We're heading into the final stretch, folks! I hope you all enjoy some good ole moping and pining. Enjoy the update!

Chapter Eight

Daphne was in hell. Truly, could a place get hotter? May in North Carolina was hot and sweaty. And it did not help that Mondrich wanted to start softball team practices next week. She and Simon had done well of sticking to their goal, seeing each other a few times a week on campus. She had perfected her fake smile. Every once in a while, they'd strike on a topic about Berbrooke or a coworker that made that smile genuine, and her heart ached.

She always wondered what could have been. But neither of them had apologized. She didn't suppose they would at any point. And their plan had succeeded: not only had Simon received higher marks from Nigel than he ever had before, he'd received higher marks from his students as well. She'd managed to keep both Nigel and Friedrich at bay with their continued relationship. She'd need to come up with a better option come fall, but she had a few months left to worry about that.

Now all that was left was to let their lies and deceit fade away, until they were nothing more than the shadow of a memory. Someday, she'd look back and remember none of it was real, no matter how it felt at the time. Perhaps one day they would be real friends again, as they had been at first. She knew they'd see each other from time to time, not just at work, but through Anthony. Using their last month of the semester to build a civil relationship would serve them well in the future.

But because of all that, she'd told Will she couldn't make the team practices. She'd mostly been hoping she'd be let out of the team altogether, but Will's offer to give her a lesson when she was free a few times a week was second best. She'd only see Simon at their games, when they'd be all the way across a softball field from one another and not expected to interact.

"Daphne!" Varley rounded the corner into Daphne's office. "The last day of finals is always a great relief, I think. How is your grading coming?"

Daphne pasted on a smile. She'd been there a semester, and though Varley had been nice to her, the two women hadn't grown close. "It's almost done, actually. I've only got about five more. Then I'm headed home."

"If you don't have plans, Charlotte, Rose, and I are heading to a wine bar nearby that just opened up." Varley gave her a warm, welcoming smile.

Daphne blinked, confused. She'd never been invited to anything by the women on the staff. "Oh, well, I don't want to intrude. You two surely had this planned before today."

Varley's smile took on an element of concern. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you'd be intruding." She paused, then stepped further into the room. "Forgive me if this is overstepping. We've noticed you and Simon… well, you're not as close as you were. You still speak, but that spark is gone. We thought maybe you'd like someone to talk to about it."

Daphne didn't know what to say. "I… I would like that, thank you."

"Of course." Varley smiled. "We're leaving here at 4 PM."

"I'll meet you in the lobby." Daphne was a bit surprised at how touched she was by the invitation. There needed to be a life here after Simon—hopefully this could be the start of it.


A hand clapped on Simon's shoulder, jolting him out of his brood. Sitting alone at a bar staring at a glass of whiskey and frowning wasn't a red flag, was it? He turned to find a grinning Mondrich behind him.

"Why the long face, Bassett?" Mondrich faked a pout. "Did you get dumped?" Simon downed his whiskey, and Mondrich took a seat next to him, concerned. "What's going on?"

Simon stared at the empty glass. Where did he start with that question? "I'm fine. I didn't get dumped. It was… mutual." He supposed that wasn't too much of a lie. They were mutually having problems. He wasn't sure they mutually agreed the problem was too much for them to overcome, but really, he wasn't sure of anything right now. He didn't know how he felt.

"So, why are you sitting here, downing whiskey? I know you Brits like to drink, but this seems like a bit much." Mondrich eyed him signaling the bartender for another drink. Simon didn't like the look in his friend's eye. Yes, alright, maybe he had a drink on a Friday afternoon when he didn't need one (even if it felt like he needed one), but he wasn't depressed. Mondrich looked like he thought Simon had a big problem.

"It's not like that. I'm allowed to enjoy a drink after ending a relationship." Relationship felt weird rolling off his tongue. It felt somehow too big and not enough at the same time.

"Sure. You're not allowed to do it looking like you feel nothing."

"I don't feel nothing. I'm merely in control of my emotions. It's the only way you get through life without being torn apart." Simon stared at the glass, swirling the tawny liquor. He could focus on other things until the unsettled feeling in his gut passed. It wouldn't be long, he'd learned that much over the years. He hadn't been upset at someone leaving since he was eight years old. And he never would again.

Besides, he was a little worried what might come bubbling up if he let go of the vise grip he held on his emotions.

