28. Bonus Chapter: Simon's POV Part 2

Simon's P.O.V.-

I waited until the last moment to go see my father. I heard he was dying while I was in Briton; I made no attempt to hurry back. The door opened to reveal this husk, this shell of the tyrant I once knew laying in the bed. He saw me and extended out his hand like he truly expected me to take it. Up until the end, he thought he could push and pull me around. Only this time, I wouldn't hide my distain and utter hatred. I look at this man, feeling nothing but contempt and resentment- resentment for the living hell he'd tried to make my life these past twenty-six years.

"M-My son… Y-You have returned to take your rightful place," the old, lame man gasped between pitiful wheezing coughs. I approached his bedside, not reaching out for his hand. All I did was glare down at him, showing no reserve in my odious expression. His voice was weak and pained; I think this was the first time in my life he wasn't raising it at me. "M-My heart may be failing, but I-I assure you, it swells with pride… knowing the duke y-you have grown into," his lips trembled as he spoke.

My eyes glared daggers down at him. Pride; what can he possibly have to be proud of? Is he suddenly proud of me? The son he's told his whole life was his greatest regret? He has feelings of pride all of a sudden? I didn't think it possible for him to feel anything toward me but anger and disapproval. I honestly didn't believe a word of it. This was just him trying to manipulate me again, which I was proven right by what he said next.

This monster coughed again before concluding his hollow speech. "A-and the great Hastings n-name shall continue." My hands balled into fists. I remembered in that moment… I remembered all the dances he wouldn't let me attend, all the Valentine cards he threw out before I chance to open them; the time he screamed at girl in public for confessing she had a crush on me. All of it; it all came back in a flood. And it enraged me.

He didn't want me to fall in love; he couldn't have cared less about that. My marrying was never for me; it was never meant to be for me or my happiness. The only reason he'd give his consent to me marrying- in a completely arranged marriage, I might add- is so that I might continue the Hastings line. To hell with love and affection and all the rest of it. I was a breeding machine; a cog in his master plan to keep the family tree going. No one ever asked me what I wanted, if I'd even like to be a father. No one cared. I was a puppet, a tool to be used then put aside. In that instance I realized just how much I hated him. Words cannot express how much I detested this man. I wanted to hurt him in the way he'd hurt me countless times.

I wanted to make him pay.

My head leaned in so he could hear me loud and clear. "Listen to me very closely, for I have only returned to do but one thing. To make you a vow, the only vow I will ever make in my life." I leaned in right to his ear so I could whisper. "I will never marry. I will never sire an heir. The Hastings line will die with me. Are my words clear enough for you, Father?" I told him all this on his deathbed.

And I kept that vow.

"Do ever do something like that again!" "What?" Daphne was in the bathroom, cleaning up after we took care and bandaged her hand. What, she asks. I scoffed; as if she didn't know. "Putting yourself in harm's way like that. You could have gotten severely injured." I could sense her eyes roll from here. "It's better than you getting hurt." That was the most unnatural thing in the world to me, and yet she said it with such sincerity. This cold steel bar of pure anxiety coiled itself around my heart, and it tightened whenever I thought that she didn't realize she did anything wrong. I had to give my head a shake, it was swimming. "Don't be ridiculous. It's not your job to protect me," I told her, coming out from her room so to see her in the bathroom. She was standing in front of the mirror with her back to me. I could see her smile in the reflection. "It's not my job, but I want to do it all the same." "Daphne…" I groaned, running my hand over my exasperated eyes. "What?! It's easier for me to get hurt than see you get hurt," again this pure, unadulterated honesty filled her voice. I watched her, unsure how to respond. How was I supposed to respond to that? Why would that be easier for her? I mean, I know why it is for me when the situation is reversed. But why would it be for her…?

Daphne reached to grab something with her bandaged hand. As I passively observed it, this strange sensation befell me. Her hand… It's the same hand which was resting overtop my heart in my dream that Saturday morning. The memory of the sleeping Daphne laying on my chest flew through my mind. Eyes widening, my heart skipped a beat. What the hell is wrong with me? Why would I think of that now of all times?! It didn't even happen; it was just a dream! Watching her another minute, my eyes finally lowered gently. Yeah, just a dream….

