Simon Arthur Henry Fitzranulph Basset is the current Duke of Hastings and one of the main protagonists in The Duke and I. He is married to Daphne Bridgerton.
Biography[]
Physical description[]
Simon is known as "the overpowering duke." He is breathtakingly handsome. His face is simply perfect, and none of Michelangelo's statues can hold a candle to him. He possesses a splendid presence.
Simon is tall, strong, lean, and muscular, with broad shoulders and firm, muscular thighs. He has silky, thick dark brown hair and extraordinarily piercing and intense light blue eyes—so blue they almost glow on their own. It was these eyes, more than anything else, that had earned him his reputation as an important and influential man. When he looked at someone with such firmness and determination, a man would feel uncomfortable and a woman would tremble.
Simon is very attractive and elegant, with a splendid presence and an irresistible smile. He is known as "confident," "drop-dead gorgeous," "the perfect example of English virility." Men sought his opinion on many subjects. Women fell at his feet.
Having lost his mother at birth and abandoned by his cruel father, Simon learned to fend for himself and succeed in life to prove he could be better than his father believed him to be. Despite his success, Simon harbors bitterness about his lonely childhood and desires ultimate victory over his father by never marrying or having children. He has no desire to find love or be part of high society—until he meets Daphne Bridgerton.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Duke of Hastings[]
Because of abuse he suffered as a child, Simon hates his father, the Duke of Hastings. His feelings are so strong that Simon initially swears off having marriage and children of his own so that his father didn't "win" and see the Hastings name carried on.
Romantic[]
Daphne Bridgerton[]
In The Duke and I, Simon and Daphne enter into a fake courtship so that they scare away unseemly suitors. Eventually, they fall for each other and get married.
Friendships[]
Anthony Bridgerton[]
Simon and Anthony are lifelong friends. There is tension in their relationship after Anthony catches Simon kissing his sister Daphne, but it is resolved.
Quotes[]
- "I can't even look at him. I can't bear to even look at him."
- "If I were truly courting you, I would not need flowers, only five minutes alone with you in a drawing room."
- "You deserve everything your heart desires."
- "For what it is worth, I am sorry."
Trivia[]
He stuttered severely as a child