Bridgerton Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – Victory

The residence at Aubrey Hall is being prepped for Lady Bridgerton’s Hearts and Flowers Ball, the year’s most coveted invitation in the country.

Anthony asks Benedict if everything he has done with the Sharmas is a mistake. On the other hand, Edwina tells Kate she thought she would be announcing an engagement at the upcoming Bridgerton Ball. Kate assures her that she will have many other suitors back in Mayfair, but Edwina worries that if those suitors find out that she hasn’t secured a proposal from Anthony, they will think that she’s not good enough. She tells Kate that she wants Anthony and that she believes the reason why he hasn’t proposed yet is that Anthony and Kate hate each other. She begs her sister to help her get a proposal from him.

Madam Delacroix helps Penelope by stitching her writing into a gown and then sending the gown into the printer’s house. This way, the identity of Lady Whistledown gets another layer of security because Pen won’t have to go to the printer herself.

People from the ton start arriving at Aubrey Hall for the ball. Pen approaches Eloise and Colin. Colin tells Pen that Eloise has been interested in the publication that she got from the printer’s shop. Eloise tells her that it is a rather radical publication, which is why she likes it. She is about to talk about the apprentice there, Mr. Theo Sharpe, when Pen confronts her for even knowing the apprentice’s name, saying that she shouldn’t frequent that part of town because it is dangerous. Colin tells Pen to convince Eloise to stop going there while he’s gone to visit Marina.

In an attempt to make Anthony and Kate get along, Edwina asks Anthony to give her a tour of the grounds. Anthony tells her he’s going on a hunting trip, so he can’t. Edwina then tells him to bring Kate because she is a good shot. Anthony smiles at Benedict and says that ladies do not hunt. Kate does not seem pleased with Anthony’s line of thinking, so she goes with them on the hunt to prove him wrong.

Colin arrives at the Crane estate and sees Marina. He learns that Marina gave birth to twins Oliver and Amanda. He says he has come to see if she is doing well, and Marina tells him she is doing very well. She offers him tea, and Colin tells her stories of his travels. Colin was about to go when Sir Philip came home. They find a common interest in botany, so Philip invites Colin to dinner.

On the way to the camp, Kate tells Anthony that they must go the other way because there are tracks to be followed. Anthony insists that they stay with the group, and if nothing comes up, he will offer himself up for target practice. They leave their horses and go on foot to hunt. Kate tells Anthony that she likes to follow her instincts on the hunt instead of blindly following the guide. Anthony tells her there are certainly other deer in the path other than the one she believes they lost, so they should carry on. However, Kate has other plans, so she disappears on Anthony. He parts ways from the group and looks for her.

Portia tells Prudence to take her pursuit of Jack seriously unless she wants Cressida to be her new mama.

Anthony finds Kate and confronts her for always disregarding the rules. He says that if she hadn’t disregarded the rules again, they would not have found themselves in the difficult situation they were in the other morning. Foliage rustles, so Kate points her gun toward the noise. Anthony tells her she does not know how to hold a British gun and insists on teaching her how to do it, so he gets close to her in an almost embrace, and their faces get too close for a kiss. This moment gets interrupted when the group members catch up with them.

Colin and Philip lose track of time talking about different plants and flowers. Philip leaves Marina and Colin alone while he tends to the babies. Colin tells her that he came to apologize for how he left things between them. Marina tells him that he should move on because she already did. She says she is not the same woman Colin knew, so he should wake up. Colin tells her that she does not seem to be happy with Philip, but she says she is content and that Colin should look at the people around him, including Penelope.

Unable to sleep that night, Kate decides to go to the library to do some reading. Anthony also goes there, saying that he saw the light and thought he had left the candle lit. He holds the book Kate has chosen and tells her that the books in that library are his father’s prized possession. She asks how Edmund died, and Anthony tells her that he got stung by a bee. Finally realizing how her bee sting must have reminded him of what happened, Kate apologizes.

Daphne tells Violet that Edwina is a natural diamond and she is nearly perfect, but she thought that Anthony would want to be with someone more like himself, someone that poses a challenge. Daphne goes into Anthony’s study and tells him that she thinks Edwina and him do not know each other well enough, and Anthony tells her not to concern herself with his affairs.

At the ball, Anthony asks Edwina for her first dance. Violet introduces Lord Morrison to Eloise, and he asks her to dance. While dancing, Lord Morrison insults women in general, saying that most women he knows cannot even articulate a thought. This does not sit well with Eloise, so she stops dancing and leaves Lord Morrison alone. Violet follows Eloise and says that she specifically invited Lord Morrison to her because she heard that he shares the same rebellion as her. “I know I am a disappointment to you, so just allow me to take my leave and go to bed,” she cries.

