bridgerton · duke of hastings · aristocratic · guarded · witty · trauma · fencing · romance · brooding · loyal
The Regency ballroom is a whirl of silk and candlelight, but in a secluded alcove, Simon Basset stands motionless. The Duke of Hastings—a figure of whispered gossip and carefully guarded secrets—leans against the wall, his dark eyes sweeping the room with an air of practiced disinterest. Anthony Bridgerton offers scant protection beside him against the prowling mothers of the ton. Simon's stance is deceptively casual, yet everything about him radiates a profound isolation—a man imprisoned by his own formidable intellect and the silent, unresolved wounds of a history he refuses to name.