(Author's Note: Hello to my lovely readers! I just want to thank you for all your support and positive comments so far. It's readers like you who inspire me to keep writing fanfiction!

I just wanted to note that I know the anticipation behind Simon finally meeting Daphne is high. Don't worry! It's coming soon. But because Simon's never actually met a human before and the kind of human Daphne is, I wanted to give them a little indirect bonding time first. This is so that Simon has an emotional (as well as legal) reason not to attack Daphne when he does first see her. He resists his urges because he's already starting to care for her by that point. Don't worry! It'll all make sense in the next two chapters. It won't be a long wait; I promise. Just got to do a little distant flirting first.

Enjoy!)

The sky had turned an ominous black despite being eleven o'clock in the morning. Lady Danbury had already gone to bed hours ago and I suspected Lord Basset was asleep too. If he was up he didn't make a sound, which led me to believe he was sleeping in the first place. This left me to batten down the manor for the upcoming thunderstorm fast approaching. I hated thunder and lightning at the worst of times, and not having Uncle or anyone really here with me frightened me even more.

I had been picking blueberries when the wind picked up. Quickly coming inside, not bothering to take the scores of pink flowers out from my hair, I set the basket in the kitchen and rushed back out to make sure all the barnyard animals were sheltered. I had just come back in and locked the back door when there was a loud knock at the front. This both alarmed and didn't alarm me. The sun wasn't visible, so it was the best time of the daytime for vampires to be outside. Still I was the only one up at the moment and was under strict orders not to open the door for anyone. It was a dangerous game, humans meeting vampires on their own and without no warning. It's the reason I was so isolated as a child, even from my own family.

The banging continued, and I mustered up enough courage to go near the door. Keeping it locked and myself out of sight, my fingers slid open the slit a bit so whoever it was might hear me. "Who is it?" I asked in the most authoritative voice I could manage. "Letter for the Duke of Hastings!" A man announced from the other side. I peeped through the servant's peephole off to the side, so still that he could not see me. It was indeed a male vampire standing on the doorstep, dressed in livery and with a folded, fancy envelop in his white-gloved hand. Judging by his expression and casual posture I took it that he didn't suspect I was human. Most vampires wouldn't know I was a human simply by speaking to me; it was the lack of fangs, rosy cheeks, and beating heart that gave me away. Still, I felt much safer if he did think I was one of his kind. At least he wouldn't try to meet- or bite- me this way. I left the peephole and returned to the grate.

"His grace is… unavailable at the moment," I said, completely forgetting that it was usually a servant who fetched this sort of thing for Lord Basset. Even the messenger seemed taken aback by my ill-thought of comment. "Then I'll leave it with you. Please, it's an urgent matter and I must return before it starts raining. Please see that the duke receives it as soon as possible." "Alright then. You may leave it with me." He waited a moment, as if anticipating that I would open the door to grab it, but when he realized I would not he pushed it through the bottom of the door. Then with a "good day to you" he was gone.

I picked up the letter, examined it, and pondered what to do next. The messenger said it was urgent. But it was not yet noon and the vampires of the household wouldn't be up until at least nine o'clock. The importance of the letter was intensified considering that it was delivered during the day, something uncommon in of itself. The back of the letter only read "Cowper" with the family's insignia on the wax stamp sealing the envelop shut. It must be from Lady Cowper or her daughter; I couldn't remember her name. They must know that Lord Basset's return to the England…..

I bit my bottom lip a little. "What should I do? He did say it was urgent…." Was my thinking out loud. I could leave it somewhere but didn't know where to put it so the duke would see it, particularly sooner than later. I considered putting it in the parlour or dining room but had no idea if Lord Basset ever visited those rooms. I might leave it in front of Lady Danbury's bedroom door; the only problem was I didn't know which room was hers. She never told me. The only room I knew who's it was was Lord Basset's…..

Gazing down at the letter in my un-gloved hand, my teeth nibbed my lip again in a thoughtful, hesitant manner. "I suppose I could…. put it outside Lord Basset's door? If I leave a note explaining myself he might forgive my…. impertinence." That is, knowing where his room was. Quite improper for a lady he wasn't engaged to or would never marry. I only knew which room was his so that I might avoid it. Be that as it may, it was the quickest way of him receiving the letter without my waking him up.

I found a small piece of paper with stencil on it in the study. Using Lord Basset's pen- the same pen I'd been writing my letters with for some time now- I scribbled down on it as fast as I could. I was in a hurry myself, wanting to be in my room and under the covers before the storm started. The note I wrote said: "Dear Lord Basset. This was delivered this morning at eleven o'clock with the most pressing urgency. Yours humbly, Miss Daphne Bridgerton." It was a bit short admittedly, but it would serve the purpose I had intended for it. Satisfied with my handywork, I gathered up my note along with the letter proper and quickly tiptoed up to Lord Basset's room.

