The fourth episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was the narrative from King George’s perspective. We got to see the frequent nervous breakdowns the King goes through, thanks to his high-pressure job. He is constantly surrounded by people telling him what to do and what not to do, but he is unable to follow his passion which is farming and pursuing science. He first receives help from Dr. Monro but later finds solace in his wife Charlotte. The King goes from feeling okay to having another nervous breakdown which Charlotte was not ready to fathom. This makes George move away from Buckingham House again. Will the couple ever reunite?
Spoilers Ahead
Queen Charlotte And Her Woes
The older Queen Charlotte puts forward a list of alliances for her son, and she is adamant this time to make sure the marriage happens. The son, though, is not keen on getting married, but Charlotte has put her foot down and made it clear to him that her plans will work out, and he will have to oblige with them. Apart from the children, who are worried for their mother because she has been obsessive lately, Lady Danbury and Lady Violet Bridgerton are also worried about the Queen becoming obsessed with wanting an heir to the throne. They are also not sure at this point if the Queen’s plans would work because the kids have minds of their own and would want to follow their hearts. Charlotte is under pressure because she wants the royal bloodline to go ahead; plus, being the Queen, she would want certain things to go her way. She believes if she could give birth to 15 children, it should not be that difficult for them to follow her lead.
Lady Danbury’s Life As A Widow
Lady Danbury is in a conflict zone right now. The conflict is going on in her mind. She is not sure if she should be happy about her husband’s passing away because he was never in love with her, or if she should feel sad for her kids, who do not have any father figure in their lives right now. In her zone of thoughts, she befriends Lord Ledger, Violet’s father, who comes across as a person with a soothing aura about himself. Lady Danbury feels comfortable talking to him about life in general and how she feels right now with her husband gone. She has never been able to share her heart with anyone, including her husband. She feels comfortable in Lord Ledger’s company. They begin meeting often, and both find solace in speaking their hearts out. Ledger, too, makes it a point to meet as often as he can. He also introduces his daughter, Violet, to her. There is an attraction between the two, something no one expected. But they do not want to act on it because Lord Ledger is still married, and Lady Danbury is just recently widowed. But they find themselves wanting to spend time with each other. A comfort they seek in their conversations.
The older Lady Danbury, though, is still friends with Lady Violet Bridgerton, and they end up conversing a lot about life and being widows too. Though Violet misses her husband, Lady Danbury hardly misses hers. Violet one day lets Lady Danbury know discreetly that she misses companionship and the blooming of the garden, which she felt when she was with her husband. Lady Danbury is delighted to see Violet finally trying to talk about her feelings, something other than society gossip. She is glad Violet opened up to her because not every woman in the society of that era could speak about their mental and bodily desires. Violet is ashamed, but Lady Danbury lets her know she is proud of her for speaking up about how lovely it can be to be a widow. Something that no one in society understands. Their conversation is an indication of the strong friendship Violet and Lady Danbury share. There is merely understanding and no judgment here. Lady Danbury also wishes there was any love left in her for her long-gone husband, but she does not feel anything anymore, and it does not bother her.
Charlotte’s Dilemma
Charlotte is pregnant, and the Princess Dowager plans to move to Buckingham House to help Charlotte take care of herself and give her some company. Since she is carrying the child in her womb, taking care of Charlotte is of the utmost importance. Charlotte, though, is not keen to welcome her mother-in-law to Buckingham House. All she needs is for her husband to be next to her and enjoy this blissful time of pregnancy with each other. But King George is busy getting treated by Dr. Monro, who seems to be in no mood to stop his work. It seems the King is his guinea pig for his experimentation. Reynolds tries to meet his king plenty of times, but he is shunned away by the doctor’s men. The King gets himself tortured in the hope of getting rid of his mental health-related issues. The King is in no mood to meet anyone outside his so-called torture dungeon. The King believes he is in dire need of treatment if he is to come out hale and hearty. But to add to Charlotte’s dilemma, there is no one next to her. She is all alone during the pregnancy.
What Is Queen Charlotte’s Plan Of Action To Make Their Marriage Work?
Charlotte writes countless letters to the King to make him understand why he needs to be with her, but all of them go unanswered because he is too busy working with Dr. Monro, and he is not even willing to hear out his right-hand man, Reynolds. Reynolds and Brimsley, who themselves are in love, find it difficult to see Charlotte in so much pain from being away from her husband. They try to help her but nothing formidable comes out of their assistance.
Lady Danbury is surprised to know the estate, land, and income that was given to her husband will not be passed on to her or her kids. She is not sure how that would be possible. The solicitor lets her know that the estate may go back to the Crown, and Lady Danbury will have to remarry a relative of her husband or another rich man. She is disgusted to know the options given to her. Lady Danbury cannot let go of the estate and the money she got through her intelligence. She requests that the Princess Dowager help her with this matter, but the woman is not willing to help her at all. Lady Danbury cannot request the Queen interfere in her matter, for the monarch is going through her troubles with her pregnancy. Lady Danbury is not sure how to move forward. But she lets her son know that they too are royal, and nobody can reduce him or his family to nothing. Lady Danbury is sure she will find some help.
Charlotte is almost heading toward depression, and she has no clue how to have the life she wants. All this while, it seems Charlotte was just a queen for the sake of it, and she has no power to make any decisions. Her brother comes to London to be with her during her pregnancy. The Queen is keen on going home, but her brother makes it clear that she is not welcome home anymore. The Queen is expecting the heir to the throne, and she cannot be moving far from London anyway. Charlotte also heads to meet Lady Danbury to offer her condolences, but her actual intention is to stay back with her just to be in the company of a friend and away from Buckingham House. Lady Danbury was quick to let her staff know what her intentions were, and she was forced to go back. This is when she realizes enough is enough, and she cannot wait for things to happen to her. Charlotte heads to Kew and dismisses Dr. Monro because she realizes the man is doing the King more harm than good. She is perplexed to see the condition the King is in and decides to stay back in Kew. This is a drastic step, but it is necessary to salvage her marriage. She would not want her child to be born at a time when she and George are not on good terms and don’t live under the same roof.
The last scene of the fifth episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has Lady Danbury and Lord Ledger succumbing to their feelings. Lady Danbury finds solace in Lord Ledger, and that is why they end up sleeping with each other. Maybe it was just a touch of a man that Lady Danbury was missing. She is happy to have found a friend in Lord Ledger. Lady Danbury finally made love to someone she was attracted to, and it did not feel like an obligation to her.