Prudence tells Portia that Jack hasn’t looked at her all evening. Portia tells her to calm herself and suggests that she talk a walk in the orangery to help her relax. Portia then approaches Jack and pulls him away from Cressida, saying that Lord Fife is looking for him in the orangery.

After a second dance with Anthony, Edwina asks Kate to dance with him so he can have the chance to ask her for her blessing if he plans to propose that evening. They dance, and they seem to have undeniable chemistry. While dancing, Kate asks if there is something he wants to ask regarding Edwina. “If I were to ask for her hand, would you give me your permission?” he asks. She says she wants her sister to be happy and asks him if he can make her happy. When Anthony fails to answer right away, she considers his proposal a reconsideration. He then asks her if she wants him to reconsider. “It does not matter what I want.”, she says. Anthony says he does not thinks that is true, so Kate tells him that she is going home to India right after Edwina gets married. Knowing that Kate is leaving distracts Anthony, so he looks distraught as the dance ends, and he leaves Kate on the dance floor. Kate goes after him.

Portia leads some people into the orangery to catch Prudence and Jack alone so she can force their marriage. She pretends to see Jack removing his hand from Prudence’s waist as they come and says this aloud for the people to hear. “It is a scandal,” she announces. They ask Jack if he would marry Prudence, and someone says she already belongs to him. Prudence rejoices at the thought of being married to Jack, so she laughs excitedly.

Anthony gets into the library, followed shortly by Kate. He asks her why she dislikes him so. She says that he vexes her, and Anthony says the same. He gets close to her while saying he is a gentleman and his heart is with Edwina. He challenges her to say that she does not care for him as he leans closer that their lips almost touch. “Say you feel nothing,” he breathily asks her. Kate finds it hard to say it. This intimate moment gets interrupted when Daphne enters the room. Daphne gets taken aback by what she saw, so she immediately goes right back out.

Anthony finds Daphne and tells her that what she saw is not what she thinks it is. She says that there is clearly something between him and Kate and that he should be honest with his feelings because they will find their way to the surface sooner or later, no matter how hard he tries to hide them. He tells Daphne he already knows what he will do.

Pen tells Prudence that if Whistledown writes about what truly happened between her and Jack, their family will suffer. Prudence then tells her that if it is truly their mama’s doing, then there is no way that Lady Whisteldown will know about it. She tells Pen she is jealous and insists that she be called Lady Featherington.

Kate tells Lady Danbury that she fears there will be no proposal from the viscount because she has ruined it. Lady Danbury asks her why she keeps getting in the way when they are so close to getting what they want. Kate tells her that she doesn’t know the answer to that question and that she does not know what to do. Lady Danbury tells her that she must be honest with Edwina and to herself about whatever she feels.

Jack reveals to Portia that the mines he has been talking about are not real. He says that he has nothing. Portia does not believe him at once because he paid Philippa’s dowry. However, he says he held off the Finches with a promise of payment and a counterfeit Ruby necklace. He then reveals that the only way he can provide for their needs is to marry wealth, which is why he has been trying to court Cressida.

Colin tells Pen he was not up for the ball the previous night after seeing Marina. He says that Marina tells him she is content, but he thinks that if Lady Whistledown did not publish her pregnancy right away, things would have ended differently for all of them. He says that he is moving forward and thinking of the future already.

The Bridgertons watch as the Sharmas board their carriage to leave Aubrey Hall. Edwina tells Kate that she thinks the viscount’s feelings are elsewhere since she cannot secure a proposal from him. Just as Edwina is about to get in their carriage, Kate tells her that there is something she needs to know. However, before Kate can speak, Anthony comes running from inside the house. He proposes to Edwina, and she accepts. Kate is visibly pained, Daphne is confused, and Violet gasps.

Our Thoughts

That proposal from Anthony is unexpected not because we know he does not love Edwina, but because we did not think that Anthony would be foolish enough to still propose to her despite what he feels for Kate. Maybe he will be able to control his feelings and focus on his soon-to-be viscountess, so we should not judge right away.

Portia’s cunning ways of making sure that her family’s future is intact are amazing. We may call her selfish for doing so, but we can also look at it in a better way and think that she is simply creative. The new Lord Featherington seems to underestimate her, but something tells us that she won’t be, in any way, played.