

He intended for his title to die with him. Simon made it clear to Anthony that he had no interest in finding a wife or ever marrying. At the ball, he ran into Daphne Bridgerton, who didn't realize who he was until her brother, Anthony, introduced them, as he knew Simon from their time together at Oxford. Upon his return, Lady Danbury invited him to a ball she was throwing, though he had no interest in socializing. Right at the start of the 1813 social season, Simon returned to London to settle the affairs of his recently deceased father.

He pledged that the line would die with him. The duke was glad to see him coming to claim his title, though Simon simply told him he would never marry or sire an heir. Years later, Simon came to his father's bedside when he learned his father was dying. The duke re-iterated Simon's uselessness and sent him away again. He had also written his father letters, which had gone unacknowledged. By age 11, Simon was speaking well and came to visit his father to show him. When she learned of his stutter, she took him as a dependent, promising to help him overcome his stutter on the condition that when he stepped into the light, he would be worthy of the attention he commanded. When he was six, Lady Danbury came to visit and was surprised to find him alive, as his father had told her Simon was dead. Simon continued to be schooled by nursemaids, though his father refused to see him. When Simon was four and still not speaking clearly due to a speech defect, the Duke ordered Simon out of his sight, saying Simon was dead to him. After learning it was a son, he took Simon out to show him off while Sarah died of a hemorrhage. When his mother cried out, his father ran inside the room, where Simon was then born. As Simon was born, his father waited outside, only concerned with whether or not he would have an heir.
