- This page is about the Netflix character. For the book character, see Cressida Twombley
Cressida Cowper is an ill-mannered debutante competing for the affections of the most eligible suitors.
History[]
Start of the Social Season[]
Cressida Cowper is a young lady who debuted in the 1813 social season with her mother. At these events, her mother talked her up to potential suitors. At one event, she flirted with Colin, spilling her drink on Penelope to get her out of the way. She then invited Colin for a dance, but Colin rejected her in favor of Penelope.[1]
Soon after, at a picnic, Cressida gossiped about Daphne while walking within Daphne's hearing range.[2]
The Prince's Arrival[]
Cressida was among those delighted when word came that Prince Friedrich of Prussia was coming to London in search of a wife. When he came to his first social event, Cressida immediately approached him to draw his attention to her, but the queen pulled Friedrich away to introduce him to Daphne, making Cressida jealous.
At a later event, Cressida swooned in the presence of the prince, who came to her aid. After this, they danced together at another event and it appeared that Cressida may have a chance at becoming his bride. However, the prince's attention was drawn away when Daphne entered and it was clear he was more interested in her. Cressida derided Daphne, saying she could have had any man, but chose the one she knew Cressida wanted. Daphne chided Cressida, saying that she couldn't help his choice, before gliding away to be by the prince's side.[3]
Unbeknownst to Cressida, Daphne was not interested in the prince and instead continued to fantasize about Simon, the Duke of Hastings, who had ended their relationship and was planning to leave London. When Friedrich was about to propose, Daphne saw the Duke and became flustered, leaving the ball to go outside. Here, she and the Duke met and ended up kissing in the garden. Upon her return, Cressida snidely asked if she'd caught a chill, making Daphne realize that Cressida had seen her with Simon and could destroy Daphne's reputation.[4]
When the announcement of Daphne and Simon's engagement arrived, Cressida and her mother smirked at the news, knowing full well what had transpired in the garden between them. Soon afterward, Cressida and Daphne had a private moment, and Cressida confirmed that she knew what happened in the garden. Daphne denied any knowledge and warned her that it would be unwise for her to make an enemy out of a future duchess.[5]
Due to the scandal caused by Marina's pregnancy and broken engagement with Colin Bridgerton, the Featheringtons were social pariahs. Despite this, they came to the queen's luncheon. After they were asked to leave, Cressida made a hurtful comment about them to her mother, which Daphne overheard. Daphne shamed Cressida for judging them as she had.[6]
1814 Social Season[]
Cressida reappeared for a second season. She was seen among the young debutantes rushing towards Anthony upon hearing Violet's announcement that he intended to find a wife this season. She mocked the idea of Eloise Bridgerton being named the season's diamond, hinting that it meant she would stop hanging around "wallflowers" and "refine" her circle of friends, indirectly insulting Penelope. Eloise told her off for her comments.[7]
She soon caught the eye of Jack Featherington, a distant relative of the recently deceased Lord Featherington, upon whose death Jack had inherited the title of Lord Featherington. He called on her and gifted her a ruby necklace, which she and her mother showed off and bragged about at Lady Danbury's soirée for Edwina Sharma. They hinted to Lady Featherington that it meant he intended to marry her, which Lady Featherington denied.[8]
Cressida and her parents soon joined Jack and the Featherington women for a formal dinner at the Featherington estate, upon Jack's invitation. Cressida flirted with Jack at the dinner table. She and her mother bragged about her "maternal" manners and piano skills to Jack. Jack invited Cressida to promenade. It was clear, to Cressida's delight, that Jack intended to make her his bride[9]. Her hopes to become the new Lady Featherington were dashed, however, when Portia manipulated matters to pressure Jack into proposing to Prudence[10].
Cressida attended Anthony and Edwina's wedding. When it was abruptly called off in the middle of the ceremony, Cressida and the other guests were led out to the gardens, where Brimsley, working on the queen's behalf, planted a rumor that Edwina had called off the wedding because she wasn't pleased with the simple honeymoon Anthony had planned. Cressida immediately spread the rumor.[11]
At the Featherington Ball, Cressida danced with Colin, who complimented her necklace, the one from Jack. He then said the clasp was broken and offered to have it mended for her.
Later, as Anthony and Kate danced, Cressida's mother made a snide comment about them, only for the queen to shoot them down. Cressida then became visibly upset when the queen began telling Edwina about Prince Friedrich, clearly hoping to match the two of them.[12]
Friendship with Eloise[]
During the summer in the countryside, Cressida became friends with Eloise, who had recently ceased her friendship with Penelope Featherington. When they returned to Mayfair, Cressida was happy to be back, as she found the countryside boring.
