Romancing Mister Bridgerton

The theme of writing, the purposes of writing, and the pride that one can take in one’s accomplishments are interwoven into these final chapters as literary self-expression becomes an important step in the completion of the character arcs for three characters: Penelope, Colin, and Eloise. The Allure and Danger of Secrets is here concentrated on the plot element of covert writing. Penelope publishing under the alias of Lady Whistledown allows her the freedom to say the socially prohibited but also enables Cressida’s blackmail threat. The ink stains on Eloise’s fingers and the times spent alone in her room are retrospectively understood as clues that she has been corresponding with a prospective suitor while still playing the role of the spinster before her friends and family; this activity has the happy ending of a romance but also features an elopement that may leave Eloise ruined. Finally, while Colin’s hidden diaries play into his aspirations of producing something worthwhile, they also expose his vulnerability and insecurity about his lack of accomplishment, especially in comparison to his future wife. Writing in secret also means performing a false identity for others, a potentially harmful practice in the long term.

The Bonding Power of Friendship continues to be the main feature of Colin and Penelope’s romance as they remain steadfast allies and supporters of one another. Colin requires some coaching and assistance from Penelope in developing his dream of publishing his journals and then undertaking the actual work of preparing for publication. That Penelope mentors him through this process shows how much she has brought to his life as a lover, wife, and friend. Colin’s character arc is completed when he can acknowledge his desire to contribute something tangible to the world, have an accomplishment that he can point to, and produce something that others can admire. Once he can admit his jealousy over Penelope’s accomplishments and learn from his wisdom, he achieves his dream, with her help.

In repayment, Colin is instrumental in helping Penelope be recognized and admired for her accomplishments, which are her nearly dozen years of writing the Lady Whistledown columns. Penelope, proud of this work, refuses to allow her nemesis, Cressida Twombley, to take it from her or profit from it. Colin’s fear that a public announcement would ruin Penelope is assuaged by his own public acceptance of her work; his announcement of praise has the dual function of undercutting Cressida’s blackmail and demonstrating to Penelope his continuing respect and admiration. Colin’s recognition of Penelope’s worth and accomplishments is immediately seconded by Lady Danbury, who has served as Penelope’s mentor throughout, providing the nudge that Penelope needed to speak out and be seen. That Penelope uses the same words as Lady Whistledown indicates that she has internalized the Lady Whistledown part of herself, rather than keeping it separate.

Quinn’s tone and style even in the final, dramatic chapters continue to be light, offering several moments of comedy, including the slapstick scene where the Bridgerton women remind Penelope that they’re to stick to her like glue. The comedy balances the anxiety of threat and suspense with the anachronistically modern tone that Quinn adopts throughout this and all of her other historical romances. Characters use modern syntax, with very little 19th-century vocabulary or idiom, while the friendly relationships between siblings, parents and children, and husbands and wives feature a modern inflection of ease. Colin and Penelope’s bond draws on the ideal of companionate marriage that was only emerging during the historical Regency; although Colin thinks of himself and Penelope at one point as a team, the concept of a husband and wife being partners would have seemed unusual. These modifications appeal to a modern audience, especially a readership comprised primarily of women. Rather than dwelling on the historical reality that a wife was the legal property of her husband and could possess no property of her own, except in rare cases, Quinn shows husbands like Colin, Anthony, and Simon, the Duke of Hastings, as being loving, protective, and indulgent of their wives. Children are viewed as a happy addition to a domestic circle rather than as a dynastic necessity to be delegated to the care of servants. These inflections of modern sensibility into a romantically re-envisioned past full of elegance, wealth, social entertainments, and leisure are ways to secure the appeal of the Regency romance as a genre.