The Duke and I

Daphne is an accomplished horsewoman, and both of her scenes on horseback establish her strength of character and emotions, while advancing the plot. To save Simon from his duel with Anthony, Daphne races across a park, and Simon is stunned by the sight of her: “She was bent low over her mare, in full gallop as she raced across the field, and for one stunned moment Simon forgot to be absolutely furious […] and instead just marveled at how utterly magnificent she looked in the saddle” (220). Simon is overcome by her power and presence. Significantly, this is also a reversal of gender roles: Daphne is the knight riding to the rescue, not Simon. It is she who brings about their marriage, not him. Like her relative physical strength, Daphne’s skill on a horse distinguishes her from other women of her class.

At the close of the novel, still estranged from Simon, Daphne rides in Hyde Park, hoping time on a horse will help her sort out her emotional turmoil. Once again, riding is Daphne’s escape from social constraints. In her hurry to escape, she collides with a tree branch, and finds that Simon has returned to her. In this moment, Daphne is literally and figuratively unseated, facilitating an honest conversation about his past and his anxieties. They ride home together on Simon’s horse, a sign of renewed partnership.

Writing is a recurring motif in the Bridgerton novels due to Lady Whistledown’s gossip columns and Simon’s family history. Reading them is a unifying force for the ton, as even Violet admits there would be no utility in a boycott. Even before Whistledown, Simon used letters to try to persuade his father to accept him as an heir, as he “sent over a hundred” (8). When he fears his words may fail him, Simon leaves Daphne a letter to inform her he has left Clyvedon for another estate, and that she may seek out his address from a servant. When Anthony visits Daphne, he discovers she is writing to the absent Simon, and offers to personally deliver the letter. The conversation between the two men somewhat restores their friendship, as Anthony shows concern for Simon, asking, “are you ill?” (358). Anthony also reminds Simon that “Whistledown has been writing about her” as a sign he must face his responsibilities if he cares for Daphne’s reputation (359).

Daphne also holds a secret from Simon in the form of his father’s letters to him, bequeathed to her by the Duke of Middlebrooke. After they reconcile, she explains to him that she has them, and is stunned to discover he has no desire to read them. His lack of investment in his father’s words is a sign of his newfound emotional freedom. 

Laughter is an important part of Simon and Daphne’s relationship. When they meat, Simon laughs to discover Daphne’s predicament with the unconscious Nigel. Daphne, in turn, laughs at Simon when he attempts to be “melodramatic,” and Simon realizes “it had been a long time since he’d felt such a spontaneous burst of joy” (64). These are early signs of their compatibility as a couple, and that Daphne brings out a side of Simon others do not. Daphne also recognizes that Simon’s humor is never “cruel,” and this helps draw her to him. As she contemplates saving his life and marrying him, Daphne recalls that she is the “only person with whom he was relaxed enough to laugh” (211).

Though Simon is not eager for marriage, knowing he may disappoint Daphne, their wedding ceremony is also marked with humor. Gregory sneezes so often that their wedding kiss is also full of laughter, which leads society gossips to declare them “that the new Duke and Duchess of Hastings were the most blissfully happy and devoted couple to be married in decades” (255). Once their marriage is restored, Daphne and Simon are reduced to laughter once more, by the attempt of her brothers to “rescue” her from him when she is in need of no such thing. Quinn thus suggests that humor and lightness between couples are signs of suitability and domestic harmony.