The Bridgerton heiress was pulling out her digital thermometer to check her temperature again. Meanwhile I crossed my arms and leaned up the side of the doorway. I did some research on her heart condition after I met Daphne for the first time. I knew Edmund also had it, which means that Daphne inherited it from him. According to what I've read, her condition is apt to get worse when she's really tired, stressed, overheated, or dehydrated. Also not getting enough salt can cause problems too. On top of which, it's better for her to eat smaller meals spaced throughout the day than three proper big meals, which explains why she eats at least every two hours and drinks water every hour. At least she's aware of these sorts of things.

The thermometer beeped and Daphne looked at its screen, only to frown. My immediate reaction was to perk up. She's frowning; that can't be good. "What is it?" I asked. She merely shook her head, put the thermometer away, and exited the bathroom. I was right on her heels as she went to sit down on the bed. "It's a little higher than it should be…. It's been like this all day," she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to me I'm sure. Still, my brain began freaking out. "What do you mean "all day"? You've had a fever this whole time?!" "It's not a fever. It's just…. my body temperature's higher than it usually is, that's all," she was alarmingly calm about all this. I was having none of it. "Why? What's wrong?" I was practically demanding at this point. I didn't like her lassi-fair attitude about the whole scenario. Now I know why Anthony's always stressing out so much. It helped literally nothing when she flashed me a dismissive grin.

"It's nothing to worry about. My body just does this from time to time. I'll be fine; there's no chest pains or blurred vision," she sounded a lot more confident than I felt. "Are you sure? Maybe you should lay down," I suggested, hoping she'd take the hint. The heiress just shook her head again. "It'll be ok. Actually, what may help is getting some exercise." "Exercise?" I did read somewhere that light exercise can temporarily help. Only temporarily, mind you. She nodded excitedly. "We've gone everywhere I wanted to today. Let's go somewhere you want! What do you wanna see in the city?" There was eagerness in her tone.

I scratched the back of my neck a bit awkwardly. I wasn't keen on the idea of her leaving the hotel room in this state, but then she did say her body temperature's been high all day and it hasn't been a problem yet. Maybe a little bit of exercise would help the situation. The only thing was it was dark out and not a lot was open. I glanced out the window into the black, thinking to myself for a minute. That's when I got an idea- one I knew she'd love.

"Actually, this is somewhere…." I teased, enjoying the elated expression on Daphne's face. Her eyes lit up. "Really?! If you tell me, we can go there!" She's so cute, I couldn't stop myself from inwardly smiling. I love it when she gets all excited for something. I waited for a moment intentionally, rubbing my finger under my chin. "Well, I was just thinking…. There is this extremely famous graveyard in town." "Graveyard?" You should have heard the tone in her voice just then. She couldn't hide her enthusiasm even if she tried. "Mmhmm, with apparently the most haunted tomb in all of the UK, if not Europe." I wish I had a camera to capture the look on her face just then.

Having way too much fun with this, I made a show to sigh as my head turned to the side. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to grin like a lunatic. "Course you've probably never heard of him. One George Mackenzie buried in Greyfrairs Kirkyard." Daphne leaped off the bed, looking more alive and well than ever. "I wanna go! Let's go now! I mean… that's a good choice," she caught herself all embarrassed. I chuckled to myself. She's like a kid who's just been told the shortcut to the candy store. But's she's right, it is a good choice. Still my fun wasn't over just quite yet. I made a show of my hands in that "spooky" manner you'd see on tv. "You sure? It might be scary. It's supposed to be haunting; crawling with ghosts." "Who cares about ghosts? So long as they don't block my view of the gravestones, they can do what they want." And I laughed. At least she's got a sense of humour…. Although I don't think she was joking. Leave it to Daphne to want to go to one of Scotland's most haunted graveyards only to not care an inch about the "haunted" aspect. She long as she has her history, she's happy.

We left at around ten o'clock. The graveyard wasn't far from the hotel, or the university for that matter. The gates were still open and would be so for another hour; plenty of time to go exploring. Daphne was practically skipping, she was so happy. We went in, only to discover that we weren't the only ones with the bright idea to visit a haunted cemetery after dark. There was a tour group in the middle of a tour, and several other people walking about.

