Bridgerton season 3 reintroduced to London all the families of the ton, including the Featheringtons, whose financial situation was much more optimistic compared to the state of their affairs in Bridgerton season 2. While the focus in the Featherington household was partly on Penelope’s spinsterhood to the point of Portia expressing happiness at Penelope being there for her in her old age, it was also on the newly married Prudence and Philippa, respectively to Harry Dankworth and Albion Finch, who needed to produce an heir. Indeed, Portia’s latest scheme secured the title to them in case of a male heir.
Besides the falsified document making sure the title would have remained within the family, Portia hid the true source of their wealth. Portia and Varley’s secret conversation in Bridgerton season 3’s premiere thus revealed how the story they had told the rest of the family about the money coming from their aunt Petunia dying and leaving them a fortune wasn’t real. They offered it as a plausible explanation of their wealth despite Varley’s opposition, sure as she was about the truth having “a way of rearing its ugly head.” Here’s why the Featherington are richer in Bridgerton season 3.
The Featheringtons Reclaimed Their Wealth Thanks To Cousin Jack In Season 2
Jack & Portia’s Scheme Got All The Ton’s Gentlemen To Invest In a Non-existent Min
Bridgerton season 1 brought Portia to discover Archibald Featherington’s gambling debts and actions that prompted him to squander their entire fortune, leading to the absence of Prudence and Philippa’s dowries and Archibald initially refusing Albion Finch’s proposal to Philippa. While Bridgerton season 1 eventually got Portia and Archibald Featherington to return to being happy, having remade their money thanks to Archibald’s tip about the fixed boxing match, Bridgerton season 1 ended in tragedy for the Featheringtons. Archibald’s shocking death and the banknotes’ disappearance were after all discovered simultaneously in Bridgerton season 1’s very end, essentially making the Featherington penniless overnight.
The Featherington title passing to cousin Jack in season 2 meant amazing things for the Featherington family in Bridgerton season 2. Although Jack wanted to secure his future by courting Cressida Cowper, Portia had other ideas in mind, organizing for Jack and Prudence to be found in a compromising position so that they had to marry and the Featherington estate remained in the family. While Jack’s scheme only included marrying someone rich, Portia stopping his devious plans eventually led to bigger schemes in motion, which could let them build back the Featherington fortune.
The Featheringtons’ money problems from Bridgerton season 1 were completely solved by season 2’s end because Portia and Jack’s gem mines scheme led them to defraud most of the ton’s gentlemen.
Although the idea to lie about his successful ruby mines in America was Jack Featherington’s, it was Portia’s recommendation that led them to exploit the ton’s gentlemen’s weaknesses by letting them invest in what Featherington presented as a sure investment. Jack and Portia’s greed letting them defraud all gentlemen of the ton was eventually what stopped them, as Colin would have never discovered the scheme had he not considered investing in Jack’s mines. However, Colin forcing Jack’s hand meant Portia could use the event to blackmail Jack into running away and keep the money, rebuilding the Featherington fortune once again.
Are The Featheringtons Going To Lose Their Money Again?
Bridgerton Seasons 1 & 2 Established A Pattern Of The Featheringtons Losing Money
Money problems were always part of the Featheringtons’ story throughout Bridgerton. Whether stemming from Archibald Featherington’s gambling debts or Portia racking up debts to keep their life standards high, money was always tight for the Featheringtons, making the prospect of them losing their money in Bridgerton season 3 all the more likely.
Varley’s perplexities about Portia lying to Prudence, Philippa and Penelope, telling them how their fortune had come from Aunt Petunia dying and leaving them a small fortune, hint at the truth possibly coming back to haunt the Featheringtons. Moreover, with Walter Dundas, Esquire, already sniffing around the forgery of Lord Featherington’s document saying that the estate should be passed onto the first male heir of any of the three Featherington sisters, it’s even more likely for things to go bad for the Featheringtons, based on their cyclical history and the already many lies surrounding them in Bridgerton season 3.
How Wealthy Are The Featheringtons Compared To The Bridgertons?
The Featheringtons’ Wealth Can’t Compare To The Bridgertons’
If comparisons were to be drawn between the two families, the Featheringtons would likely fall short, because of their history of squandering money and also of essentially being new money compared to the Bridgertons. However, Netflix’s Bridgerton or the books never specified how much the Bridgerton or Featherington estates were worth, making a precise figure of how much the Bridgertons’ wealth overtook the Featheringtons’ impossible to determine.
