The fourth season of Bridgerton made us all go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Starting with forbidden love between Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Yerin Ha) due to their societal ranks and ending with Francesca (Hannah Dodd) losing the love of her life, this season was tumultuous but entertaining and dramatic nonetheless. As the season has come to an end, the minds of fans have automatically turned to the most important question: Whose story are we seeing in season 5? While the internet has its theories based on the wedding scene conversation in the finale episode of the season, let us decode who could potentially be the lead of the next season, based on that scene and a recent interview from executive producer Jess Brownell.

To first nail that the next two seasons are to focus on Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca, we have to travel back to the Paris premiere of the fourth season. Jess Brownell attended the premiere in a costume, which features a pocket square with the initials E and F. When asked by the press if that means the next two seasons would revolve around Eloise and Francesca, she confirmed the same while adding, “In what order? I can’t say.” Funnily enough, the executive producer has now clarified to Vogue India that the alphabets were merely initials of the ensemble's designer, Elisabetta Franchi. What a coincidence!

While the two leads were confirmed even before the season premiered on Netflix, it is still unclear who would lead the next season. The Sophie-Benedict wedding scene in season four offers quite a bit of insight into who it might be. When speaking about weddings in general, Eloise is seen saying she has started enjoying weddings, further clarifying that she still prefers them as an "attendee". Throughout the season, while she declared herself to be a spinster, we could see her battling her ideas about romance and love, especially while indulging in conversations with her younger sister, Hyacinth (Florence Hunt). All of these are reasons enough for us to believe that Eloise is indeed the diamond of the next season, with Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton) waiting for a comeback.

Meanwhile, in the same scene, Francesca says she has already experienced "great love" and that is the only "one" in her life. Now, as we have seen for the past three seasons, characters who say they're not interested in marriage, namely, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), Colin (Luke Newton) and Benedict, have each gotten married the next season. So this has led Bridgerton fans to believe that Francesca is the protagonist for the impending season. Additionally, with the demise of John Stirling and the romance hinted at between Michaela (Masali Baduza) and Francesca, the story is already almost in motion.

While this still leaves us dubious about the next season, something Jess Brownell said about bringing John Stirling's (Victor Alli) death so early into the series' story may or may not have confirmed something. Speaking to Vogue India, she said, "We placed John’s death where it is in the season so that we will have enough time for Francesca to grieve. If we let John go too late in the game, it may feel like we’re speeding through the grief. It felt important to give a full episode and beyond to grieving John." While she meant it for the particular season, this could also stand true for Bridgerton as a series. Making Francesca move just one social season after her husband's death could also feel like rushing her grief. This could also mean that Eloise's romance is explored next, giving enough time for Francesca to move on from the loss of John.

As per the novel series, Eloise's story, To Sir Phillip, With Love, comes fifth, which could also mean that her story comes next. However, it is clear that Shondaland does not go with author Julia Quinn's order, as the series explored Penelope and Colin's story before Benedict and Sophie's. As of now, Jess Brownell has confirmed that the official announcement for the leads of the next season will be made when production commences and that production for the next season is not too far off.

For now, the ton is abuzz with speculation, but as Lady Whistledown would say, patience is a virtue, especially when love and scandal are involved.