Bridgerton season 4, episode 5 brings about the fallout to Benedict asking Sophie to be his mistress with their secret being discovered by the most unexpected person.
Bridgerton season 4, episode 5 opens in the immediate aftermath of when Benedict went and spoiled it all by saying something stupid like, “Will you be my mistress?” There is no immediate resolution as we came to expect and the question leaves Sophie with a lot to process and she rightfully ices him out.
Before we join Sophie at the market, we get a few key updates that will come into play later, the first being that Violet and Lord Marcus are continuing their dalliance. We then get a scene that makes it clear Penelope is struggling with the expectations the ton has on her Lady Whistledown column, with her mom complaining about how her latest column failed to name names.
At the market, Sophie and Alfie catch up. He’s surprised to learn she’s working for the Bridgertons now as she gives him a quick CliffNotes of the Benedict of it all right up to when he asked her to be his mistress. She tells Alfie they cannot be together and it’s a terrible thing to be asked. Alfie suggests this would give her certain freedoms and asks what is so terrible about it. Rather than entertaining his line of questioning, she makes it clear she’s hoping to find another position so that she can leave the Bridgerton house.
As Sophie confides in her friend, Benedict does the same as he tells Will about how he’s fallen for a woman who he has now upset. He explains she’s not a person of any rank and he asked her to be his mistress as Will points out while it’s the only way tolerated by society, no person desires to be hidden. He asks if he at least made it clear that he would love for them to be together in a fantastical world, noting it’s about gesture. After all, how can she trust him to navigate life together if Benedict can’t navigate her feelings.
They’re not the only pair having relationship trouble, Michaela’s arrival seems to be creating a lot of tension for Francesca. John and Michaela are having a great time catching up upon her return to London including burning the midnight oil with late night chats. When Francesca enters the room, Michaela suggests they give the staff the morning off and make breakfast together, but Francesca does not want to change their schedule and John concedes, leaving Michaela alone as John exits with Francesca to head to bed.
A Lady Whistledown scoop ruins lives, but opens Benedict’s eyes
The next morning at the Bridgerton house, Hyacinth tells Violet she doesn’t want Eloise sitting in on her lessons and Violet is quick to remind Eloise the only option is to go back on the marriage market. As Eloise chases after Hyacinth, Sophie sits down with Violet and asks for a letter of introduction to pursue a position elsewhere. Violet agrees, but asks if she would wait until Hyacinth’s recital to pursue this new opportunity as Sophie excuses herself. After the conversation, Violet asks Mrs. Wilson if she gets the sense Sophie is hiding something and wonders if she perhaps could be a runaway daughter of nobility as she caught Sophie in a lie when asking about the area she grew up in during their earlier conversation.
Next door, Lady Araminta, Rosamund, and Posy are settling into their new home. This scene is weaved in quickly but comes to play a larger role as the season progresses as Lady Araminta touches on how a pair of shoe clips is missing and suggests that Sophie stole them.
While out together in the ton, Eloise is trying to come up with a way to get back on Hyacinth’s good side and suggests that Francesca introduce her to Michaela. As they’re walking they bump into Benedict who had sent for the pair knowing Sophie would accompany them and it would give him a chance to speak with her. As he sends Eloise and Francesca off to pick out a feather for Hyacinth to wear at her recital, he asks Sophie if she’s given any thought to his question. Sophie makes it clear being a mistress is the last thing she’d ever want to be as she gives him a firm no, before leaving with Eloise.
Speaking of mistresses, Mr. Hiscox’s mistress, Miss Virginia, pays Penelope an unexpected visit and confronts her about the latest Lady Whistledown column which outed her relationship as his mistress.
She explains how she was planning on saving up until the day when he no longer wished to be with her, but he’s left her after what Penelope wrote. Virginia begs Penelope to write that she was wrong, but Penelope makes sit clear that it would not change anything as she and Mr. Hiscox were seen too much. Virginia admits that they were careless because they loved one another. Before she leaves, she makes it clear to Penelope that it was her quill that ruined her life as she storms out.
Funny enough, as this is unfolding, Benedict sits down with Hiscox, who is drowning his sorrows in alcohol after being forced to end his relationship to protect Virginia. The encounter seems to give Benedict a moment of pause as the reality of the question he’s asked Sophie sinks in.
Elsewhere, Francesca and John are having their own intense conversation which begins as she suggested they try to introduce Michaela to some gentlemen at the party they’re set to host; however, John is quick to shut down the idea and asks that Francesca not meddle. Meddling in another person’s business is also a point of discussion for Alice and Lady Danbury, as Alice confesses she doesn’t feel right spying on the Bridgertons to try to find out information on Benedict’s romantic life for the Queen. She’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it’s going to be interesting to see if Alice will betray the Bridgertons to gain favor with the Queen.
Back at the Bridgerton house, Sophie stumbles into Benedict’s room and finds a painting of her from the masquerade which has not been finished. She then notices the sketches of her from the masquerade at his desk as he walks in. She asks about the woman in the painting and he explains she is someone he met at a ball months ago.
