'Bridgerton' Season 3 Ending: Who Does Francesca End Up With? (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 3 of Bridgerton.

In Season 3 of Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton is the next sibling in the noble family to make her debut. Unlike her older sister Eloise, Francesca (played by Hannah Dodd) is determined to make a match, and quick.

However, despite her desire to wed, Francesca doesn't catch Queen Charlotte's attention, at least not at first.

With no diamond named, Lady Danbury works her magic to get the queen to notice Francesca. When the queen overhears Francesca playing the piano she instantly deems her "sparkling," and it isn't long before she introduces her to Lord Samadani.

However, Francesca is smitten with another suitor, the soft-spoken John Stirling (Victor Alli), the Earl of Kilmartin.

On paper, Lord Samadani seems like the perfect match for Francesca. Along with being handsome and rich, he also has seven siblings. However, while Francesca hopes marriage will afford her some peace and quiet — and an escape from her boisterous family — Lord Samadani has other plans.

"I love my family dearly but it can be rather lonely to be among them all at once, can it not?" Francesca asks Lord Samadani, who promptly replies, "I believe it to be quite the opposite. In fact I wish to have eight children of my own so my home will always be filled with constant chatter."

While stepping outside to get some air, Francesca encounters John Stirling, who is also not fond of crowds. The duo enjoy the silence together, and it is not long before the Earl of Kilmartin is courting Francesca — who now must go against the queen's wishes if she follows her heart.

And Francesca does, at least until she meets John Stirling's cousin, Michaela Stirling (played by Masali Baduza).

In Season 3, Part 2, Francesca and Lord Kilmartin become betrothed and soon thereafter marry. Given their preference for privacy, they choose to have a quiet, family-centered ceremony at the Bridgerton household, although we should mention the kiss did lack a bit of intimacy. The couple also decides that they wish to spend their time after marriage at Lord Kilmartin's primary estate, which happens to be in Scotland.

Although Violet, Francesca's mother, is a bit taken aback by the news, Francesca explains that Scotland will allow her to hear herself more and get to know herself better. And we get the feeling she'll be doing a lot of self-searching while there. Just after saying "I do," Francesca is introduced to Lord Kilmartin's cousin, Michaela, who will be accompanying them on their trip to Scotland.

While Francesca is certainly surprised to meet one of Lord Kilmartin's relatives, she seems more smitten by her appearance than she does at getting to meet another Sterling. Is Francesca gay? It's possible, but only in the Bridgerton series. You'll need to understand how her love story plays out in the novels before we can further delve into this theory.

While the Netflix series has strayed from the novels Bridgerton is based on, Francesca's love story does play out in Julia Quinn's sixth novel in the series, When He Was Wicked.

In the book, Francesca does marry John Stirling. However, their marriage doesn't last long.

Unfortunately, John dies very suddenly, leaving Francesca widowed. She then develops feelings for his cousin, Michael Stirling, "London's most infamous rake," who fell in love with Francesca even before John's death — and she ultimately marries him.

"I'd say Fran's love for John is more of a 'we like each other a lot and are going to be best friends forever' kind of love, while her love with Michael is a lot more soulmatey and passionate," one reader wrote on Reddit.

Another added, "She's changed by her life experiences. She loves both men, but I don't think Francesca could've loved Michael that way were it not for the bond created by their love for John and his loss. It's such an integral part of their story. The three of them cared for each other deeply."

If the series follows the Francesca's storyline in the book, then the producers decided to swap out Michael or Michaela, thereby making Francesca gay in the show. But we'll have to wait and see how her story actually unfolds in Season 4 to know for sure.

Watch Francesca's love story play out in Season 3 of Bridgerton, now streaming on Netflix.