Most of those takes about Benedictâs âofferâ were pretty tiring and I had a lot to say about it, but I kept quiet for the most part, because I donât have the time. But whenever thereâs something that regards my girl Siena, I obviously have to share my thoughts. And Iâve repeatedly seen people use Anthony breaking up with Siena (and essentially having her thrown out on the streets) as a reference to why Benedictâs offer wouldâve put Sophie into a precarious situation â allowing Benedict to leave her without nothing whenever he felt like it. But this is not what Benedict offered to her at all.
Mistresses usually had contracts, which protected them. What Anthony did to Siena was extremely shitty â even for that time period. Had Penelope found out about it and published it as Whistledown, it couldâve ruined Anthonyâs entire reputation. We saw something similar happen with Lord Berbrooke in 1.02. Him having a bastard was not a problem. But the fact that he sent the mother and child away without caring for them was a big scandal.
The same applies to Anthony and Siena. She probably did not have the security of a contract â why, we donât know. But Anthony could do as he pleased without legal consequences. Publicly however, he wouldâve still been severely judged for it â with or without a contract.
Benedict clearly states that he is willing to protect Sophie in every way possible â as he wants to give her everything and more. And a mistress was not without protection. Mistresses of higher status even had their own solicitors. A good contract could easily give her the same rights as a wife â and more freedom at the same time.
And Iâm not trying to romanticize this in any way. As with everything, thereâs a lot of nuance. And women during that time period did not have many choices. We see how eager Siena was to find someone new after Anthony. And while I like to think that her new man is decent, she was still in a position where she wouldâve undoubtedly accepted conditions that were not in her favor at all (to put it lightly). Those contracts were not always pretty. And they also could deprive a woman of every right and every freedom.
However, we know that Benedict is a decent man. Thereâs no reason to assume he wouldâve taken advantage of Sophie. And Sophie is not in the position to accept anything that wouldnât have been in her favor. With his offer, Benedict was giving her protection and financial security. Â
But of course, Sophie and Siena are very different people with quite different lives. Siena is an opera singer. For one, she was most likely not a virgin when she met Anthony â and even if, she had been tainted by her profession. Finding a benefactor had always been her goal. Anthony did not tarnish her in that sense, and we see that by how she was immediately trying to find another gentleman after he left her. On top of that, she is also a working woman with an aspiring career (and that career accepted women being someoneâs mistress because it was the norm). And while the average opera singer was not paid enough to afford a comfortable living (hence why they needed a gentleman to provide for them), she still had something to rely on.
Sophie does not need to be Benedictâs mistress. If anything, it would ruin her. She would probably never find work as a maid again â definitely not in a household like the Bridgertons. Neither would a man of decent status wish to marry her. There would be no going back for her. Siena mightâve overall been paid better, but Sophie was also receiving accommodations, food etc. and had stable employment. For Siena, it was the only way to secure her future. For Sophie, it wouldâve been a big risk to accept.
That, however, does not make Benedictâs offer awful per se. Sophie wouldâve been protected; she wouldâve been living a far more comfortable life financially; and her status wouldâve elevated (because mistresses were still part of society to some extent).
From all the shitty things men have done on this show, Benedictâs offer is by far the tamest. Because he was considering Sophieâs safety. He just wasnât considering her needs. But well, you know ⌠thatâs what character development is for.