"Man, I have your back. But letting someone in might be a good thing sometime. I couldn't imagine being open before I met Alice. Hell, it still takes her a long time to chip away the shell when she wants to get something out of me." He smiled. Simon felt a strange ache in the pit of his stomach, seeing that smile. What would it be like to feel a love so strong that everything that drove you crazy made you smile? It might not be a perfect relationship, but Will and Alice were a perfect pairing. "It's crazy how different you feel when you stop holding everything in. Like you can finally breathe."

He really hated that he felt like he hadn't breathed in years. Maybe his whole life. "I'm fine, Mondrich."

Mondrich raised his hands in surrender. "I tried. I shall report to the captain that I failed this mission."

"Captain?" Simon's head snapped up. He did not appreciate feeling like people were keeping an eye on him.

"The ladies are with Miss Bridgerton now." Mondrich confirmed Simon's suspicions.

"Why would they do that?" Simon was going to make him admit it. They were meddling, and it was not appreciated.

"Because we're not stupid." Mondrich smirked. "Honestly, Bassett, if you keep acting like this, you might be."

Simon gaped at him. He thought he might actually be a little offended. "I'm not stupid. She really… crossed some boundaries."

"I'm not saying you're stupid for being upset in the first place. You have every right to get mad at her for anything under the sun. Honestly, you even might have a right to get mad at her for no reason when you're in a mood." Simon felt Mondrich's eyes on him as he downed his whiskey. He debated a fourth while he waited for the but. "You are stupid for not dealing with it. You don't have to kiss and sing kumbaya, but you have to admit to yourself what's wrong. And you have to admit that you want to fix it."

Mondrich slapped him on the back and slid off his chair. "I'll see you for softball practice tomorrow. Think you still remember how to play short?"

"I'm not stupid either, Mondrich. I know how to field. The other departments really better watch out for my bat." Mondrich gave Simon one last shake of his head, then slipped out the door of the bar. Leaving Simon drinking alone again. And in a worse mood than he was in before.


The wine bar was cute. Not very European, which it seemed to be attempting to be, but cute. Despite being 4 PM, the place was lively and looked like it was gearing up for a wild Friday night. Daphne hoped she was long gone by the time wild hit, but she had to admit being around some people with no drama was refreshing.

Not that drama was something she was unfamiliar with. Try as she might to avoid it, she always seemed to end up in it. She wasn't naïve enough to think it was never her fault. She just had no idea how to stop finding herself in the middle of a mess. Much like she had no idea how she'd managed to upset Simon that much. Or spend so much time with Simon and still not know that he wasn't actually impotent.

Brushing off the unwelcome introspection, she followed Charlotte, Varley, and Rose across the room to a small corner booth. There was a wine list on the table, outlining a selection of reds, whites, and rosés that Daphne was moderately impressed by. She had to admit she was a bit of a wine snob. She couldn't really help it, she had been raised on the finest French and Italian wines. It was just in her blood.

"What is everyone feeling today?" Charlotte pursed her lips, perusing the pages of the long, slim wine list. "I'm thinking a full-bodied red."

"How can you drink red wine when it's this hot out?" Daphne had sort of acclimated to the weather, but she still sweat. Like all day, every day. A nice crisp white or rosé would do well to cool her down.

"Honey, this ain't nothing. Just wait until August. You'll be wishing for this weather." Charlotte, Varley, and Rose all chucked at Daphne's naivety. She believed it would get hotter, she just wasn't sure she'd be able to tolerate it.

"I'll be gone for most of August, visiting my family. At least until the fall term starts, that is." Daphne missed the pleased look the other women exchanged as she looked over the menu herself. She settled on a chardonnay from a California vineyard she'd been wanting to try and passed the menu to Rose.

"I'm getting a rosé," Rose said, flipping right to that page. "If your name is Rose, you just have to. What are you doing with your family?"

"We have a house in Rhode Island, which we usually spend the summer at. I suspect we'll be there for a few weeks, but my sister Francesca is getting married in August in Edinburgh." Daphne was really looking forward to having her whole family together again. They did summer in Rhode Island, but they hadn't all been together in a while. And not on a regular basis since before Anthony had left for university and Hyacinth had been a baby.

"And you and Simon Bassett are attending?" This was from Varley, who was eying her with one trimmed gray eyebrow arched high.

"How—" Daphne noticed the look shared between the three women this time. "Did you get me here to pry into my personal life?"

