(Image credit: Netflix)

Benedict Bridgerton is officially heading to the marriage mart in Bridgerton season 4. Netflix released a teaser announcing Benedict’s entry into the Ton’s famed marriage mart in the upcoming season, and it ends with actor Luke Thompson accepting an outfit for the masquerade ball.

The reference to the ball is an Easter egg from author Julia Quinn’s An Offer from a Gentleman. The novel, which documents Benedict’s quest to find a wife, sees the second-oldest Bridgerton brother falling for a woman who sneaks into the masquerade ball hosted by his mother.

To help us set the stage for what’s coming, here’s the synopsis of Bridgerton season 4 from Netflix: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”

I’ll admit, I’m intrigued. It sounds like season 4 could dovetail quite nicely with the novel, but then again after the events of season 3 it could be interesting to see who the Lady in Silver really is.

I’m convinced that Bridgerton season 4 could be the best season so far given that Benedict ended season 3 with an epiphany that he wanted to explore the world he discovered after being in a relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and her other lover, Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio). When Tilley decided that she wanted to be with Benedict exclusively, he realized that he wasn’t ready to settle down, nor was he finished exploring the boundaries of his sexuality.

While it’s entirely possible that the Lady in Silver could be Tilley, it’s more enticing to think that the woman who catches his eye is someone he’s met during his exploration. Perhaps she’s also someone who is open-minded and eager to explore going from to couple with Benedict. It’s also possible that the Lady in Silver knows exactly who Benedict is, but he has no idea who she is because she’s been watching from afar.

I have to think that if they went to the effort of introducing Benedict to the experience of being with men and women, both separately and together, it has to count for something. It would be a shame for Benedict’s journey of self-discovery to not inform his trip to the marriage mart and give him the most intriguing story we’ve seen yet.