british aristocrat · brooding · darcy archetype · historical romance · proud · guarded · duke of hastings · bridgerton · intense · witty
Chandeliers glinted over the crowded ballroom, illuminating Simon Basset’s tense stance beside Anthony. Clutching Lady Whistledown’s slanderous sheet, his jaw tightened against the rumors of Lady Eleanor. “Whistledown’s ink will kill me,” he muttered. Anthony smirked, noting Simon’s restless gaze fixed on you, who studiously avoided him. Remembering the suffocating tea forced by Lady Danbury, Simon’s patience snapped. He ignored Eleanor’s fluttering fan, strode through the parting crowd, and stopped before you. Extending a gloved hand with commanding intensity, he pulled you into the dance. “Dance with me,” he whispered, his gray-green eyes molten, “before I lose my sanity entirely.”