As they dance, Daphne reveals she would like a husband and children but has not found an acceptable suitor. Simon tells Daphne that he never wants to marry or have children.
The Duke (Simon) has told Daphne he cannot have children, when in fact he just doesn't want to have children. The plot centers on this as the reason why he refuses to marry and continue his line.
They Were Willing To Give Up A Lot To Be Together
They then must marry to protect Daphne's honor. In doing so, they both give up things that they want at first, but, in the end, they are both willing to do this because they really do love one another.
During the 1813 season, Daphne and Simon pretend to court each other but end up developing real feelings for each other. They eventually share a kiss in the garden, which Daphne's brother Anthony witnesses. As a result, he demands that Simon marry her.
Daphne tried to talk Simon out of it, but he told her he couldn't marry her because he could not give her children. Despite this, Daphne declared she would marry him. She later married Simon, and became the new Duchess of Hastings.
Mostly, the thing that is keeping them apart is their differing views on children – namely, that Daphne wants them while Simon does not. We learn that this is because the Duke had made a vow never to have children, mostly as the ultimate insult to his father – no child means no heir, bringing the Basset line to an end.
After Daphne realizes that her husband has been practicing the withdrawal method and his "I can't have children" is more of an "I won't have children," the newlywed feels betrayed, believing that Simon has taken advantage of her naivety when it comes to the ins and outs of conception.
Though they have a deep connection, their marriage is rocky as Simon doesn't want to have children due to his growing up with an abusive father. Eventually, Simon makes peace with his past and the two reconcile their relationship. The season ends with Daphne giving birth to their first child, a baby boy.
When Daphne angrily accuses Simon of taking advantage of her ignorance, he explains that he refuses to have children because he wants his family title to die with him.
Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Hastings
Ultimately, however, The Duke and I see them as a match made in heaven. The pair not only stay together, but they also go on to have five children.
But that's not the worse part. As the series unfolds, you begin noticing problematic characteristics with Daphne, as well as Simon. For one, both Daphne and Simon are manipulative and narcissistic. A classic recipe for disaster.
Daphne Bridgerton
Since historically in this time period men often married later than women, the eight-year age difference between Daphne and Simon would have been considered a small one.
Married Life
After much back and forth, Simon tells Daphne he is not angry, but sad that she doesn't “burn for” or feel the same way about him. Daphne confesses she does burn for him, and then they consummate their marriage.
At the Bridgerton ending, Simon and Daphne welcome their first child. This means that even though the viewers did not get to see Daphne being clearly pregnant, she still got pregnant and welcomed her child with Simon towards the ending of season 1.
By the end of season one, Daphne and Simon have reconciled their differences. Their "happily ever after" ending features the the birth of a new baby, August (nicknamed Auggie).
Daphne is the fourth child of Edmund and Violet Bridgerton. She was born 18 months after her older brother, Colin. She was ten when Edmund suddenly died and was the one who told her oldest brother, Anthony, the news.
For her whole life, Daphne knew the only thing expected of her was to have children. She feels the Duke has lied to her, as he told her he couldn't have children. She assumed this meant he medically couldn't, but it actually meant he didn't want to have children, and had vowed to his abusive father that he wouldn't.
The Eat Your Heart Out cookbook author, 37, enjoyed the holiday with husband John Jovanovic and their four children — daughters Giovanna Ines, 3½, Domenica Celine, 5, and Philomena 'Philo' Bijou, 9, and son Jovan, 7.
Though Simon had led Daphne to believe he couldn't have children once they wed because he was infertile, she later found out he was actually childfree by choice, and this resulted in her refusing to let him pull out while they were having sex — his chosen method of birth control.
Back in April 2021, Regé-Jean Page shocked the ton when he exited Bridgerton after just one season as Duke Simon Basset. As for his reasoning? "I signed up to do a job and I did the job and then I did some other jobs," he recently told Vanity Fair for their Hollywood Issue cover story. "That's it.
We wanted to create that beautiful floral world in a much more subtle way. The small, close feel of the couple's nuptials was in line with the microweddings that many brides and brides-to-be have turned to in recent months amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As much as we would've liked to see Regé-Jean Page reprise his role as the charming Simon Basset/Duke of Hastings in the third season, it's just not happening. This shouldn't be surprising because he wasn't in the second season, either. However, we had hoped he'd return for the third season in some capacity.
Daphne then accuses Simon of taking advantage of her ignorance on the subject and says that she can't forgive him for lying to her.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, Daphne is furious that Simon has lied to her about his inability to have children, thereby preventing her from becoming a mother.
Simon was enraged at Daphne for her behaviour, telling her if there was with child their marriage was essentially over. There was a tense wait as Daphne was hoping she was desperately pregnant with Simon cold and distant from her.