The second part of Bridgerton season 3 focuses on Penelope’s secret, which is at risk of being exposed, as the Queen takes an interest in Lady Whistledown once again. All episodes of the third season are now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Penelope and Colin become engaged, much to Eloise’s dismay. Eloise insists that Penelope reveal to Colin that she is Lady Whistledown.
Eloise threatens to take matters into her own hands if Penelope does not come clean to Colin, leading to Penelope promising her that she will tell Colin the truth.
Queen Charlotte once again takes an interest in finding out the true identity of Lady Whistledown and puts a bounty on Lady Whistledown’s head.
Cressida is being forced to marry Lord Greer, a man old enough to be her grandfather. Desperate to avoid marrying him, she is willing to do anything, even risk a scandal.
To escape the match and claim the reward Queen Charlotte is offering, Cressida announces that she is Lady Whistledown at Colin and Penelope’s engagement party.
Like Penelope, Eloise also fails to tell Colin the truth when she realizes that Colin loves Penelope and will be devastated to know that she is Lady Whistledown.
Eloise tells Penelope to choose between Lady Whistledown and Colin. While Penelope does not want to let Cressida take credit for her writing, she cannot bear to lose Colin either.
Penelope decides to follow Eloise’s advice and give up being Lady Whistledown now that Cressida is claiming to be her.
Just as Cressida wanted, Lord Greer refuses to marry her because of her claim. However, Cressida’s father also withdraws her dowry, reducing her chances of making a match.
On top of that, Queen Charlotte is not convinced that Cressida is Lady Whistledown. To convince her, Cressida must publish a piece as Lady Whistledown.
As Cressida cannot write, she asks Eloise to join her in writing Lady Whistledown’s column. Eloise refuses, which ends her friendship with Cressida.
It is Cressida’s mother who eventually helps her write a small piece and distribute it at a ball to convince Queen Charlotte and the ton.
Cressida will now exercise the power that Penelope enjoyed as Lady Whistledown, and that bothers Penelope.
It also worries Eloise, who fears that Cressida will write about her family and ruin her family’s reputation.
Due to this, Penelope decides to publish as Lady Whistledown one last time to discredit Cressida and save the Bridgertons.
When Penelope goes to meet the publisher at night, Colin, who has noticed that something is bothering her, follows her and discovers her secret.
Colin is enraged to learn that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. While he is not ready to forgive her, he still intends to marry her, as they have already slept together.
Penelope’s new piece discredits Cressida’s claim and saves the Bridgerton family’s reputation, which gives Queen Charlotte a hint about who Lady Whistledown might be.
Meanwhile, the other Bridgertons also experience changes in their lives. A pregnant Kate and Anthony decide to travel to India, where Kate will give birth to their baby.
Francesca accepts John Stirling’s proposal, but they need Queen Charlotte’s approval to marry, which Violet hesitates to seek because she herself is not happy about the match.
Violet eventually comes around and approves of her daughter marrying John when she realizes that not every romance has to be dramatic.
Violet herself finds a second chance at love when Marcus Anderson, Lady Danbury’s brother, expresses interest in courting her, but Lady Danbury does not approve of it.
Marcus and Lady Danbury’s strained relationship stems from Lady Danbury’s past attempt to escape marrying Lord Danbury, which was foiled by Marcus.
Marcus, who was too young at the time, saw her and informed their father, believing that his sister was putting herself in danger. As a result, Lady Danbury had to marry Lord Danbury against her wishes.
He now tells her that he has always looked up to her as his courageous older sister and wanted to prove himself to her by making her stay longer.
By discussing these issues, Lord Danbury and Marcus mend their relationship. With his sister’s support, Marcus then starts courting Violet.
Then there is Benedict, who has been sleeping with a widow named Lady Tilley Arnold. Suspecting that Benedict is not straight, she invites him to sleep with her and her friend, Paul.
After initially refusing the offer, Benedict decides to join them to explore his sexuality. Benedict then finds out that he likes men as well.
With time, Tilley begins to want a serious relationship with Benedict, but Benedict, who is still discovering himself, does not want that, which results in them parting ways.
Besides the Bridgertons, Will’s life also changes. He decides to sell his club for the sake of his family.
Later, Will and Alice host a grand ball, which makes Alice very happy because they become fully accepted into high society.
Ending explained:
The price of secrets
A day before his wedding to Penelope, Kate and Anthony talk to Colin about his relationship with Penelope.
