The second part of Bridgerton series three was released on Thursday.

And fans of the hit Netflix drama were left in tears after an emotional scene saw Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) uncover the truth about his fiancée Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).

Viewers have been keen to find out how the couple’s love story would play out as she battled to keep her alter-ego, Lady Whistledown, a secret.

His sister Eloise had previously threatened to expose her true identity but was stopped in her tracks when Cressida Cowper decided to claim the name for herself.

Episode five saw Cressida reveal herself as the mysterious gossip columnist, in a bid to claim the Queen’s bounty money, only to then struggle to pen her first issue.

But after enlisting some help during episode six she debuts her first teaser column at the ball, leaving Penelope and Eloise in shock.

After promising to the Queen that she would publish a full issue shortly, Eloise and Penelope left the party to discuss the shocking news.

‘It is all my fault. I convinced you to let her take Whistledown’s name and now she has somehow written something coherent,’ Eloise exclaimed.

‘Now I have put my families name on the line. I have been reckless. I let that viper into my home, a viper who now has nearly as much power as the Queen.’

Pausing to gather her thoughts Penelope begins: ‘Eloise, it will be ok because I am going to publish again, with one issue I can discredit Cressida.

‘It’s not just gossip Whistledown is power. I started the column because I felt powerless in my own home.’

‘You must get a full issue out right away before Cressida does,’ Eloise agrees.

Heading off to publish her own copy, Penelope is followed by Colin, who is concerned after seeing her carriage take ‘a wrong turn.’

The emotional scene sees the couple breakdown in tears, as he admits he will ‘never be able to forgive’ Penelope for the gossip column, with fans sharing their thoughts on social media

Episode six ends on a cliff hanger, before the next instalment sees Colin confront his wife-to-be outside the printers.

The emotional scene sees the couple breakdown in tears, as he admits he will ‘never be able to forgive’ Penelope for the gossip column.

Fans shared their thoughts on social media, just hours after the series was released, praising both Nicola and Luke’s acting.

They wrote: ‘Lady Whistledown’s voice transforming into Penelope’s voice…….. its 3am and i am sobbing’; ‘Luke nailed it with his acting and Nicola!’; ‘Oh My god Lady Whistledown revealed, I am screaming.’

Showrunner Jess Brownell admitted to The Hollywood Reporter there will be a lengthy wait before viewers get to see another Bridgerton sibling’s story pan out.

She said: ‘We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited, and then they have to be dubbed into every language.

‘And the writing takes a very long time as well, so we’re kind of on a two-year pace, we’re trying to speed up but somewhere in that range.’

The X, formerly Twitter, account Film Updates shared the news on Wednesday – and fans were not impressed.

Despite slamming the wait time, some fans are already speculating who season four could be about – Luke Thompson’s character Benedict, Claudie Jessie’s Elouise, or Hannah Dodd’s Francesca?

Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter that fans of one of the ships are going to be ‘very very happy’.