This silly plot hole in Bridgerton season four means Sophie’s history makes no sense

From that pesky tragus piercing to a plaster that wouldn’t have existed in the Regency era, people are spotting all kinds of silly errors in Bridgerton season four, and now everyone’s calling out this silly plot hole, too.

Season four was released on Netflix on 29th January and revolves around Benedict Bridgerton as he goes on a mission to find a girl he fell for at his family’s masquerade ball. The woman he is lusting after turns out to be Sophie, a maid who wasn’t supposed to be at the ball, but Benedict has no idea it’s her.

Sophie isn’t actually a maid at all, though. Her dad is a rich lord called Lord Penwood and her mother was his mistress, so she was born illegitimately. When her father died, she was made a housemaid by his wife Lady Araminta. Now, here’s where the plot hole comes in.

In Bridgerton, Lady Amartinta has inherited her husband’s entire estate and lives there with her two daughters from a previous marriage, Rosamund and Posy. But wait a minute, how did she inherit his money when they never had a son? Or any children together for that matter.

Credit: Netflix

During the Regency era, wealth would always be passed down through male heirs, and the eldest son inherited the estate. In Bridgerton season two, we watched Lady Featherington have to jump through loads of hoops to inherit the estate after her husband died, enlisting the help of a distant male cousin called Jack to trick everyone with a fake contract.

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So, why didn’t Lady Araminta have the same issue? When Lord Penwood died, she seems to have inherited the estate with ease and has continued living a life of luxury, so it makes no sense.

The Bridgerton books could provide a logical explanation. In the novels, the title and estate are given to a male cousin who becomes the Earl of Penwood. He lets Lady Amarinta and her children stay at the house in Mayfair, and she gets money each month from her husband’s will and lives off that.

In the will, it says Lady Araminta will get more money if she keeps Sophie in the house, which is why she chooses to keep her as a maid. But, if this is the case and she’s not actually the owner of the estate at all in the Bridgerton TV show, they really should have made it a lot clearer because right now, it’s just not adding up.

Maybe part two will explain things more.

@oneillel

does this mean if our Sophie marries first and has a son first, she can inherit her father’s estate? I know she’s illegitimate BUT when she marries a legitimate son of a Viscount, does that make her legitimate too? I’m more confused now #bridgertonseason4 #bridgertonscandal #romancebook #didyouknow #interestingfacts

♬ Bridgerton Main Title – Soundtrack from the Netflix Series – Kris Bowers

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Featured image by: Netflix