He admits he had feelings for her until he met Sophie, not realizing the Lady in Silver and Sophie are one and the same. She asks if she was someone he would have married and he says it doesn’t matter as all he wants is her now. She asks why it was suitable for him to kiss her and asks if he would have asked the woman at the ball to be his mistress or if he would have been a gentleman and refused to ruin her. She points out he’s asking her to relinquish her virtue, her dignity, her self-respect to be a glorified courtesan who could never be able to marry. As a maid she’s respectable, but now he’s trying to rob her of that. He apologizes quickly before making an exit with haste.
At the market, Mrs. Varley bumps into Mrs. Wilson and a few other women. Varley mentions working for Lady Araminta and how things aren’t working out too well. Mrs. Wilson asks if she’s heard about Sophie and Varley plays dumb. One of the other women in the group, though, mentions that she used to work with another Mrs. Baek years ago, which gives Mrs. Wilson something new to work off of.
Mrs. Wilson takes this information to Violet and the pair quickly piece together that Sophie is likely an illegitimate child. Violet is understandably disappointed as she was hoping that Sophie was perhaps of legitimate nobility and would be suitable, before clamming up and brushing her comment off. Next door, Varley is spilling some tea of her own and tells Lady Araminta that she believes Sophie is working at the Bridgerton home, information she only shares after Lady Araminta suggests that Varley be let go from her position.
As the evening arrives, Hyacinth’s recital begins and it’s a lively affair. Gregory spots a young woman who immediately catches his eye, while Hyacinth begins catching the eye of early suitors. Colin watches as Gregory dances and asks him how it went after, to which he says he’s in love. Also turning heads at the recital is Eloise, whose presence catches the attention of some young men who ask if she’s returning to the market. Lord Marcus arrives and Violet gets flirty as Benedict watches on. Alice cuts in to ask how things went with Benedict and Miss Hollace and Violet reveals she was not the Lady in Silver he was looking for and that he doesn’t seem to be looking any longer. Alice asks if there is someone else and Violet quickly notes there is not as the conversation ends.
Francesca and Michaela’s friendship begins in the most unexpected of ways
At Francesca and John’s party, Francesca ignores John’s previous request not to meddle in Michaela’s personal life. Francesca brings over Lord Taylor, who goes on about how Francesca had mentioned he and Michaela shared many interests and Michaela quickly shuts the conversation down as she excuses herself. John pulls Francesca aside and mentions he asked her kindly not to pass suitors along. Francesca excuses herself to find Michaela and patch things up. She finds Michaela on the floor and she asks for a moment. Francesca asks why she is upset as she apologizes. Michaela says she does not know her and Francesca asks how she is supposed to when she brings chaos and makes it impossible to get actually know her.
Francesca says she is causing John distress, and Michaela turns it around pointing out that she is the one who is in distress by her presence. Michaela notes that John loves her and she never intended to cause either of them distress, she simply misses John as they’ve been through so much. She notes that there are only a few people she feels secure with and John is one of them. Francesca mentions she’s a little envious of Michaela’s chaos and suggests she could be open to it. Francesca hiccups and Michaela picks up that Francesca is a little drunk and jokes that she could use more free-spirited friends.
Meanwhile at the palace, Penelope is called upon by Queen Charlotte as it seems she’s not fond of how the latest Lady Whistledown column did not name names. Queen Charlotte is also eager for an update on Benedict which Penelope has not provided. Penelope tries to explain that since her identity is now known, she’s no longer a wallflower and it’s hard to present good true gossip. Penelope inquires as to whether Queen Charlotte might allow her to retire her column so that she can pursue other writing, but Queen Charlotte quickly dismisses the idea.
Alice learns the truth about Sophie and Benedict’s relationship
Back at Hyacinth’s recital, Sophie is watching as Benedict playfully interacts with Hyacinth before her attention is drawn to the news Footman John brings that Lady Araminta has moved in next door. The news makes Sophie ill and she excuses herself.
Benedict notices Sophie racing off and chases after her. Violet tells him to leave Sophie be and makes it clear it’s not proper for him to pursue her which is when he lashes out about how Violet has been bedding Lord Marcus. As he bluntly states before leaving, his mother’s business is not his, as his business is not hers.
He follows after Sophie and enters a room as Sophie tells Benedict she never asked him to show her this new world. She mentions they need to stop this and he confesses that he thinks about her every moment, of every day; there is not a single moment he does not think about her. He confides that the thought of spending a single day without her hurts his soul as he’s fallen in love with her.
She says he cannot love her and he knows this to be true, yet it’s all he can think about. She points out how society will expect him to marry, and he rebuts that he could not marry as he could not look at anyone else as she’s the person he’s been searching for all his life as he tells her he loves her again and again. Sophie finally gives in to her own feelings and admits that of course she loves him as she closes the space between them as they share a passionate kiss. Kissing quickly turns into more as the episode draws to a close.
There’s just one issue that neither realized, Alice had overheard their conversation which is quite the development given she’s been tasked by the Queen to find out more about Benedict’s love life!
