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

room.”
    “I can take care of that,” the butler, but she shook her head.
    “I’m marrying him,” she said. “I think it’s okay for me to be in his room unescorted.”
    Scott followed her up the stairs and down another long hallway. It was also lined with Oriental rugs. He tried to calculate how many thousands of dollars he was walking on, but since he had no idea how much an Oriental rug cost, he didn’t have much to go on.
    “Here you go,” Catherine said, opening a door on the right hand side.
    Scott whistled low. “Damn.”
    She glanced up at him. “Is this not okay?”
    “Okay?” he asked. “It’s the size of my living room at home.” The bedroom had a massive King bed with crisp blue sheets and a white down comforter. The floor was hardwood, but there was a fluffy white rug under the bed. A chaise lounge sat near the door to his own private balcony and there was even a fireplace and an armoire that held a television. A carafe of water and a glass sat neatly on the nightstand.
    She smiled and pointed to a door in the opposite wall. “You’ve got a private bathroom through there.”
    He dropped his duffle bag and backpack onto the soft rug and went to check it out. A huge soaker tub took up a lot of the space in the large room, but there was also a separate shower and a double sink.
    “Do you like it?” Catherine asked.
    He turned and smiled at her. “Sure. There’s just one thing I think the place needs.”
    “Just let me know,” she said quickly. “My parents can get--” She broke off when he scooped her up, strode across the room and dropped her down onto the bed.
    “I’m thinking a little bit of this,” he drawled before kissing her.

Chapter Seven:
     
    So far in the few weeks that he’d lived at the Cargill place he hadn’t had to deal too much with anything related to the reality show. Most of it was focused on following the wedding planning. Although he’d asked, Mavis Cargill had informed him that he didn’t need to have anything to do with the ceremony.
    Catherine didn’t want much to do with it either and he didn’t blame her. As much as her mother might protest, there was no way this was Catherine’s wedding. It was Mavis’s showpiece. It didn’t really matter. It gave them more time to spend with each other
    They’d started having a drink together on his balcony at night. She usually had a glass of wine, and he stuck to beer. There was no way the cameras could follow them there because Scott kept his bedroom door locked and the balcony looked out over the woods. He loved talking to her. The way she had something to say about everything. She was never boring
    And she honestly seemed interested in the farm and in meeting his parents. After he’d lived with her for about a month, they decided to start planning a visit. Without cameras, of course. Eric wouldn’t have put up with that for one second.
    “He sounds like a good guy,” Catherine said, sipping her Moscato with a smile. The cameramen had been following her around all day, and she was tired of tripping over cords and dodging lighting equipment.
     
    “He’s great,” Scott said sincerely. “Always on my side, but never afraid to kick my ass. I couldn’t ask for a better father. Or mother, for that matter.”
    He saw Catherine’s eyes shadow briefly and he felt like a jerk. She didn’t have the best relationship with either of her parents.
    “I’m sorry,” he said softly.
    She shook her head quickly. “Please don’t be. With my parents...” She looked into the setting sun. “I guess they must love me. At least on some level. But it’s not a level that’s much good for any of us. I can’t wait until we have our own place.” She glanced down. “If we...if we stay together.”
    He reached out and took her hand. “I hope we do,” he said simply.
    He never would have thought that he’d feel comfortable about publicizing an engagement to a woman he’d only known for four weeks, but he was