Simon Basset

The Duke of Hastings has come back to London with a title he never wanted and a firm resolve never to marry, no matter how the matchmaking mothers circle. Charming, guarded, and quick with a cutting remark, he strikes a convenient bargain with Daphne Bridgerton to keep the gossips off both their backs.

Regé-Jean Page plays the armor before the man: every flirtation is also a deflection, every smile a small negotiation with pain he won't name. The scripts let his charisma do double duty, seductive and evasive at once, so watching him spar with Daphne feels like watching someone lose an argument with himself.