The duke and I julia Quinn

pretending
to dally." 
Daphne nodded thoughtfully and glanced at Anthony. "And it's still killing him—even though 
he knows the truth of the matter." 
"I know." Simon grinned. "Isn't it brilliant?" 
Just then Violet came sailing across the deck. "Children!" she called out. "Children! Oh, pardon 
me, your grace," she added when she spied him. "It's certainly not fair for me to lump you with 
my children." 
Simon just smiled and waved off her apology. 
"The captain tells me we're nearly there," Violet explained. "We should gather up our things." 
Simon rose to his feet and extended a helpful hand to Daphne, who took it gratefully, gobbling 
as she stood. 
"I haven't my sea legs yet," she laughed, clutching his arm to steady herself. 
"And here we're merely on the river," he murmured. 
"Beast. You're not supposed to point out my lack of grace and balance." 
As she spoke, she turned her face toward his, and in that instant, with the wind catching her hair 

---

and painting her cheeks pink, she looked so enchantingly lovely that Simon nearly forgot to 
breathe. 
Her lush mouth was caught somewhere between a laugh and a smile, and the sun glinted almost 
red on her hair. Here on the water, away from stuffy ballrooms, with the fresh air swirling about 
them, she looked natural and beautiful and just being in her presence made Simon want to grin 
like an idiot. 
If they hadn't been about to pull into dock, with her entire family running around them, he 
would have kissed her. He knew he couldn't dally with her, and he knew he would never marry 
her, and still he found himself leaning toward her. He didn't even realize what he was doing until 
he suddenly felt off-balance and lurched back upright. 
Anthony, unfortunately, caught the entire episode, and he rather brusquely insinuated himself 
between Simon and Daphne, grasping her arm with far more strength than grace. "As your eldest 
brother," he growled, "I believe it is my honor to escort you ashore." 
Simon just bowed and let Anthony have his way, too shaken and angered by his momentary loss 
of control to argue. 
The boat settled next to the dock, and a gangplank was put into place. Simon watched as the 
entire Bridgerton family disembarked, then he brought up the rear, following them onto the 
grassy banks of the Thames. 
At the top of the hill stood the Royal Observatory, a stately old building of rich red brick. Its 
towers were topped with gray domes, and Simon had the sense that he was, as Daphne had put it, 
at the very center of the world. Everything, he realized, was measured from this point. 
After having crossed a good portion of the globe, the thought was rather humbling. 
"Do we have everyone?" the viscountess called out. "Hold still, everyone, so I may be sure we 
are all present and accounted for." She started counting heads, finally ending on herself with a 
triumphant, 'Ten! Good, we're all here." 
"Just be glad she doesn't make us line up by age any longer." 
Simon looked to the left to see Colin grinning at him. 
"As a method of keeping order, age worked when it still corresponded with height. But then 
Benedict gained an inch on Anthony, and then Gregory outgrew Francesca—" Colin shrugged. 
"Mother simply gave up." 
Simon scanned the crowd and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I'm just trying to figure out where 
I'd fit in." 
"Somewhere near Anthony, if I had to hazard a guess," Colin replied. 

---

"God forbid," Simon muttered. 
Colin glanced at him with a mix of amusement and curiosity. 
"Anthony!" Violet called out. "Where's Anthony?" 
Anthony indicated his location with a rather ill-tempered grunt. 
'Oh, there you are, Anthony. Come and escort me in." 
Anthony reluctantly let go of Daphne's arm and walked to his mother's side. 
"She's shameless, isn't she?" Colin whispered. 
Simon thought it best not to comment. 
"Well, don't disappoint her," Colin said. "After all her machinations, the least you can do is go 
and take Daphne's arm." 
Simon turned to Colin with a quirked eyebrow. "You might be just as bad as your mother." 
Colin just laughed. "Yes, except that at least I don't 
pretend
to be subtle." 
Daphne chose that moment to walk over. "I find myself without an escort," she said. 
"Imagine that," Colin returned. "Now, if the two of you will excuse me, I'm off to find Hyacinth. 
If I'm forced to escort Eloise, I may have to swim back to London. She's been a wretch ever since 
she attained the age of fourteen." 
Simon blinked in confusion. "Didn't you just return from the Continent last week?" 
Colin nodded. "Yes, but Eloise's fourteenth birthday was a year and a half ago." 
Daphne swatted him on the elbow. "If you're lucky, I won't tell her you said that." 
Colin just rolled his eyes and disappeared into the small crowd, bellowing Hyacinth's name. 
Daphne laid her hand in the crook of Simon's elbow as he offered her his arm, then asked, "Have 
we scared you off yet?" 
"I beg your pardon?" 
She offered him a rueful smile. "There is nothing quite as exhausting as a Bridgerton family 
outing." 