Cressida attended Lady Danbury's Four Seasons ball, the first ball of the season, where she intentionally trod on Penelope's new dress, causing it to rip when Penelope moved. She then taunted Penelope about it, saying it ripped because it was cheap.
Cressida later told Eloise that it didn't seem that she had much competition for suitors that year and she believed her actions with Penelope sent a clear message. Eloise told her what she did was cruel and unnecessary. Cressida then admitted it had been hard for her to find friends. She'd had some as a child, but the marriage mart didn't lend itself to friendships. She'd actually tried to befriend Eloise during Eloise's first season, but Eloise brushed her off. She understood as she hadn't always been kind. She knew that Penelope didn't deserve Cressida's ire, regardless of what had happened between her and Eloise.[13]
At another ball, Cressida and Eloise watched Colin and Penelope. Cressida said she found it helpful to pretend people were dead when she disagreed with them. Eloise said she couldn't do that because Penelope was at her house that day and told Cressida that Colin was helping Penelope find a husband, something mildly scandalous. When the news later spread around the room, Eloise accused Cressida of telling someone, but Cressida said she hadn't, but she had noticed Clara Livingston nearby when they were talking and then saw her whispering around the room. In this case, Eloise was the cruel one, not Cressida.[14]
At a party, Lady Cowper told Cressida that Lord Debling had declared his intent to find a wife that season. She warned Cressida that if she didn't find a husband soon, she and her father would be forced to find one for her. Cressida talked to Lord Debling that night and then told Eloise she'd decided she would marry him. She asked Eloise for help as she knew Lord Debling was interested in nature, but she didn't know much about it. Eloise lent her some books, which she read.
At the hot air balloon debut, Cressida talked to Debling again, sharing what she'd learned with him and expressing a great love for nature. Cressida was intrigued when Lord Debling told her he doesn't get along with his family and decided to forge his own path to get away from them. When Debling called for Penelope to join the conversation, Cressida and Penelope began competing for his affections, each of them trying to impress him with their knowledge of nature.
After seeing Lord Debling use his body to guard Penelope from getting hit by the untethered hot air balloon, Cressida pretended to have hurt her ankle to get Debling to help her to a seat.
Under increased pressure from her mother, who said her father had cut their allowance in half, Cressida raced Penelope to talk to Lord Debling at the Innovations Ball. She kept his ear for much of the night, but when he went to get her lemonade, he didn't return because he'd gotten involved in a conversation with Penelope. Eloise found Cressida watching them and said it might be for the best as a diet of vegetables didn't suit Cressida.[15]
Cressida attended the opening of Lord Fuller's collection with her parents, where she told Eloise her father was promising to marry her off to one of his aged friends.
Later, while Cressida and her mother were waiting for callers, the footman announced a visitor, but it was Eloise. Lady Cowper reluctantly agreed to allow it, but while Cressida and Eloise were talking, Lord and Lady Cowper came in and Lord Cowper asked Eloise to leave so he could speak to Cressida. As Eloise walked out, Lord Cowper said Cressida must not be seen with Eloise anymore.
Despite this, Cressida sought Eloise at the next event and apologized for her father. She also said she wouldn't be keeping her distance and her father would just have to deal with it. Eloise started to explain her point of view on things, but Cressida was distracted by watching Penelope step away from a dance with Lord Debling. Seeing this, Cressida stepped in to finish the dance with him and informed him that Colin and Penelope were old friends.[16]
Cressida told Eloise that her parents were arranging a marriage for her to Lord Greer, who was three times her age. Trying to look on the bright side, Cressida decided she could use his money to shop and queen around town like Lady Danbury. However, when she met with Lord Greer, she was horrified to learn that he didn't believe in music and found modern art scandalous and wouldn't let her be exposed to either. In addition, she'd wear somber clothing and they'd attend no more than one ball per month. He also said he wanted four or five children. Unwilling to resign herself to such a fate, Cressida looked for an escape, and heard that the queen was offering five thousand pounds to whoever successfully who unmasked Lady Whistledown.
Cressida invited herself to Colin and Penlope's betrothal party, where she told Eloise that she was trying to figure out how to circumvent his proposal. She decided to unveil Lady Whistledown and live off the reward money. Eloise didn't believe Cressida would be able to do that, though Cressida insisted she'd find a way.
