- This page is about the book character. For the Netflix character, see Francesca Stirling
Francesca Stirling (née Bridgerton) is the sixth Bridgerton child.
History[]
Early life[]
Francesca was born exactly a year after her older sister, Eloise, and the two would hang out together growing up. While Eloise was outspoken, Francesca was quieter and would often follow Eloise's lead.
1817[]
Francesca is in her second season, and living in Violet's dower house. When Benedict comes over with Sophie Beckett, Violet hired her as a lady's maid to Eloise and Francesca, because their previous maid had been stolen by Araminta Gunningworth. When Benedict and Violet were later looking for Sophie, Francesca and her sister, Hyacinth, brought them Lady Whistledown's column, which reported that Sophie had been arrested on Araminta's orders.
1818[]
Francesca met John Stirling, and they married two months later. She also met Michael Stirling, John's cousin, and they became friends.
1820[]
Francesca and John were talking about celebrating their second anniversary with Michael. Francesca decided she wanted to go for a walk, and John asked Michael to accompany her so he could take a nap before an important meeting. When Francesca came back, she found out John wasn't awake yet, and went to the room, and realized he was dead. She screamed and cried in grief, then collapsed in shock. The next day, she revealed to Michael that she was pregnant. Sadly, six weeks later, she miscarried. She wanted to see Michael, but he kept ignoring her. She finally went to see him, asking why he didn't come visit her. Michael admitted that he didn't know how to comfort Francesca, and they got into a heated argument about the baby and John. Francesca left, and Michael departed to India soon after, which made Francesca sad.
1820–24[]
Francesca kept living at Kilmartin House, the residence of John's family, while she was in London, or would spend time at Kilmartin, their estate in Scotland. She managed the estates in Michael's absence, since he was now the owner. He wrote to her three times, but Francesca couldn't write back to him, both sad and upset, and he finally stopped writing to her.
1824[]
Francesca decided to remarry because she wanted to have a child of her own. When she came back to London, she was surprised to see that Michael had returned from India, as well.
Personality[]
Compared to her outgoing sisters, Francesca finds herself more reserved and attentive about her words.[2] Although she affectionately adores her siblings, she shares that she "[feels] like a changeling," around them. Most importantly, she possesses a trait of irony that often makes her witty.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Michael Stirling[]
Francesca considered Michael her best friend. Francesca loved hearing him tell stories about his rakish lifestyle, often saying to him "tell me something wicked." After John died, Francesca was sad when Michael left for India. When he came back, Francesca started seeing Michael as more than a friend, which scared her, especially when they kissed. Michael eventually suggested that they get married, but Francesca refused, despite their intimate relationship. At wit's end, Michael told a shocked Francesca that he'd loved her from the moment he met her. Francesca later accepted Michael's proposal and married him. When he became very ill, Francesca realized that she loved Michael because she didn't want to lose him. She was happy when she realized that she found true love twice in her life. She and Michael eventually had two children together.
John Stirling[]
They fell in love and married two months after first meeting each other. Francesca felt that John was her soulmate ever since she met him. His death left her in deep grief. Following John's death, she revealed she was pregnant but later miscarried, which made her even more depressed. When Francesca decided to remarry, she didn't try to find a love match, believing she would never be able to love someone like she loved John. When she became attracted to Michael, she was upset because she felt that she was betraying John. However, when Francesca realized she loved Michael, she also realized that it didn't diminish the love she felt for John. She realized that John would've been happy that Francesca and Michael fell in love, because he loved them both. Francesca and Michael later named their son after John.
Familial[]
Eloise Crane[]
She has a very close relationship with her by exactly a year older sister Eloise. The two exchange a lot of letters.
Colin Bridgerton[]
Her brother comes to visit her in Scotland every few years. He wrote about Scotland in his journal.
Janet Stirling[]
She has a loving relationship with her mother-in-law, Janet. Following her marriage to Michael, she worried what would Janet think. Janet, however, while she was surprised about the match, she gave her support and blessing of the union. She named her daughter after her.
Friendships[]
Professional[]
Notes and Trivia[]
- She has thick, chestnut hair[3] and dark blue eyes.[2]
- According to Michael, his paternal grandmother would've approved of her.
- Francesca's niece, Francesca, was named after her.
- She struggled with infertility for years before having her children with Michael.
- During her first marriage; to John, she first managed to conceive after two years of marriage. However, she miscarried soon after his death.
- Francesca and her sister Eloise share a birthday.[4]
Appearances[]
| Bridgerton Books | |||||
| #01 | "The Duke and I" | #04 | "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" | #07 | "It's In His Kiss" |
| #02 | "The Viscount Who Loved Me" | #05 | "To Sir Phillip, With Love" | #08 | "On The Way To The Wedding" |
| #03 | "An Offer from a Gentleman" | #06 | "When He Was Wicked" | #09 | "The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After" |
References
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