Amidst the romance ensuing between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope in Bridgerton season 3, Lady Featherington is intent on getting her daughters pregnant, and in a bid to increase the girls’ fertility, the head of the house offers them a mysterious green drink. Over the years, Lady Featherington has been known for her schemes, and season 3 is no different. After getting rid of the Featherington heir, Jack, last season, Portia has now concocted a plan in which the Featherington family money will go to one of Phillipa or Prudence, that is, if they are able to produce an heir.

As per usual, Portia Featherington’s sneaky plot in Bridgerton season 3 is immensely greedy and full of holes. If Lady Featherington wants her family’s fortune, then she must make sure one of her daughters produces an heir before a local estate manager can figure out that she has lied about the inheritance plan. And of course, the pregnancy part is not as simple as it may seem. Although both Phillipa and Prudence have husbands, they struggle to understand how babies are actually made. Therefore, Portia must guide them with a forceful hand, and does this by creating a drink.

What The Featherington Sisters Drink In Bridgerton Season 3

Portia makes a potent fertility drink

In Bridgerton season 3, Portia Featherington offers Phillipa and Prudence each a suspiciously green drink in order to increase their chances of getting pregnant. The girls sniff the concoction and note its gross smell, but admit it doesn’t taste too bad. Of course, only minutes after drinking the potion, they have to vomit. Portia’s fertility drink is not a complete work of fiction. There are many different types of herbs and drinks that are said to promote fertility.

According to Harley Street Fertility Clinic , jasmine tea, nettle tea, and mint tea can be beneficial when looking to become pregnant.

However, considering the violent reaction Phillipa and Prudence had, it seems less likely that Featherington offered them a gentle tea, and in fact, she likely gave them a more potent mixture. In a WebMD article written by Anndee Hochman, it’s said that mercury was often used as an ointment or vapor to cure diseases of the uterus. When the mercury caused sickness, it was believed to be working, as doctors then believed in the balancing of the humors. Though Lady Featherington likely didn’t put mercury in her daughters’ tea, she may have wanted them to vomit to adjust their humors.

Lady Featherington’s Medicine Is Deeper Than You Realize

Portia’s concoction says a lot about her

While Lady Featherington’s biggest priority when giving her daughters the fertility potion was to increase their chances of pregnancy, te scene also says a lot about Portia’s ideals in this moment. It seems likely that Portia herself has had experience with his potion if she makes it for her daughters. Therefore, she likely knew all along that it would make them sick, however, she gave it to them anyway. This proves that Lady Featherington is less concerned with her daughters’ wellbeing if it gets them the Featherington fortune. To her, vomiting is a small price to pay.

Although this may seem quite cruel, Lady Featherington cannot be viewed as a solely evil person. In reality, the Featherington fortune is rightly hers, and the only reason she cannot have it is because she is a woman. That kind of sexist ruling was impossible to get around in the Regency Era unless schemes like Portia’s were created. In this way, it is reasonable that Lady Featherington would put her daughters through a bout of illness when the bigger picture is that they will be entitled to a great fortune that they would not have otherwise.

The Featherington’s Fertility Drink Mirrors A Dark Season 1 Moment

Marina’s pregnancy potion comes to mind

Overall, the Featherington fertility drink scene in Bridgerton season 3 is humorous but hides a dark side of Regency Era medicine. Another part of this dark side is the early Bridgerton scene it is reminiscent of. Back in Bridgerton season 1, Marina Thompson stayed with the Featheringtons during her controversial pregnancy, and took a potion that she hoped would end her pregnancy. This is the exact opposite of what the Featheringtons are hoping for in season 3, and the results are opposite as well. Marina’s potion failed, while the Featheringtons’ succeeded.

By the end of Bridgerton season 3, part 1, Phillipa is pregnant, which means Lady Featherington is one step closer to getting what she wants. However, the estate man is still on her tail, and it will be months before a baby is actually born. In this way, the Featheringtons have a long time to wait before their fortune is in their hands. In that time, like in any season of Bridgerton, any number of twists or turns could occur.