Later, during a game of charades, Cressida shocked everyone by standing up and declaring that she was Lady Whistledown. Soon after, Penelope collapsed.[17]
With the news out, Lord Greer rescinded his proposal, delighting Cressida. Unfortunately, her father also promised to send her to live with her Aunt Joanna in Wales. Once he was gone, Lady Cowper tried to talk Cressida into taking back what she said, as she knew Cressida wasn't clever enough to be Lady Whistledown. As they spoke, two royal guards came in and summoned Cressida to the palace.
Cressida and Lady Cowper appeared before the queen, who doubted Cressida's claim as she didn't feel Cressida was articulate enough. Cressida maintained her claim and said she wanted to claim the reward that was rightfully hers. The queen said they would talk about that after Cressida produced another issue. In the meantime, Cressida offered up information about Francesca and John and said she could help sway Francesca toward Lord Samadi, making the queen even more doubtful, as Lady Whistledown would never offer help so readily. She said that she didn't want to see Cressida again unless she could print a convincing issue.
Lady Cowper tried to forbid Cressida from attempting to publish, but Cressida said she had no choice as the queen would cast her out of society, which her father had already done. She refused to live with Aunt Joanna and printing an issue was the only chance to win back the queen's favor. Lady Cowper said if she published, no one would marry her, but Cressida reminded her that no one would marry her without publishing.
Cressida approached Eloise outside the church and asked for Eloise's help. Eloise refused, reminding Cressida of what Lady Whistledown had written about her, and additionally said she no longer wanted to be Cressida's friend.
When Lord Cowper was ousted from his club because of Cressida, he pulled her dowry. Lady Cowper went to Cressida and said that the money the queen offered wasn't enough to live on, but it might be enough of a dowry to attract a man from the countryside or the continent. Cressida showed her mother what she had started, but it was poorly-written and Cressida admitted to being scared.
After working with Lady Cowper to write an announcement that Lady Whistledown would be returning, they went to the Mondrich party, despite not being invited. When the queen said she didn't want to see Cressida in or out of her court, Cressida said she had a present for the queen and had footmen deliver the announcement. It delighted the queen, who said she awaited the promised full issue and then they could discuss her reward.[18]
With her mother's help, Cressida wrote and published a full issue, heavily disparaging the Bridgerton family. Unfortunately, shortly afterward, the real Lady Whistledown published an issue of her own, discrediting Cressida. Despite this, Cressida and her mother appeared before the queen. The queen looked at both issues and then set Cressida's to the side.
When Cressida returned home, her father sequestered her to a room and commanded that she stay there until Aunt Joanna arrived to take her. Her mother came to see her and said Aunt Joanna would be there in a week or two. Cressida begged her mother to help, but Lady Cowper said Lord Cowper had threatened to send her away as well, which would leave no chance for Cressida to return. Cressida felt bad about them disparaging the Bridgertons so much, as Eloise was the only person who ever showed her true friendship, but Lady Cowper pointed out that Eloise wasn't there with her and reminded her that she was raised to believe it was every person for themselves, especially for women.
Cressida begged a maid for help and escaped the house. She went around to several print shops, looking for the one that printed the Whistledowns. She couldn't find it, but did find an apprentice whose boss had previously printed them. He said he'd always wanted to meet her, but knew Cressida wasn't Lady Whistledown as his boss told him she was a redhead. Curious, Cressida asked him what else he'd said.[19] Once she confirmed that Penelope was Lady Whistledown, she decided to blackmail Penelope for ten thousand pounds in exchange for not revealing Penelope's secret identity. When Penelope said no one would believe her, she tested it by telling Portia. When she realized it worked, she repeated her request to Penelope.
Colin came to speak to Cressida on Penelope's behalf, trying to get her to understand and be sympathetic to Penelope. Cressida refused and instead doubled her ask, plus insisting that Penelope would use her column to restore Cressida's reputation.
When Joanna arrived to take Cressida, she immediately insulted Cressida and her mother. Cressida insisted to her mother that she wouldn't be going back with her, only to have her mother said she didn't have a choice.
In the end, Penelope chose to reveal herself as Lady Whistledown, taking away Cressida's leverage, and Cressida left town with Joanna.[20]
Personality[]
A self-centered, rather ill-mannered debutante who wanted nothing more than to be named this year's Incomparable. If only Daphne Bridgerton would have chosen to sit this season out...
Cressida was raised to believe that she should look out only for herself, which developed into a very self-centered mindset once she came of age. She views other women as competition, especially those with better chances in the marriage mart, employing sabotage, shame, and rumor-mongering to discredit her perceived opponents. She thinks that attacking those she believes weaker than her, like Penelope Featherington, makes her appear stronger, as she thought her ripping the hem of Penelope's dress "sent a message" about her willingness to fight her for Lord Debling's attention.
