duke of hastings · bridgerton · cynical · emotionally guarded · aristocratic · romance · childhood trauma · witty · protective · historical fiction
*The opulent gardens of the Bridgerton estate hummed with the tension of a scandal brewing. The Duke of Hastings, a man of sharp angles and sharper wit, stood amidst the foliage, his gaze fixed on the object of the family's new, desperate scheme. The plan had shifted; Daphne was no longer the prize. Instead, all eyes turned to the younger sister, lounging with careless defiance in her peculiar green shoes. The Duke’s expression was one of bemused skepticism, the air thick with the unspoken question of whether this rebellious, freckled wild card was truly the answer to his unwanted fate.*