This diamond deserves only the best.
The page-to-screen changes for Season 2 of Bridgerton were extensive, not just to the background ensemble like in Season 1, but to the central love story itself. The series decided to turn Kate, Edwina, and Anthony into a full-on love triangle, and with Anthony and Kate as the central couple, that left her sister single at the end of the season. So, who does Edwina marry in Bridgerton? There are several theories.
Warning: Spoilers follow for Bridgerton Season 2 and The Viscount Who Loved Me. In the novel, Edwina never gets engaged to Anthony; his forced marriage proposal to Kate happens too fast for that. More importantly, when Kate and Anthony announce their engagement, she’s not upset. Her response could best be summed up as “Bullet: dodged.”
Edwina had no desire to marry Anthony in the novel; she was merely resigned to having no better choice to secure her family’s financial future. Moreover, Edwina had already fallen in love with someone else when she learned she’d been freed from her potential Anthony engagement. It takes her a while to admit it to Kate, but she was over the moon about Kate and Anthony because it meant the family’s financial future no longer rested on her shoulders and she could be courted by the guy she wanted to be with.
Could the show be planning to head in that direction? Or was it serious about bringing back Season 1’s prince to sweep her off her feet?
Let’s run down the candidates for Edwina’s happily ever after.
Prince Friedrich
The most obvious answer is the one Queen Charlotte proposed in the Season 2 finale’s closing moments. Edwina is a loose end due to the show’s alteration of her story; Prince Friedrich (Freddie Stroma) is a loose end left over after he courted Daphne in Season 1.
Tie the two loose ends together, and voilà! Fans of Edwina who were upset that Anthony and Kate did her wrong could have the satisfaction of knowing it all worked out, with Princess Edwina having an entire German fiefdom to run.
Mr. Bagwell
Even though the queen offered to introduce Edwina to her nephew in Season 2, that doesn’t necessarily mean the show will take that route. Instead, Season 3 could treat Edwina the way it does the other Bridgertons in the ensemble who aren’t this season’s focus and let her have a side-plot romance.
The most obvious choice would be bringing in Edwina’s suitor from the books, Mr. Bagwell, of the scholarly pursuits and less than stellar carriage-driving skills. Although Bagwell is never given a first name in the books, Edwina does fill in some details: He’s a “second son,” like Benedict, which means he inherits neither title nor money and has more freedom to choose his life. With Season 3 rumored to be featuring multiple love stories, perhaps a pair of second sons falling for different women is in the cards.
Theo Sharpe
Mr. Bagwell was not in Bridgerton Season 2, but there was a character who is a variation on him: Theo Sharpe. Theo’s printer’s assistant job was close enough to Mr. Bagwell’s scholarly printing occupation to fool fans of the book about who he would be courting. However, Theo turned out to be both a commoner and a revolutionary; Bagwell was not.
But that doesn’t mean the show couldn’t decide to put Theo and Edwina together. With Kate now married to a viscount and the Sheffield money no longer a necessity, Edwina is free to do what she likes, including marrying a commoner the way her mother did. But would she have to content with Eloise to win Theo over?
Mr. Dorset
The show could do what it’s been doing since Season 1 with the ensemble characters and give them brand-new storylines and love interests. Like Anthony’s Siena, Benedict’s Genevieve, Colin’s Marina, and Eloise’s Theo, the series could have a character up its sleeve to pull out and turn into Edwina’s love interest.
One idea: Kate’s alternate suitor, Mr. Thomas Dorset, a perfectly lovely catch — and a doctor! Dorset showed he had a keen mind and an interest in Indian medicine in Season 2. Although Kate is now no longer available, Edwina is, and perhaps she and Dorset could hit it off now that she’s no longer under pressure to marry the richest man she can find.
No One
The most unlikely scenario, but one to consider, is that Edwina doesn’t get married at all. As noted above, she’s free now. Anthony supports all three of the Sharma women, which means Edwina doesn’t have to marry anyone until she finds the right guy. Edwina could decide to return to Bombay; she could travel across Europe or see New York. And even worse, it could all happen off screen, since Bridgerton actor Charithra Chandran has yet to confirm whether she’ll return to the show.
However, considering Simone Ashley has already said she’ll return as Kate, it would be hard to imagine Edwina just fading away without getting the happy ending she deserves.
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