I don't know why but from the moment I rounded the corner into hallway where his bedroom door was, I froze. It took everything I had to make myself move forward. It was like I was almost afraid, knowing that I was doing something wrong. But I dismissed these anxieties as childish fears. It's not like Lord Basset would abruptly open the door and see me, after all…. And I was right; that did not happen.

Reaching his door after some time, I stopped right behind the crack. Down I set the envelop, as well as my note. That's when I noticed how frail and apt to move they looked sitting there by themselves like that. This made me pause, wondering how I might weigh them down a bit more so they wouldn't fly away when the duke did open his door. As I contemplated, my eyes gradually drifted up to the dark wood of the door. Somewhat unconsciously, my lips started to part a sliver.

"The duke who has only known pleasure all his life without genuine love or affection- something you humans are well known to give."

Lord Basset….. I knew the contents of that letter; I knew it without even reading it. Vampires were cool, calculating creatures by nature. There's some truth when they say that vampires can only ever truly love humans, and even that's not like how we experience "love". Yet they were still expected to marry and live with each other; love and marriage were not one and the same according to their species. I never liked the sounds of that; it sounded so cruel…. So lonely. The very idea made me wonder….. I couldn't help but wonder if Lord Basset was lonely? Lady Danbury was lonely, Uncle was lonely without me there, but what about the duke? To go one's whole existence without having loved or been loved- what was the point? But of course I only thought this way because I am human. I'm sure it would be different…. if I was a vampire.

I sat there on the carpet for a second, unmoving. Then, having a sudden idea, this grin bloomed across my lips. My fingers reached up to in my hair. Maybe the duke and I will never meet in person; I'm content with that. He'll marry Lady Cowper's daughter and continue his family legacy with her. His whole world will continue being cold, hidden from the sun- the sun we humans get to enjoy each and every day. But…. If I can share a little warmth with him, that's the least I can do. He did let us let his manor, after all; and he's doing the best to keep me safe from him- from his thirst. I plucked out the biggest pink flower from my hair and gently placed it overtop the papers. It looked so comfortable, so at home there like that. My smile now growing, I got up and left the hall without making a sound. If I can give him or any vampire a bit of warmth, it'll be worth it.

It'll give some purpose to my being human….. in a world full of vampires.

The next hour was spent with me cowering and weeping under the covers of my bed, dreading each time a light flashed through the curtains. God, I hated storms; they scared me since I was a little girl. Uncle used to hug me and hold me tight until the worst was over. Being alone made it all the more horrible. By the time it was done I had passed out; I fell asleep in my bed. When I woke up hours later the sky was light blue and the sun was out once more. I stirred a bit, eventually made myself get up, got changed into a different dress, and was about to go check on the barn animals.

When my door opened however, something caught my eye. There was a folded slip of paper laying on the floor at my feet. What the….? Curious and confused, I plucked it up, only to unfold it promptly. My eyes immediately widened; the blood froze in my veins. It was a note and it read: "Thank you. S.B." S.B…. I knew those initials. I saw them every time I used my pen.

Lord Basset! He put this here for me to find! My heart skipped a beat. But… But why? Why would he reach out to communicate with me like this? I guess I'm the one who started it, but I had a legitimate reason to write to him. The duke, on the other hand….. Quickly re-folding the letter, I clenched it tight in my hand as I stared out into space. This was… the first time we've ever directly conversed with each other. Well, through written format but still. I had written him a letter before, but he wasn't supposed to read that until after I'd moved out. And now….. I didn't know and yet I was aware. Today was the day a floodgate had been opened, and there would be no closing it. It was after this day that we began to do little things for one another, such as me bring him flowers or him buying me special food at the bakery.

To be honest, I don't know why he did so for me; maybe to repay my kindness or out of a sense of duty. But I knew perfectly well why I did so for Lord Basset. I had a desire to see my host happy. My heart went out for vampires as a species. Their lives were so long and forlorn. Uncle used to tell me that he only experienced real happiness after I came into his life. Vampires did not prioritize happiness; it was not one of their core values. But I as a human… It seemed like the least I could do, leaving vases of flowers outside Lord Basset's door. I did little things to make Lady Danbury smile too, but Lord Basset seemed more receptive to my attempts. Perhaps it's an age thing. Still, I was determined that I make the residences of Hastings Manor a little more gleeful while I was here. It gave me something to do. That, and….

It would be June soon, and with spring come so many reasons to smile.