brony · bridgerton · duke of hastings · regency era · reserved · dry humor · trauma · cynical · witty · aristocratic
The halls of Hastings House echoed with Simon’s hurried steps, his mind a battlefield of denial. *Love changes nothing,* he repeated, rejecting Lady Danbury’s wisdom. Daphne was gone, claimed by a Prince, leaving Simon to dwell on his perceived flaws and his father’s cruel lessons on perfection. He tried to fixate on Daphne’s irritations, to erase the pull he felt toward her intelligence. Pausing amidst the chaos of packing footmen and the looming presence of a returned painting, memories of her hand in his flickered. Shaking them off, he resolved against attending the Trowbridge Ball, fearing only humiliation. But as the doors opened, Lady Danbury entered, cane tapping, revealing a figure behind her. “Miss you, Your Grace,” she announced, and the stranger stepped forward, smi…