The novel is set in England at the beginning of the 19th century, and it revolves around the noble English family, the Bridgertons, the eldest daughter of the family Daphne in particular. Being over twenty years of age, Daphne’s mother Violet is desperate to find her a husband, but all the men which are interested in her are either too old or not of the intellect she desires. Having three older brothers, Daphne is very confident in her knowledge of men and feels comfortable to interact, but all the men she’s interested in see her as a friend. Her fate takes a sudden turn with the appearance of Simon Basset in her life.
Simon is a young duke who spent his entire youth keen on being the opposite of the son his father, the late duke of Hastings, desired. Daphne and Simon take an immediate friendly liking of each other, feeling comfortable in each other’s presence. They make a pact to pretend to court each other, for both of their benefits-Simon to be rid of the attention of predatory mothers and their daughters, and Daphne to peek the interest of the potential suitors.
It all goes very wrong once they start falling for each other, and Daphne’s eldest brother, Anthony, catches them in a fiery embrace. He demands of Simon to marry his sister, but Simon refuses, choosing death over it because of a vow he made to himself. Daphne barely rescues Simon, and he reveals to her that he doesn’t want to marry her because he can’t give her children. Daphne chooses him despite. The two marry and set off to live on the Basset’s estate.
Daphne learns the truth about Simon’s past, about his being shunned by his father because of his difficulty to speak as a young boy and the existence of a stutter while doing so. She also learns some important facts about conceiving a child, and realizes that Simon lied to her about being unable to have children. The truth is that he doesn’t want them. They have a huge fight, and Daphne takes advantage of drunk Simon to perform the act in a way that makes it possible to conceive a child. Simon is furious, and his stutter reappears. He decides to leave Daphne, and the next day,
Daphne sets out to London to be close to her family. Anthony decides to get involved yet again, and punish Simon for hurting his sister, but she only orders him to bring him a letter. The letter reveals that Daphne is pregnant, and Simon rushes back to her. Upon arriving, she mournfully reveals to him that it was only a false alarm. Simon and Daphne make amends yet again, professing undying love to each other, and Simon decides to let the ghost of his father go, to not let him control his life even from his grave. He decides that he wants children after all, and the ending reveals that Simon and Daphne gave birth to three children, their youngest being a boy just like Simon. Simon, overwhelmed with love for his little son, promises to love him and do anything he can for him, to be a father his father never was to him.