Charlotte laughed. "Prying feels too subtle. We wanted to grill you on your relationship with our dear Bassett. He keeps to himself mostly, but he's family. Like that one brother that doesn't like to talk to everyone, but likes that they're around." Like Francesca, Daphne thought.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but we're in a bit of a rough patch right now. I'm not sure if we'll last all that much longer." She couldn't look at them this time, staring at a spot on the wall. She knew he lied, and she knew it was a reasonable infraction to end a relationship. But she couldn't stop feeling like it was her fault. Not only had she broken his trust, she had done something to make him lie to her in the first place.

"We knew that." Rose shook her head.

"How?" Daphne was a bit surprised. They hadn't kept their relationship hidden, but they certainly hadn't flaunted it either. She was amazed anyone noticed they weren't together much anymore.

"You're both moping around like a couple of depressed teenagers after they get dumped for the first time." Charlotte shook her head.

"We want to make sure you're okay." Varley cut off Charlotte's abrasive speech. Despite her emotional state, Daphne had to enjoy their dynamic. It was kind of nice, being included in this circle. Even if it was only so they could interrogate her on the end of her relationship with one of their own.

"And that Simon is." Charlotte smiled that mischievous, pinched smile Daphne had become accustomed to in the past few months.

"I haven't seen him in a few days, so I can't speak to that." Daphne tried to smile at the waiter who brought their glasses over. "We're trying to give each other time to cool off. But I'm sure he'll be okay if it doesn't work between us. You've seen him. The man will be on to the next pretty associate professor as soon as she's hired. Or perhaps he'll start socializing with the UNC professors." Swallowing around the lump in her throat was hard.

"Oh, God, no. We must put a stop to that before it gets started." Varley nearly shuddered at the thought of inter-collegiate fraternization.

"If that's the case, we should definitely make sure you two work things out." Rose nodded, sipping her wine, resolved.

"Oh, no. Do not do that." Daphne shook her head vehemently. "Simon would not take well to that."

Rose and Varley nodded their thoughtful agreement, but Charlotte just looked her over with those sharp, observant eyes. "And how would you take to it?"

"I don't love meddling in my personal life."

"But?" Three women looked at her with more sympathy than she was expecting. She wasn't really anticipating them wanting to know about her. Well, really, this conversation hadn't been in her plan for the afternoon, so she supposed she couldn't say what she expected.

"I messed up. It's not really up to me what happens." She sighed, downing the contents of her wine glass. It started fake, but it's the most real thing she'd ever done.

Rose signaled the waiter for another round. Daphne was grateful. She was pretty sure she'd need another couple glasses.


The sky was too blue for her hungover brain. Daphne had woken to a pounding headache, a hell of a sensitivity to light, and the driest cotton mouth she'd ever experienced. The one glass of wine had turned into three, which had turned into almost seven. She'd had nearly two bottles of wine last night. Apparently, her coping mechanisms only included alcohol. She should definitely look into that. Alcoholism didn't particularly run in her family, but that didn't mean alcohol as a coping mechanism was healthy.

But all that would have to wait. She had her first practice with Mondrich today. She knew he was taking it a tad too seriously—practices from April to August did seem to be a bit much for a single interdepartmental tournament. But one of the upsides of her night with the ladies yesterday was that she remembered how nice it felt to be part of that community. It felt like, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she had a family. Hers had been largely dispersed for the past decade or so. They saw each other, but they didn't really talk.

Maybe having this new community would bring her closer to her own family. The Bridgertons were a competitive bunch. Maybe she could channel some of that from softball and bring it back to their family. Reinvigorate the family spirit a little bit. Especially with Hyacinth and Gregory leaving home soon, they would all have to work harder than ever to see each other. She might be the furthest away, but none of the rest of them lived at home anymore, either.

Daphne drove all of those thoughts from her brain as she arrived at the university recreation complex. Her headache was enough of a distraction when she was learning a new sport, let alone her complicated family issues. And that didn't even begin to cover these… feelings she couldn't quite figure out about Simon. So softball it was.

She stepped out, having chosen to wear a loose tank top and leggings to combat the heat as much as possible. "Hi, Will. Thanks for being willing to hold a separate practice for me."

"Not a problem. I know you're busy." Mondrich eyed her up and down, and Daphne had a feeling he was assessing more than her preparedness to play softball.

"So are you, so I really do owe you." She turned her attention to the field. "What do you think for me? Outfield? I'm likely less of a liability if all I have to do is wait for the ball to come to catch."

"Oh, no." Mondrich shakes his head, smiling at her. "You're a third baseman."

