.
    “Yes I suppose we will,” responded Tina.  “And if I were to find someone suitable on my own, would that mean that we can just give up on the whole ‘mail-order’ idea?”
    “Honey, you have been trying to find someone on your own all this time.  And it hasn’t worked.  I think the mail-order bride avenue is the best path to take.  Also, we want to make sure you are taken care of.”
    Tina weighed to herself whether or not she should tell her parents about Jacob.  For some reason she did not feel they would be too accepting of her new encounter.  Jacob seemed like a perfect gentleman, and a nice guy, but he was a cowboy after all.  He led a very wild and adventurous life – not the kind of life that her parents envisioned for her.  So she said nothing.
    That evening as her parents went to bed at their usual time – 10:30 pm – Tina paced nervously in her large bedroom.  She couldn’t decide what to wear.  The clothes she had on during the day were nice but she thought that fresh attire might be more suitable.  And as the fall was pressing on, she knew that it would be chilly outside.  She picked out a green dress (to match her brown eyes) and some leather sandals.  She also grabbed a shawl to drape herself with in protection from the cold.  She quietly tip-toed down the marble stairs and made her way to the front door.  It was locked.  She felt in her pocket to make sure that she had the key with her.  She did.  She slipped out the door and started making her way to the park to meet Jacob.  She arrived just in time and saw that he was there waiting for her.
    “I am glad you came,” said Jacob.  “It is a beautiful night for a meeting.”
    “I am glad I came too.  I don’t know what it is but I feel as though I can trust you.  I can see it in your face.”
    “Let’s have a seat on this bench.  You can tell me more about the problems you are having with your parents.”
    “Well…my parents want me to be a mail order bride.  They have this idea that I need to be taken care of.  But I don’t! I know I can make it on my own.  I just need to find the right person to share my life with.”
    Jacob lent a sympathetic ear.  “I understand.  I hate being forced into things too.  But it must be nice to have parents.  My parents both died when I was really young.  They were murdered while walking down the street.  All for some pieces of jewellery and the money my Dad carried in his wallet.  Life can be cruel sometimes.”
    Tina didn’t really know what to say to that.  Compared to her problems, Jacob’s seemed a lot more serious.
    “I don’t mean to downplay the impact my parents have on my life,” Tina continued.  “They are great people.  But they don’t get where I’m coming from at all.”
    “Well if you would allow me to, I could accompany you from now on and we could see where things went.  I don’t know if I could appease your father but I could certainly try.”
    It was a kind gesture, and one that Tina considered seriously.  But she couldn’t get around the fact that he just wasn’t the type of suitor her parents had in mind for her.  “We will see.”
    They discussed everything from the weather to the nature of the economy to Jacob’s horses.  Jacob also owned a large collection of pistols and considered himself quite the shot.  He wasn’t a violent man, but he