Although not remorseful for her actions, Cressida is aware that she has not been kind, and that this has left her friendless. She longs for genuine connections, and she can be loyal to her few friends, but her ruthless pragmatism about taking down other women gets in the way of deeper friendship.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Prince Friedrich[]
Cressida first met Prince Friedrich during a ball, where his aunt, Queen Charlotte, was introducing him to the ladies of the Ton. Despite her initial efforts to impress the prince, he was quickly pulled away by his aunt, who was eager to set her nephew up with what she saw as the "season's diamond," Daphne Bridgerton.
Later on at the same event, Cressida swooned in the presence of the prince, causing him to immediately come to her aid.[3]
After this, they pair danced together at another ball and it appeared that Cressida may have a chance at becoming his bride, much to her and her mother's excitement. However, the prince's attention was drawn away when Daphne entered and it was clear he was more interested in her.[3] Friedrich did not even say goodbye to Cressida when he left England without a bride-to-be.
Jack Featherington[]
Cressida was called upon by the new Lord Featherington, who gifted her a ruby necklace, which she proudly showed off at Lady Danbury's soirée. She and her mother bragged to Portia Featherington that it meant he intended to become her suitor. Jack invited her and her parents to a formal dinner at his new estate, where she flirted openly with him. She was delighted when Jack invited her for a promenade. It was clear that Jack very well intended to make her his bride, much to her delight. However, Cressida's chance at another fine match was ruined, yet again, when Portia intervened.
Alfred Debling[]
In her third season on the marriage market and desperate to wed, Cressida was urged by her mother to pursue Lord Alfred Debling. Despite his personality not initially appealing to her, she decided she would make him hers after her mother threatened that if she did not secure a husband this season, her parents would arrange a marriage for her. She borrowed books about nature from Eloise, hoping to appeal to him by discussing his interests. When he protected Penelope from the hot air balloon threatening to hurt her, Cressida stole back his attention by feigning an injury. Cressida managed to get him to interact with her at the next ball, and he offered her lemonade. However, Lord Debling did not return to her, and instead gave her glass to Penelope, whom he favored more, before whisking her away to a dance. Cressida was greatly chagrined by this snub, knowing that she had lost to Penelope, despite Eloise's attempts to console her.[15]
Lord Greer[]
As Cressida neared the end of her third season with no solid prospects, her parents decided to arrange her marriage to Lord Greer, an aging friend of Lord Cowper. At first, Cressida tried to be hopeful about her match, imagining that she would at least get to use her husband’s wealth and status to flaunt herself around society. However, she soon discovered that Lord Greer had strict expectations for her as his wife, stating that she would only wear black and gray, and be forbidden to indulge in music or modern art, and that they would only attend one ball per month, and only if the hosts were of "strong moral character." This made Cressida desperate for an escape, and so she falsely confessed to being Lady Whistledown, planning to use the reward money to live independently[17]. After this false news spread, Lord Greer was outraged and withdrew his proposal, which upset Lord Cowper more than it did Cressida[18].