She frowned at him in confusion. "What makes me a third baseman?"

"First off, you don't like to run." She raised her eyebrows at that. "I'm not saying you can't run, but your speed isn't one of your best assets. Outfielders don't just wait to make the catch, they have to run to it."

She tipped her head. "Alright, I'll grant you that. So why third base and not somewhere else?"

"Fast reflexes but an untested arm." He points along the third base line. "You'll have help from the short stop to make the catches, but you probably won't be throwing as much as any other infield position. You'll see less action in making outs with your glove than the other infielders, which means you can get by on less experience and less practice."

"I don't like when people judge me before they get to know me, but that all sounds very reasonable. Third base, it is." She shot him a smile and gestured to the field. "So how do we start?"

"We'll start easy with a game of catch. Just to see where you're at with your throwing and catching skills." He picked up his glove and a ball and stood a few meters away.

They settled into an easy rhythm, like all of those American movies she'd seen with fathers passing a ball with their sons in the backyard. But alas, the peace couldn't last.

"I heard you and Bassett got into a fight." She blew out a breath. It wasn't wrong, it just felt so insufficient to describe what had happened between them.

"We did. We're taking some time to cool off." She shot him a hopefully not-too-strained smile. "I promise we won't mess up the softball team chemistry."

"I'm not worried about that." He shrugged. "I've never seen him this upset before."

She didn't think he'd meant it, but it felt like Mondrich had kicked her in the gut. "I know. I really fucked it up."

"Did the Lady Daphne Bridgerton just say the f word?" He feigned shock.

Her smile this time was real, if wry. "I know, sometimes it happens. And technically, I'm not a Lady. That's my mother."

"So are you two going to fix everything?" It was asked just as he released the ball, and she still wasn't sure how to answer it when it landed in her glove.

So she went with the response that fit the story they'd come up with best. "I'm sure we will. It's been our biggest fight so far, but we've had other disagreements. You've met him, he's stubborn as an ox." She dips her head and looks at the ball in her glove. "Though I must admit, I think this one is mostly on me."

"He'll get over himself eventually." Mondrich sounded far more confident than Daphne felt. Not that she really believed there was much for her to be confident in. They'd made it pretty clear they were not together anymore, and that part was mutual. She just needed to play the part for another couple of weeks until the semester ended and they'd be able to break up for real over the summer.

Maybe this fight and their inability to pretend it hadn't happened could play in their favor. They could pretend they'd fixed things for a week or two until the semester was over, and then say that the fight really was too much to overcome. For now, she'd be wallowing in self-pity. "I hope so."

"He really is miserable. He downed three whiskeys at the bar yesterday, and that was only for the few minutes I was there." Daphne glanced down at the ball again, not sure how to end the conversation. Thankfully, he seemed to be way ahead of her. "You might want to practice some with a tennis ball, too. You can just bounce it off the wall and catch it again to work on your reach and reflexes."

She smiled, thankful for the change of topic. She'd made it through this, no matter how awful she felt now. It did make her feel just a hair better that he was as miserable as she was. Even though she knew he'd be getting over it first.


Simon should have been prepared for the ambush, but he had woefully underestimated his coworkers. They were more determined and more conniving than he'd given them credit for. "What do you three want?"

"To make sure you know she's not doing great." Rose was on the left of the three, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorjamb. Charlotte stood tall in the middle, and Varley eyed him up and down with those sharp eyes of hers on the right.

"We're not broken up, you don't have to do any damage control." Simon hated the way they were looking at him. Like they saw something about him that he wasn't seeing himself.

"This is not damage control. This is a get your head out of your ass talk." Charlotte smirked at him. Simon stared back at them, not giving up.

Finally, Varley rolled her eyes. "We know she was the one who messed up. We're not saying you have to take her back, we're just saying, the girl is approaching depressed. One mistake shouldn't ruin your relationship."

"I don't know what you heard, but we both said things we might not be able to take back." Simon was certain, no matter how sad she was, Daphne did not want to be together anymore.

"Then maybe one of you just needs to get over yourself and apologize." That was from Rose.

"Did you have anything else you wanted to say?" Simon stared them down with his most intimidating aloof glare.

"No, that's all." None of them appeared to be affected by his standoffishness, and they sent him a quick mischievous wave on their way out. His coworkers might be meddlesome, but they hadn't done their homework. It was only a few weeks until the end of the semester, and he and Daphne would be broken up in everyone else's eyes. But he knew the truth. They were broken up now, and nothing was going to change that.