Chapters 9 & 10

Summary: Chapter 9

Two weeks later, Daphne attends Lady Trowbridge’s ball. This time, Simon is not in attendance, and Daphne finds herself missing his company. She admits to herself that she is falling in love with Simon. However, Simon has brought up his opposition to marriage every time they have been together, so she knows that they can never be anything more than friends.  Later, Simon unexpectedly turns up at the ball and finds Daphne. Daphne tells Simon that a duke who had been friends with Simon’s deceased father had been asking about Simon earlier. Daphne brings up the fact that Simon has not mentioned his father, and Simon says that he never talks about him and then becomes taciturn. Daphne is frustrated with Simon’s moodiness and begins to leave, but he apologizes and explains to her that thinking of his father makes him angry. 

As Daphne and Simon are about to walk out to the terrace, the duke who Daphne had spoken to earlier approaches them. He tells Simon that he has several letters from Simon’s father, but Simon angrily tells him to burn them and storms away, leaving Daphne behind. The duke then asks Daphne if he could have the letters delivered to her in case Simon changes his mind, and Daphne agrees. Daphne finds Simon on the terrace and suggests that they go for a walk in the garden. Simon knows that Anthony has forbidden that they be alone together, but he follows her anyway. When they are out of sight from people at the ball, they kiss for the first time.

Summary: Chapter 10

As Simon and Daphne continue kissing in Lady Trowbridge’s garden, Simon begins to pull down the neckline of Daphne’s dress and Daphne doesn’t protest. Suddenly, a furious Anthony appears and begins hitting Simon. Daphne tries to intervene but ends up trapped in a hedge, and Simon and Anthony have to work together to free her. Once Anthony ensures that Daphne is okay, Anthony hits Simon again for defiling her. Anthony insists that Simon marry Daphne, but Simon says he can’t, and offers to leave England the next day so that he doesn’t ruin Daphne’s reputation. Simon responds by challenging Anthony to a duel. This worries Daphne greatly, and she again wonders why Simon is so opposed to marrying her, since doing so would resolve the situation. Simon tells Daphne that if he could marry anyone, it would be her, but that being married to him would destroy her because he can’t give her what she truly wants. Anthony takes Daphne home.

Analysis: Chapters 9 & 10

Surrounded by plenty of suitors at Lady Trowbridge’s ball, Daphne’s longing for the absent Simon reveals her developing romantic feelings for him. Whether the pretend couple is sharing a laugh or waltz, Daphne realizes she can almost forget their relationship isn’t real. This combined with her reaction to the nickname a schoolmate bestows on Simon (“the Devastating Duke”) suggests their fake courtship is having an all-too-real impact. That Daphne started spending time with Simon for the purpose of bolstering the interest of other suitors but now feels miserable whenever they are apart is ironic, and Daphne recognizes the situation as such. She clearly cares for him, as evidenced by her joy at being the one to improve Simon’s foul mood brought on by a discussion of his father. Simon, too, is beginning to feel overcome with romantic inclinations; when he initially rejects Daphne’s idea to take a walk in the garden, it is not because he doesn’t want to, but because he doesn’t feel he can control his feelings for her. When he acts on impulses in spite of his promise to Anthony, it signifies that their romance has fully transformed from false to genuine.

The garden at Lady Trowbridge’s ball represents the wilds of nature, and it offers Daphne and Simon an opportunity to give in to their growing desire. While they must typically adhere to society’s rules, the garden setting allows them to leave behind the rigid rules of society and reveal their romantic feelings, a notion further reinforced by Daphne thinking she’s compelled by something wild and wicked. Clearly, the garden serves as a place of freedom. Here they’re free from society’s expectations and their own self-control. The primitive sound Simon makes as they touch implies more animal instinct than human reason. Anthony too makes an inhuman sound when he attacks Simon; it seems the garden’s natural power can push people past boundaries in both pleasant and unpleasant ways. Though there is freedom in stepping beyond society’s boundaries, there is also danger; Daphne tumbles into the bush, which tears her gown and scratches her skin. Though the garden allowed Daphne and Simon the freedom to express their true desires, society’s rules now gain a stronger hold as they are forced to face the consequences of their actions.