---

"Oh, that." Simon stepped quickly to the right to avoid Gregory, who was racing after Hyacinth, 
yelling something about mud and revenge. "It's, ah, a new experience." 
"Very politely put, your grace," Daphne said admiringly. "I'm impressed." 
"Yes, well—" He jumped back as Hyacinth barreled by, squealing at such a pitch that Simon 
was certain that dogs would start howling from there to London. "I have no siblings, after all." 
Daphne let out a dreamy sigh. "No siblings," she mused. "Right now it sounds like heaven." The 
faraway look remained in her eyes for a few more seconds, then she straightened and shook off 
her reverie. "Be that as it may, however—" Her hand shot out just as Gregory ran past, catching 
the boy firmly by the upper arm. "Gregory Bridgerton," she scolded, "you should know better 
than to run thus through a crowd. You're liable to knock someone over." 
"How did you do that?" Simon asked. 
"What, catch him?" 
"Yes." 
She shrugged. "I have years of practice." 
"Daphne!" Gregory whined. His arm, after all, was still attached to her hand. 
She let go. "Now, slow down." 
He took two exaggerated steps then broke into a trot. 
"No scolding for Hyacinth?" Simon asked. 
Daphne motioned over her shoulder. "It appears my mother has Hyacinth in hand." 
Simon saw that Violet was shaking her finger quite vehemently at Hyacinth. He turned back to 
Daphne. "What were you about to say before Gregory appeared on the scene?" 
She blinked. "I have no idea." 
"I believe you were about to go into raptures at the thought of having no siblings." 
"Oh, of course." She let out a little laugh as they followed the rest of the Bridgertons up the hill 
toward the observatory. "Actually, believe it or not, I was going to say that while the concept of 
eternal solitude is, at times, tempting, I think I would be quite lonely without family." Simon said 
nothing."I cannot imagine having only one child myself," she added. 
"Sometimes," Simon said in a dry voice, "one has little choice in the matter." 

---

Daphne's cheeks turned an immediate red. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she stammered, her feet 
absolutely refusing to take a step. "I'd forgotten. Your mother..." 
Simon paused beside her. "I didn't know her," he said with a shrug. "I didn't mourn her." 
But his blue eyes were strangely hollow and shuttered, and Daphne somehow knew that his 
words were false. 
And at the same time, she knew that he believed them one hundred percent. 
And she wondered—what could have happened to this man to make him lie to himself for so 
many years? 
She studied his face, her head tilting slightly as she took in his features. The wind had brought 
color to his cheeks and ruffled his dark hair. He looked rather uncomfortable under her scrutiny, 
and finally he just grunted, and said, "We're falling behind." 
Daphne looked up the hill. Her family was a good distance ahead of them. "Yes, of course," she 
said, straightening her shoulders. "We should get going." 
But as she trudged up the hill, she wasn't thinking of her family, or of the observatory, or even 
of longitude. Instead, she was wondering why she had the most bizarre urge to throw her arms 
around the duke and never let go. 
* * * 
Several hours later, they were all back on the grassy banks of the Thames, enjoying the last bites 
of an elegant yet simple luncheon that had been prepared by the Bridgertons' cook. As he had the 
night before, Simon spoke little, instead observing the often boisterous interactions of Daphne's 
family. 
But Hyacinth apparently had other ideas. 
"Good day, your grace," she said, seating herself next to him on the blanket one of the footmen 
had laid out for their picnic. "Did you enjoy your tour of the observatory?" 
Simon couldn't quite suppress a smile as he answered, "Indeed I did, Miss Hyacinth. And you?" 
"Oh, very much so. I especially appreciated your lecture on longitude and latitude." 
"Well, I don't know that I'd call it a