The Surprising Truth About Sophie’s Mother in 'Bridgerton'

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 4 of Bridgerton.

Season 4 of Bridgerton introduced viewers to a new character who has managed to capture Benedict Bridgerton’s heart — Sophie Baek. If you’ve watched any of the latest season, you might notice her storyline feels a lot like a Cinderella tale, with a hint of Anthony Bridgerton’s story sprinkled in.

In Part 1 of Season 4, which premiered on Jan. 29, 2026, Benedict meets Sophie at the masquerade ball. She appears as the Lady in Silver, leading everyone to assume she’s wealthy. But Sophie pulls a true Cinderella move when we later see her returning to Penwood House, where her not-so-nice stepmother lives, and she puts on maid clothes.

So, what’s Sophie’s deal? Who is her mother, and is she related to Lady Penwood? Here’s a breakdown of her storyline.

Sophie’s mother is an unnamed maid who became the mistress of Lord Penwood and who passed away when Sophie was a teenager. For context, a mistress in Bridgerton is a woman who acts as a secret romantic partner to a man of high social class and status.

While a man and his mistress might do all the things a married couple would do behind closed doors, they cannot officially marry due to their stark differences in social and economic standing. Simply put, the arrangement wouldn’t be accepted by the ton and could dramatically affect a person’s status.

So, while we don’t know Sophie’s mother’s name or much about her past, we do know she had Sophie with Lord Penwood while serving as his maid-turned-mistress. We also know that Lord Penwood raised Sophie as a “ward,” which simply means he protected her and brought her up as his own child (because she was), providing her with an education, fine clothes, and, above all else, his love.

Sophie is not related by blood to Lady Penwood, but she may technically be considered her stepdaughter. That’s because Lord Penwood married Araminta (played by Katie Leung), who subsequently became Lady Penwood. We should also point out that Lady Penwood entered the marriage with two daughters of her own, as she was a widow.

Now, while Sophie had hoped Lady Penwood would accept her as a stepdaughter, especially since her mother had passed away when she was young, it turned out to be quite the opposite once Lord Penwood died.

Lady Penwood claimed Sophie had been left nothing in her father’s will, and the only thing she offered her was a maid position, supposedly as a form of “protection,” as Netflix points out. (Part 2 could reveal that Sophie was actually included in the will and Lady Penwood lied, just a theory.) With no money, status, or title, Sophie accepted the position.

Given her status, it seems the only role Benedict could offer her is that of a mistress, something Sophie clearly doesn’t want, since that’s the exact scenario that led to her birth and being left with nothing.

But no need to fret as Part 2 of Season 4 (which drops on Feb. 26, 2026) may reveal more about Sophie’s past, including her parents. Flashbacks suggest that her father truly loved her, and if he did include her in the will, she might not have to settle for being a mistress after all.