‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: Does Colin Confess His Love For Penelope?

Season three episode three ended with Lord Debling choosing Penelope over Cressida. Penelope was on the verge of accepting his marriage proposal because she sensed Lord Debling could love her for who she is. Colin Bridgerton, on the other hand, confronts his feelings for Penelope and concludes that he loves her and would like to try to persuade her not to marry Lord Debling. The fourth episode is the last episode of part one of Bridgerton Season Three. 

Spoilers Ahead

Did Penelope say yes to Lord Debling?

Penelope was excited to have learned Lord Debling asked her mother permission to court her and eventually get married. Portia had readily agreed. Penelope knew the proposal was not far away, and she was happy to be accepting a man who loves her for who she is. Penelope was of two minds about the proposal, but she had to be pragmatic and be with the person who accepted her instead of pining for Coilin, whom she was aware would never love her the way she wanted. 

Why was Colin not coming out of his study?

Colin, though he had accepted the fact that he loved Penelope, was nowhere close to finding a way out to get her to turn down the proposal. He was stuck in his dark study until he was confronted by his mother, Lady Bridgerton, who wanted to know what the cause of his depression was. Colin was in no place to share his feelings, especially with his family and friends, who perceived him as a playboy since his travels around Europe. However, his mother could sense Colin was bothered by something, yet she could not decipher the reason for his severe mood change. 

Were Benedict and Tilly having an affair?

Benedict, however, was not carried away by the line of prospective brides waiting for him to ask them out. He was busy having an affair with Lady Tilly Arnold, who was a rich woman in her own right, and there was never any conversation about the two ever getting married to each other. So far, their relationship has been strictly physical, and both were happy with that arrangement. 

Who showed up to meet Francesca at her home?

Francesca was the talk of the town since she had been matched with Marquis Samadani by Queen Charlotte. However, Samdani was not the type of person she had in mind, but they had many things in common, and one of them had a large family to cater to. However, Francesca was not comfortable leading a chaotic life after her marriage because her life up until now was noisy and full of drama itself. To her surprise, when she and her family had expected Marquis Samdani, John Stirling, lord of Kilmartin, arrived in the hope of courting Francesca. Both had a quiet meeting at the ball where she had met Marquis Samdani. Both bonded over their love of silence and continued doing so until the Marquis arrived for Francesa as well. Francesca was attracted to John Stirling more as he understood her need to stay away from crowds from time to time. 

Why was Will Mondrich being forced to sell his bar?

Ever Since Will Modrich was made the Lord of Kent, he was forced to give up many of his old assets, one of which included selling his bar which he managed and worked in as a bartender. Since he was a nobility now as per the rules of succession, many others of his stature weren’t willing to come and pay at his establishment. Will was shocked and unwilling to make up his mind about selling his bar, even though his wife was insisting it would be the best for the future. Lady Danbury also asked Lady Alice of Kent to advise him to move forward in life instead of being stuck in the past.

Was Francesca confused?

Francesca was enamored by the brief attention showered on her by John Sterling of Kilmartin, but she quickly became confused about his intention as she had an awkward encounter with him in the ton, and she sensed he was unsure about whether he liked her or not. She went ahead and accepted Marquis Samdani, as he was still keen on going out with her and courting her publicly. Since the match was made by Queen Charlotte, she felt obliged to remain loyal to her while keeping Samdani company. 

What advice did Portia give to Penelope?

Portia was able to notice that Penelope was in two minds about the engagement. She advised her daughter to forget the life filled with romance and be happy with the fact that she would have financial security all her life, and that Lord Debling was a kind man. Her mother came from an era that gave prominence to a lifetime of financial security, power, and influence, along with giving the rich men heirs to their seats. Penelope was not sure what she wanted, as Lord Debling was a good man, but he had his own limitations. 

What did Penelope want to confirm from Lord Debling?

Penelope was in two minds about accepting the proposal. The families were at a formal ball, and the news of Lord Debling’s proposal to Penelope had spread, and this was the reason many families had attended the event. Penelope, however, wanted some answers before deciding about accepting the proposal. She asked him about the love they would share, to which Lord Debling sadly had a very generic response: as a wife, she could herself have a life of her own in Mayflower while he would spend his time doing what he liked, which was sailing. He never had any response about affection, intimacy, or the possibility of having children in the future. 

What was Penelope’s answer?

Penelope, however, was taken aback by Lord Debling’s answer, yet she had made up her mind about agreeing to the proposal. Colin interrupted her dance with Lord Debling and began to try to convince her not to choose the man as her husband, citing that he was a different person than she was. Colin went out of his way and stirred gossip in the party by separating Penelope from Lord Debling, but he did not care about what others would think. His only aim was to help her make a sound decision instead of making her regret it for the rest of her life. As the conversation between Colin and Penelope ended, Lord Debling politely asked about Colin’s intentions and what she felt for him. Penelope had no answers to his questions, which proved his hunch was right about her feelings for her friend and neighbor. 

Lord Debling was looking for a partner who would be loyal to him and tend to the work that needed to be done at the estate. He never wants someone who longed for some other person while forcing herself to remain married just for the sake of society and security. Lord Debling quickly understood Penelope deserved to be with Colin, which was why he backed away from proposing to her that night. Even though Penelope faced the wrath of her mother, who never knew her daughter’s feelings, Penelope felt insulted because of Colin’s insensitive approach to the ball. 

Does Colin confess his love for Penelope?

Penelope left the ball crying, with no one by her side. Her mother was obviously mad at her for not accepting the proposal, while she was livid at Colin for ruining her chances with Lord Debling. Moreover, Penelope was angry at the fact that she let her feelings for Colin be known to Lord Debling instead of keeping them away in one corner of her head in the hope they would never resurface. She was willing to sacrifice her love for Colin for the sake of marriage, and Lord Debling caught on to her act. 

As her carriage was on the way to drop her off, Colin caught up to her and got in to speak to her. Colin confessed his love for her and let her know that, apart from being friends, he loved her from the bottom of his heart and would want to live his life with her going forward. Colin took a while to realize he felt affection for her, and he could not wait to share it with her. He confessed his love, believing Penelope had accepted Lord Debling’s proposal and hoped she would end the engagement to be with him. 

Penelope admitted that Lord Debling did not propose because he sensed there was some unfinished business between her and Colin. Penelope probably, at this point, only considered Colin to be her friend because she had given up hope of seeing him as her life partner. On hearing Colin’s affectionate words, she confessed to being in love with him all this while and remained in denial, as she was unaware of how he would react. 

Since both were on the same page, Penelope and Colin became intimate in the carriage as well, which was an expression of their love for each other. On reaching the Bridgerton home, Colin asked Penelope to marry him, and she immediately said yes. The night that started off badly for Penelope ended up being in the arms of the man she truly loved, and they had hoped to live happily ever after.

The episode ends with the montage of the next part, which includes Eloise threatening Penelope that she’d expose her identity as Lady Whistledown to Colin. That would be the point of conflict in the last part of season three of Bridgerton. Since season one began with Colin planning to take down Lady Whistledown, Eloise also would not want her brother’s marriage to be based on a lie, and Penelope might fall into trouble as the monarchy also planned to go against the person writing this vile gossip.