‘Bridgerton’: How Does Benedict & Sophie’s Story End in the Book?
What To Know
- Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 ends on the cliffhanger of Benedict asking maid Sophie to be his mistress.
- Bridgerton Season 4 is based on author Julia Quinn’s An Offer From a Gentleman.
- Swooon is breaking down how Benedict and Sophie’s love story ends in the book.
Bridgerton left fans on a cliffhanger with Part 1 of Season 4, which ends on Benedict (Luke Thompson) asking maid Sophie (Yerin Ha) to be his mistress. He’s finally put the fantasy of the mysterious Lady in Silver behind him, realizing that the reality of Sophie is all he needs to be happy. Sophie’s face lights up at the declaration of Benedict’s feelings, but it falls at his mistress offer, after which she flees without a word.
It’s a key moment from An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn, which Season 4 is based on. In an interview with Swooon, the author explained that it was actually a “big deal” for Benedict to pop that question. “It would never have occurred to a man of his rank and social status to marry a domestic servant,” Quinn said. “It just wouldn’t have happened. And this, what he offers her, is really a big thing, and to him, that is how they can be together.”
What he doesn’t know is that Sophie herself is the product of a nobleman and his mistress, which makes the situation infinitely more complicated. Bridgerton is known for its happily ever afters, but how exactly will Benedict and Sophie’s come about? If the show sticks to the book — and it mostly has so far — we already have some answers.
Below, Swooon breaks down how Benedict and Sophie’s story ends in the book. The show could switch things up, and we’re excited to see Season 4’s take on Quinn’s love story.
How does Benedict and Sophie’s story end in the book?
Does Sophie become Benedict’s mistress?
Officially, no. Show Sophie doesn’t give Benedict an answer right away, but book Sophie sort of does — after a hot-and-heavy make-out session. The moment is ruined when Sophie remembers that her mother was also a “kept woman.” She thinks she might be able to live as Benedict’s mistress — there are plenty of perks that would come with it — but she can’t risk having a child. Sophie keeps Benedict in the dark about that when she shuts him down.
Though Sophie doesn’t change her stance, she does sleep with Benedict before they (spoiler alert) marry. Now a maid at Bridgerton house, she spots Araminta and her daughters, which leaves her reeling. Benedict finds Sophie in a state and takes her back to his house to comfort her. A deep conversation later, they go all the way. Right before things get steamy, though, Benedict realizes the depth of his feelings for Sophie for the first time.
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Does Sophie get a title in Bridgerton?
Sort of. First, Araminta finds out Sophie has returned to Mayfair. She has Sophie arrested for stealing her shoe clips. (Sophie needed something to fund her journey to the countryside.) Araminta lies that her wedding ring was stolen, too. The Bridgertons catch wind of the news before long, prompting Benedict and Violet to go to the jail to rescue Sophie.
There, they find Araminta and the magistrate. Benedict claims Sophie is his fiancée in an attempt to get her out. He hasn’t proposed yet, but has resolved to marry her regardless of her social status. Benedict doesn’t know all of the details about Sophie’s upbringing yet, but he knows she’s the illegitimate daughter of the late Earl of Penwood. He explains to the magistrate that Araminta had her arrested out of revenge.
Posy arrives, and she claims she stole the shoe clips and that Araminta’s wedding ring is in her jewelry box at home. The case against Sophie falls apart. Sophie explains her true identity, parentage, and how she came to be a maid to the magistrate. At the end, Posy reveals that Araminta stole the dowry Sophie’s father left her. Desperate to avoid going to jail herself, Araminta agrees to Violet’s demand that she officially recognize Sophie as Penwood’s ward. It doesn’t make Sophie a noblewoman, but it’s a higher status than that of a maid.
Do Sophie and Benedict get married?
Benedict decides to marry Sophie before her true identity comes out, which is worth mentioning. It only takes a handful of days after the jail fiasco for the couple to marry, though it happens off-page. The epilogue picks up with Benedict and Sophie living in the countryside with their children. They love it there, but their move is partly due to the fact that Sophie is not likely to be accepted by the Ton.
Quinn told us that, rather than the original mistress offer, she wants viewers to focus on the “fact that [Benedict] evolved and changed” and “the fact that he gets past that and decides that she is more important than societal norms. Their love is more important than what might happen with society.”
Bridgerton, Season 4, Streaming Now, Netflix
Bridgerton, Season 4, Part 2, February 26, Netflix
