An Offer From a Gentleman is the story of Benedict Bridgerton’s path to true love and is one of the few Bridgerton books that does not actively involve the Ton. Benedict is known to enjoy art and is less worldly than he thought. His romance partner is Sophie Beckett, the ward and illegitimate daughter of an earl. She is schooled alongside her stepsisters and becomes a maid when her father dies.
She meets Benedict during a masked ball for one night of fun. It’s love at first sight, but the clue she leaves Benedict behind is a glove, and to make things worse, Sophie is kicked out of her home and ends up meeting Benedict again when he saves her from being attacked.
The two warm up to each other, although there’s a problem: Benedict still has a torch for the mysterious woman in silver from the ball some time ago.
With Bridgerton S4 hype coming soon with Variety’s announcement of her identity, we’ll talk about what we’re expecting from the next season!
(Warning: we have book spoilers about critical plot points regarding An Offer From A Gentleman).
Sophie and Her Strength of Character
PBA odds are that Sophie has always had a strong character. She’s lovable, cheerful, and resilient due to the harshness of her upbringing. Although she was an illegitimate child, Sophie did her best with what life gave her. She found friendship and bonds with the servants and learned to read and write.
Sophie is enduring and endearing because she is responsible, honest, cheerful, and sensitive. However, when faced with pressure, she will hold her ground and choose actively to be kind despite her life’s challenges.
The Chemistry
We’re looking forward to the chemistry between the characters and the actors. Although Variety leaked that Yerin Ha was cast as Sophie Beckett, Shondaland and Netflix have not officially announced it.
In previous seasons, the best chemistry for couples went to Corey and India during Queen Charlotte – and Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey for Kate and Anthony.
We’re excited to see Yerin Ha have an official announcement with Luke Thompson!
Cinderella
One of the book’s best aspects was that it was based on Cinderella. Sophie is great at capturing Cinderella’s spirit: her care, hard work, and principles. Given what she had endured and the grit to keep going, it was easier to enjoy Sophie as a character than Benedict. Seeing her character develop and realise she had to fight harder and assert herself for what she wanted and loved was lovely.
Nuances
The messy part is when Benedict asks Sophie to be his mistress, as he doesn’t see a future with a maid. In a modern context, this implies that Benedict does not see Sophie as an equal because she refuses to reveal her true identity—which could have helped—and because of her status as a bastard.
For someone like Benedict, asking her to be his mistress was logical, given his status. However, it rubs many people wrong. He could not take no for an answer and could not let go of the lady in silver.
Wrapping Up
Bridgerton S4 might be two years away, but we already know what to expect. We hope the material can improve, especially with a decent writer’s room and whatnot! We also look forward to the production and eventual reveal of the cast.