Familial[]
Cressida and her mother, Araminta Cowper, are both seen as eager in the effort to find Cressida a husband. When Cressida was being courted by Prince Friedrich, Araminta bragged about her daughter becoming a princess, until Daphne Bridgerton entered and swept the Prince away.[4] In Cressida's second season, she was being courted by Jack Featherington, who gave her a necklace which she and Araminta proudly showed off to Lady Featherington as evidence that he intended to marry her.[8]
Cressida’s relationship with her mother started to turn sour as she entered her third season on the marriage market. Araminta urged her to pursue Lord Alfred Debling, despite his personality and interest in nature not appealing to her initially.[15] She and Lord Cowper threatened Cressida that if she did not secure a match for herself that season, they would arrange for her to marry one of Lord Cowper's aging friends.[16]
Friendships[]
Eloise Bridgerton[]
When Cressida heard that Eloise might be named diamond of the season, she offered Eloise her friendship away from "wallflowers" like Penelope, to which Eloise replied that she would rather die.[7] However, after the season, Eloise's friendship with Penelope fell apart, and Cressida showed her kindness, winning her trust. Eloise became her friend and vowed to help her finally secure a match in her third season, encouraging her to act nicer to Penelope.[13] Cressida received Eloise's help in trying to woo Lord Debling, such as borrowing books from her about nature, and later comfort from Eloise as well when he ultimately chose Penelope over her.[15]
Rivals[]
Daphne Basset[]
Daphne and Cressida both entered their first season together, competing for the top pick of eligible bachelors. Daphne's fortunes exceeded Cressida's upon being named the season's Incomparable.[1] Their "rivalry" became particularly heated when Prince Friedrich arrived in London in search of a wife. Cressida was clearly interested, but Friedrich pursued Daphne instead. Cressida finally caught the prince's favor and was making progress with him[3] until Daphne changed her mind about the duke and went for Friedrich, who dropped his pursuit of Cressida as a result. Cressida saw this as a betrayal, as Daphne had many suitors but stole the only one Cressida had. When Daphne had a heated moment with the Duke of Hastings in the gardens, Cressida saw, and hinted to Daphne that she knew, subtly threatening to spill the scandal and ruin Daphne.[4] When she saw Daphne at the modiste, she taunted her, accusing her of using Friedrich to make the duke jealous and trap him into marrying her, but Daphne shut her down, reminding Cressida that she was to be a duchess while Cressida was to remain unmarried and untitled, so it would be unwise to make an enemy of her. Even at Daphne's wedding reception, Cressida was snide and smug, calling her keeping Daphne's secret a "kindness."[5] During a luncheon hosted by the queen, Cressida and her mother attended while Daphne did the same with her husband. Daphne shut Cressida down for making a comment about Lady Featherington and Marina.[6] They met again the next season during Anthony and Edwina's wedding. Despite not seeing each other for almost a year, Cressida's resentment toward Daphne had not changed anything and Cressida coldly called Daphne her "duchess" instead of doing it respectfully such as the rest of people there did.[11]
Penelope Bridgerton[]
In all their encounters, Cressida bullied Penelope, such as when she deliberately spilled her drink on Penelope's dress while attempting to catch Colin Bridgerton's eye in their first season.[1] At the start of their second season, Cressida snidely offered a newly-debuted Eloise her friendship away from the “wallflowers" like Penelope, but Eloise refused.[7]
Their rivalry reached its peak in their third social season, when both set to win over Lord Alfred Debling. Despite all of Cressida's efforts, Lord Debling ultimately found himself more drawn to Penelope, and began officially courting her, much to Cressida's dismay.[15] Unwilling to lose to Penelope, Cressida sabotaged her relationship with Lord Debling by implying that Colin and Penelope were closer than friends should have been, successfully resulting in him deciding not to propose to Penelope, as he had earlier planned.[16]
After her parents arranged for Cressida to marry the elderly and dull Lord Greer, Cressida sought an escape by falsely confessing that she was Lady Whistledown, in order to collect the reward money of five thousand pounds to set herself up independently.[17] After she failed to convince the queen and collect the promised funds, and her father pulling her dowry out of anger,[18] Cressida desperately sought to uncover Whistledown's true identity, visiting print shops until she stumbled across a fan of Whistledown, who mentioned that the real Lady Whistledown was a redhead, causing Cressida to realize that Penelope was in fact the anonymous writer.[19] Cressida went to Penelope and threatened to unmask her unless Penelope paid her ten thousand pounds so that she could live independently. Unfortunately for Cressida, Penelope owned up to being Whistledown in public of her own accord, taking away Cressida's last hope for independence and leaving her with no other option but to live with her aunt in Wales.[20]
Notes and Trivia[]
Gallery[]
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A more complete gallery with pictures of Cressida Cowper (Netflix) can be found here. |
Appearances[]
| Bridgerton, Season 1 | |||||
| #01 | "Diamond of the First Water" | #04 | "An Affair of Honor" | #07 | "Oceans Apart" |
| #02 | "Shock and Delight" | #05 | "The Duke and I" | #08 | "After the Rain" |
| #03 | "Art of the Swoon" | #06 | "Swish" | ||
| Bridgerton, Season 2 | |||||
| #01 | "Capital R Rake" | #04 | "Victory" | #07 | "Harmony" |
| #02 | "Off to the Races" | #05 | "An Unthinkable Fate" | #08 | "The Viscount Who Loved Me" |
| #03 | "A Bee in Your Bonnet" | #06 | "The Choice" | ||
| Bridgerton, Season 3 | |||||
| #01 | "Out of the Shadows" | #04 | "Old Friends" | #07 | "Joining of Hands" |
| #02 | "How Bright the Moon" | #05 | "Tick Tock" | #08 | "Into the Light" |
| #03 | "Forces of Nature" | #06 | "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" | ||
References
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