The heiress kept racing from tombstone to tombstone, pointing out something she found interesting on it to me before dashing to the next one. She liked how some had these creepy skulls, which didn't look at all like real human skulls in my opinion. Some sections of the graveyard were quieter than others. Ironically, or perhaps not so, Mackenzie's tomb was eerily lacking visitors. I didn't know much about the guy but he was apparent a real character. "He's responsible for imprisoning over a thousand Covenanters, lots of whom died. They were kept right there," Daphne explained to me, pointing to a closed off part of the cemetery. I blinked perplexed. "What? You mean there was a jail there at one time?" "No. He literally locked them up in the cemetery. They died from exposure and maltreatment," she clarified. My eyes turned back to the imposing silent tomb. Wow, no wonder his grave is said to be the most haunted. He's buried right beside where a bunch of his victims died. I wonder if they're buried in the closed off bit where they died?

I smirked a little to myself. "What a bastard. Course he would come back as a vengeful spirit, huh Daphne?" Nothing. "Daphne?" A quick glance beside me confirmed that she was no longer there. The blood in my veins froze. She's gone! Where is she?! It's pitch black out here and I can't hear her voice anywhere. Where could she have gone? It's a gated graveyard with only one entrance and exit, so she must still be somewhere inside. My hands unconsciously balled into clenched fists. I don't remember the last time I felt like this…. Like this sheer, wrenching panic smouldering all throughout my body.

"Daphne! Daphne!" Dammit! Why aren't there any lights in this place? Six hundred years and they couldn't install some goddamn lamps?! I wasn't sure which parts were the path, the graves, and the grass on the ground. My feet stumbled forward, though it was too dark to get a good view of wherever I was going. "Daphne!" My voice was getting louder. Louder and more desperate. Where is she? Why can't I find her?! She couldn't have gone far. Why isn't she answering me?! The more I stewed over it, the faster my feet ran. Daphne! A million things ran through my head just then. What if she's hurt, or is lost? What if she's fainted? Where is she? Why do I suddenly like I'm on the verge of having a panic attack? She's a grown adult; she can take care of herself. Only… Only I don't like being apart from her like this! Who knows who else could be roaming around in here at this time of night. What if they've been drinking and find Daphne before I do? What if they try and take her out of here? What if it's another case like Nigel? No, Daphne! Where the hell are you?!

I want her back, and I mean now!

It was then that my feet came to a screeching halt. After some much-needed deep inhales, I forced myself to calm down. Ok, keep calm; it's only been a minute, she can't be far. Focus… Stay focused. Immediately upon thinking this, by some divine miracle, my head jolted to the side where I saw none other than Daphne! She was standing in front of this elaborate gravesite, hidden within the pillars; the heiress was busying trying to make out what the engraving said inside.

I can't tell you how hard I breathed a sigh of relief. It'd only been a minute and a half but that was the longest minute and a half of my life. Just the idea that I could have lost Daphne in this place after I suggested we come here… That frightened me more than anything in this cemetery.

Daphne, completely oblivious to my onset of panic mere moments ago, finished reading whatever it was she was reading, and turned around to smile at me. "Oh, there you are! Sorry, I just wanted to come check this out. Thought I might recognize the name, but nope. Oh well, still a cool tomb," she shrugged. Daphne, I watched her awe-struck. She wasn't scared at all; she just waltzed on over here like it was nothing because she saw something interesting. But the truth is it's dangerous for her to be going anywhere alone in here at this hour. It is and yet she…. The coil of anxiety curled itself around my heart again, giving it a rough squeeze. This is why I worry about her. This is why I worry…. She knows the world is unsafe and yet she's so casual about everything. It makes me want to watch her. It makes me want to protect her.

It makes me want to remorselessly crush anyone who would try to harm her.

Daphne took a step towards me, as I was still too stunned to move. That instantly changed however, when she coughed and stumbled a bit. She faltered to the side, using her arm to prop up herself against one of the pillars surrounding the crypt she was currently inside. Her head fell as she began to wheeze, her hand grabbing at her chest through her shirt. Her fingers clenched the fabric. "Daphne?!" My voice cracked in a terrified manner. Her head slowly brought itself back up so to face mine. "Simon…." She strained to utter.

That was the last word she said until we got back to the hotel.