The Duke and I

Daphne knows she must dance with Simon to avoid social scrutiny but is also intrigued enough by him to say yes for her own reasons. As Simon sweeps her forward without asking, she comments on his forwardness. He teases her for her “restraint” in not asking immediately if he told her brothers about the episode with Nigel. The two commiserate about the boring ball and Daphne laughs when Simon admits that the swarms of young women and their mothers are the cause of his misery.

When Simon suggests that Daphne could marry to escape the social whirlwind, she catches him off guard by asking if his remark is a proposal. Once they establish she was teasing, she describes her history of proposals from unsuitable older men. Simon declares that he cares nothing for his family legacy and will not marry himself. Daphne admits that she does wish to have a family of her own, inspired by her own happy family, and Simon reminds himself that he must “leave her untouched for another man” (99), as he cannot offer her marriage or a socially acceptable relationship. Simon tells Daphne that he appreciates her certainty about herself, and, to her confusion, admits that he still lives by youthful principles of his own.