Kate advises Colin to consider whether what he has discovered about Penelope changes his feelings for her.
Despite everything, Colin realizes that he still loves Penelope, and the two of them get married. Just when it seems like Colin has forgiven her, Queen Charlotte interrupts their wedding breakfast.
She believes that Lady Whistledown is one of the Bridgertons, as she only wrote again to protect the Bridgertons.
When none of them confesses, Queen Charlotte warns it is only a matter of time before she uncovers the truth.
Colin sees this as a sign that Penelope should stop writing the column, but Penelope is not ready to do that. When she stopped earlier, she felt like she had lost a part of herself.
Penelope insists on continuing as Lady Whistledown, even if Colin cannot accept her decision. This causes a rift between them.
At the same time, Cressida, who is being sent to live with her aunt, discovers that Penelope is Lady Whistledown when she meets a printer’s apprentice.
She confronts Penelope, reveals her secret to her mother, and then blackmails her, demanding double the reward offered by Queen Charlotte to keep quiet about her identity.
Mounting pressure
Lady Danbury, who suspects Penelope of being Lady Whistledown, tries to calm Queen Charlotte’s frustration towards Lady Whistledown.
She points out that Lady Whistledown’s intentions are not to outwit Queen Charlotte but to carve a place for herself as a vulnerable woman.
Meanwhile, Colin meets Cressida to try to prevent her from revealing Penelope’s secret, but to no avail.
In fact, Cressida now demands double the amount she initially requested and insists that Penelope restore her reputation in Lady Whistledown’s next publication.
Colin will now have to lie to his brother to pay Cressida. However, there is a silver lining: Penelope and Eloise reconcile their differences while dealing with the crisis.
Not long after, Penelope finds out that her mother lied about inheriting their newfound fortune from a spinster aunt; the fortune came from Jack Featherington’s fraudulent activities.
A solicitor who works for the Crown and oversees the lines of succession had doubted Penelope’s mother’s claim. After investigating, he suspects that the fortune came from Jack.
Penelope forgives her mother upon realizing that her actions were driven by her desire to protect her daughters.
Her mother also acknowledges that Penelope managed to gain great power as Lady Whistledown, and she did it all on her own.
This brings Penelope closer to her mother. However, they still have to face the fact that if the truth about their fortune comes out, they might lose the Featherington title.
The grand revelation
Penelope, realizing that there will always be problems between her and Colin as long as the truth stays hidden, decides to resolve everything by revealing the truth.
Penelope’s sisters throw a ball, which she secretly funds. Queen Charlotte attends the ball after receiving a letter from Penelope.
Penelope had disclosed her identity not only to Queen Charlotte but also to Violet. Now, Queen Charlotte allows Penelope to plead her case.
Penelope gives a speech, explaining her reasons for writing the column and acknowledging that she had let the power affect her and made mistakes.
She also credits Queen Charlotte for cleverly forcing her to reveal herself. After hearing her out, Queen Charlotte grants her permission to continue writing.
With Penelope’s secret out, her mother can tell the solicitor that the fortune came from Penelope’s writing.
Penelope knows that the trouble is not over, as she has upset many people in the past, so she offers Colin the chance to annul their marriage.
However, Colin wants to be with Penelope. He has finally stopped separating her from Lady Whistledown, understanding Lady Whistledown is a part of her.
He also realizes he was jealous of her success as Lady Whistledown, but after hearing her admit her identity, his feelings change to admiration.
Colin now recognizes her worth. This leads to Penelope and Colin confessing their feelings for each other and reconciling their differences.
All’s well that end’s well
After marrying John, Francesca prepares to move to Scotland with him. Eloise, having reverted to her older self who refuses to follow norms, decides to go with them.
Apart from Eloise, John’s cousin Michaela Stirling also joins them. Michaela’s mere presence leaves Francesca stuttering.
Since Cressida does not receive the money to run away from home and live independently, she is forced to leave London and live with her aunt.
Penelope continues writing. In her next column, she apologizes to those she has offended and bids farewell to her literary persona, Lady Whistledown.
She starts writing under her own name. Additionally, with Penelope’s help, Colin publishes an account of his travels.
Sometime later, Penelope gives birth to a son, while her sisters give birth to daughters. Penelope’s son ends up inheriting the Featherington title.
Also Read: Bridgerton season 3 part 1 summary and ending explained