Is Violet’s Garden Finally About To Bloom on Bridgerton?

The first half of Bridgerton season 3 is finally available to stream everywhere in the world, and while the main focus is of course on Polin and their romance, there are plenty of other subplots happening among London’s ton during this year’s social season.

After all, we all know that balls and promenades need drama to thrive—and there’s no lack of it during these four episodes; we can all attest to that.

Spoilers ahead for the first half of Bridgerton season three, so be warned in case you’re not yet caught up.

One of those subplots is sparked to life by the surprise arrival of one Lord Marcus Anderson, played by British actor Daniel Francis, who previously starred in the Netflix miniseries Stay Close. We quickly find out that Lord Anderson is none other than Lady Danbury’s brother and also that she’s not particularly fond of him. We will undoubtedly find out why, sooner or later—since it can’t just be Lady Danbury believing her brother to be a rake—but for now, it’s clear that one of the undisputed rulers of London society would have much preferred to continue the season without having to host a member of her family.

Very soon after his introduction, Lord Anderson runs into another beloved London matriarch—Violet Bridgerton, who, like every year, is busy juggling all her children out on the social scene and hoping that they can keep themselves out of scandals for once. Not that there’s much chance of that, but a woman can still hope. 

You don’t need to be an expert in period romance to know that the first encounter between Lord Anderson and Lady Bridgerton was hinting at something possibly happening between the two, so much so that fans had begun theorizing it even before the season was released—back when Lord Anderson was announced as a character. Then, the mid-season finale really emphasized that this pairing is very much a possibility. 

As they watch Francesca dance with the very eligible bachelor that the Queen has chosen for her—and in whom, of course, Francesca couldn’t be less interested—they strike up a conversation about love, whether that be passionate from the start or something that’s grown with time. That’s when they both realize that they’re widowers, and when Lord Anderson very pointedly states that he’s not given up hope of finding the oh-so-desired love match in his “second act.” And to top that off, he then mentions a “most intriguing woman” to Lady Danbury—and who else could this woman be besides Violet, the only one we’ve seen him run into several times?

It was clear that this was the direction Bridgerton showrunners were headed after the prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, where present-timeline Violet discusses with Lady Danbury her wish for her “garden to bloom again.” One does not simply write a series of scenes along this theme—which were Violet’s main subplot in the spinoff show—with no intention to see it through. The fact that the person who seems the most likely candidate is Lady Danbury’s brother is what I call a perfect parallel—after all, a young and happily widowed Lady Danbury had once taken up an affair with a still-to-debut Violet’s father, Lord Ledger.

So while nothing has really happened between Violet and Lord Anderson yet, the connection is definitely there. I guess we’ll just have to see where it goes once the second half of the season is released in June.