The Duke and I

As he and Daphne ride home, Simon considers that “maybe anger wasn’t the solution […] maybe he could learn to hold on to love instead” (377). When they arrive home, Simon is stunned to discover that Colin, Benedict, and Anthony are all in the house, demanding he explain himself for his behavior toward Daphne. At first, Daphne asserts that her marriage is not their business, but Colin insists, “we aren’t leaving until we’re convinced he loves you” (379). Simon ushers her into a corner of the hall, assuring her of his eternal devotion and reminding her that she is so wonderful that she has derailed all of his original plans never to marry or have a family. They urge her brothers out, but before they can go Violet arrives, scolding her sons for their interference. Simon laughs as she drags Colin out by the ear.

Simon carries Daphne upstairs to bed, telling her of his adoration for her. She asks for his consent for them to proceed with their lovemaking, particularly if he is certain that he is open to the possibility of parenthood. He assures her that he is. Later, Daphne awakens and finds Simon in the sitting room of their suite, lost in thought. He assures her he has “no regrets” about the previous evening and she assures him in return that she does not want a child immediately. Overcome with emotion, Simon asks her, “What if…if we have a child, a-a-and it comes out like me?” (391). Daphne assures him she would love and cherish a child who inherited his speech disability. She asks him if he would make the choices his father did, and when he realizes he would not, she tells him that is all he needs to parent well. Daphne sees that Simon now feels secure in himself, and that their marriage rests on a new foundation.

Later, Daphne remembers the unopened letters from Simon’s father she still has in her possession. She brings them to Simon, who observes no one burned them, after all. To his surprise, Simon is unconcerned with the letters, even if they inform him his father regretted his behavior. He assures Daphne he just wants to take her back to bed, tells her he is ready for parenthood, and declares that every moment of their future will be filled with his love for her.

Lady Whistledown announces the birth of an heir to the Hastings dukedom, speculating that the child will be named David.

Simon, looking at Daphne with the infant David, gripes that the columnist must have “a spy in our household” (400). Daphne reports she likes the column, as the author has remarked on their happy marriage. Simon is mollified and takes the baby, promising devotion and protection, including from gossip columnists.

Elsewhere, an anonymous woman writes the next Whistledown column.

Sixteen years later, Daphne, now 41, suspects she is pregnant, to her great shock. Simon enters, and Daphne hides her calendar. He complains that all three of their daughters are of marriageable age now, which Daphne blames on “procreative industriousness.” Simon, inspired, takes her to bed before she can say more, professing his devotion to outdo her with superlatives. When he declares he “worships” her, she crowns him the winner.

Daphne wonders if she is approaching menopause instead, but vomits during a conversation with her second daughter, Belinda, and becomes certain of the pregnancy. She persuades her daughter to fetch a maid instead of Simon, already picturing herself hugely pregnant and dreading the physical discomfort. Her maid recognizes the symptoms immediately, but Daphne says she is not ready to tell Simon. Her maid informs her that Colin and his wife, Penelope Featherington, are coming to visit. Daphne invites them to stay.

Colin and Penelope seek advice about their son, Georgie, who is experiencing speech difficulties similar to Simon’s. Daphne tells them that love will be enough. Colin remarks on Daphne’s appearance, and Penelope finally explains that Daphne is pregnant. Colin is shocked, but Penelope argues that these things are not unheard of. Daphne, exhausted, merely listens, “too sleepy to be embarrassed. And maybe too old, too” (424). Daphne falls asleep at the table, and Colin reflects that Simon is “in for the surprise of his life” when he returns (425).

Simon arrives after a long delay due to a flood at one of his estates, worrying Daphne may be ill. He gets into bed for a nap with a sleeping Daphne, but she awakens to vomit. He realizes, slowly, that she must be pregnant and joyfully congratulates her. Later that day, Simon sits in his study and ponders how he “thirsted for vengeance […] and it had taken love, first with Daphne and then with his children, to banish that ghost” (431-32). Simon finds the letters from his father, still unopened after two decades, and wonders if their contents might help with Georgie’s situation. Daphne finds Simon, surprised to see him with the letters. She assures him it is alright to have kept them, as his father’s death and their estrangement “doesn’t mean he never mattered” (435). Daphne reads the letters for Simon and discover that they are an account of estate matters, with no personal content of any kind. Simon throws them on the fire, telling Daphne he is ready for bed. He will tell Collin and Penelope that loving parenting is enough. Daphne, touched, assures him he will be a wonderful father to their new child, as he has always been.