Bridgerton season 3 paves the way for a huge twist concerning the real identity of Lady Whistledown. The first part of season 3 ends with Penelope and Colin confessing their feelings to each other and getting together in a steamy carriage scene, paving the way for their romance to unfold. The Bridgerton season 3 part 2 trailer begins on a light and frothy note, with Penelope, using Lady Whistledown’s voice, reporting her own engagement, igniting the local gossip mill. A proposal is on the horizon, and the couple seems to be made for each other.

However, the trailer also teases a predicament for Penelope due to her secret identity as Lady Whistledown. This is a problem not just due to external factors (given the people who already know about her secret), but also internal ones, as Penelope’s double life starts to cause her immense guilt. Bridgerton season 3’s Collin and Pen romance thus has some major obstacles to surmount. With Lady Whistledown’s line at the end of the trailer that “I cannot tolerate a lie,” the trailer sets up a major twist about the revelation of Lady Whistedown’s identity in Bridgerton.

Bridgerton Season 3, Part 2 Trailer Sets Up Cressida Claiming To Be Lady Whistledown

Lady Whistledown’s Line About Not Tolerating A Lie Hints At This

“Gossip as I might,” the end of the Bridgerton season 3 part 2 trailer features Lady Whistledown writing, “this author cannot tolerate a lie.” This line leads viewers to wonder and speculate as to what big lie Lady Whistledown is referring to, thereby building more intrigue and suspense for part 2. However, since Bridgerton is based on books by Julia Quinn, one can make an educated guess that Lady Whistledown is most likely writing about Cressida pretending to be Lady Whistledown. It would make sense, then, for Penelope to counter this falsehood as Lady Whistledown herself.

How Cressida’s Lady Whistledown Lie Plays Out In The Bridgerton Book

It Takes Place in The Novel Titled The Viscount Who Loved Me

Bridgerton season 3 foreshadows its biggest villain story with Cressida Cowper’s character. Cressida has always been cruel and conniving, but this season could complete her villain arc. In the Bridgerton books, particularly in The Viscount Who Loved Me, Cressida attempts to deceive everyone by claiming to be Lady Whistledown. Seeking social leverage and attention, Cressida believes that by assuming this false identity, she can command the same notoriety and influence as the real Lady Whistledown.

Penelope thus finds herself in a precarious position as Cressida’s lie threatens to expose her. In response, Penelope publishes one final edition of the Whistledown papers, dramatically revealing that Cressida is not the true columnist. This move discredits Cressida, leading to her public embarrassment and social ridicule, while Penelope’s anonymity is restored. However, the book that Bridgerton season 3 is based on, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, takes this plot line one step ahead.

What Cressida Lying About Being Whistledown Means For Bridgerton

It Has Several Implications For The Plot

Cressida lying about being Lady Whistledown has several implications for Bridgerton, most importantly about the nature of the show’s adaptation of the books. In Quinn’s later novel, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Cressida discovers Penelope’s secret identity as Lady Whistledown and use it for blackmail. She then demands a large sum of money from Penelope in exchange for keeping Lady Whistledown’s identity a secret.

If Cressida lies about being Whistledown, then it remains uncertain the extent to which Bridgerton season 3 will pay off her villain setup by making her blackmail Penelope as well. For this reason, even people who have read the novels are in suspense about how Colin’s love story will play out. Clearly, a great deal is riding on Bridgerton season 3 part 2, from the fate of nascent romances to crumbling friendships and dangerous revelations.

Bridgerton season 3 part 2 releases on June 13 on Netflix.