Why Did Michaela Leave? 'Bridgerton' Actors Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza Weighed In

Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for Bridgerton Season 4.

Season 4 of Bridgerton was a roller coaster of emotions, with Sophie and Benedict's upstairs/downstairs romance and Francesca's tragic loss. There was also palpable tension between Francesca and John's cousin, Michaela, who had been staying with the couple.

Francesca's calm, restrained manner clashed with Michaela's boisterous energy and outgoing nature. However, they became friends just before John's sudden death. Michaela told Francesca she'd be happy to stay with her for emotional support after John's death, but then she left. What happened?

After Michaela helps Francesca celebrate the joy of John's life rather than the sorrow of his loss, she and Francesca have a heart-to-heart. As they sit on a couch together, Francesca tells Michaela that she enjoys having her around, and she'd like her to stay for a while. Michaela says she will.

Francesca reaches out to squeeze Michaela's hand, and Michaela pulls away first. In a later scene, we see her fleeing town. But why would she leave after telling Francesca she would stay?

Michaela's actor, Masali Baduza, told Variety that she thinks Michaela has feelings for Francesca, but she's pushed them down. "Obviously, Francesca is her cousin’s wife, so it’s a lot for her, but she’s definitely feeling that level of attraction for Francesca," she shared.

Francesca's actor, Hannah Dodd, said that she doesn't think that her character is "even aware of that [romantic feelings towards Michaela] as a possibility." She continued, "As much as she’s feeling feelings, she doesn’t really know where they come from and why. For the most part, it’s a confronting energy for her."

John matched Francesca's quiet, reserved nature, but Michaela's contrasting nature challenges her.

Hannah explained, "[Michaela] is somebody who lives their life in quite an opposite way. It’s a little bit like triggering for Francesca, and makes her question herself. There’s a response that comes from Francesca when she’s with Michaela, but I don’t think she has any idea what that is — yet."

Masali added that Michaela left town because she was feeling a lot of emotions and became overwhelmed. "I think that her coping mechanism is to just run away and pretend like nothing is happening. If she’s not there to face it, then she doesn’t have to deal with it. She’s constraining herself, and in doing so, is hurting Francesca a lot. She’s just looking out for herself," she told Variety.

Readers of the Bridgerton books will tell you that Michaela's character (Michael in the books) fled town after learning that he was the next Earl of Kilmartin. He was both grieving John and falling in love with John's widow, so he felt that he was taking over John's life. He went to India for four years to avoid these conflicting feelings. Because he told Francesca that he'd stay until they found the new heir, he was technically keeping his promise.