'Bridgerton' Season 4 Ending, Explained: That Lady Whistledown Cliffhanger Changes Everything For Season 5

The truth about Sophie Baek finally comes out.

After Sophie learns her father's will actually includes that she should have an equal portion of the dowry, Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi) arranges for Sophie, Benedict, and Violet to meet with Araminta (Katie Leung) — but it's clear when they come face-to-face that Araminta has no idea what she's in for.

The two families have a standoff where all their secrets finally come to light: Sophie was never supposed to be a maid in their home, and she was always supposed to receive a share of the money from her father. Instead, Araminta kept her share and gave it to Rosamund (Michelle Mao) to ensure she could secure a desirable match.

And, obviously, embezzling Sophie's dowry and going against the dead Lord's will is a bigger crime than stealing those shoe clips or Sophie supposedly pretending to be a Lady at the ball. Both Lady Penwood and Lady Bridgerton agree to keep each other's secrets to keep themselves from being ruined.

And Alice stands her ground against Queen Charlotte.

Before the Queen joins their little party, Alice confronts her about the way she's treated Sophie — and refuses to kick her out of the ball. She reminds Charlotte that when she was a young adult herself, a bunch of royals wanted to kick her out of the palace, so how could she blindly do the same thing? She sticks to her convictions and definitely proves herself as a Lady in Waiting. This was one of my favorite moments in the whole episode!

Well, when Queen Charlotte finds Sophie and the rest of the group, she's told that Sophie is a daughter of Penwood house "by birth and education," and takes Sophie's chin in her hand. She says what we've all been thinking the whole time: that Sophie would have made an excellent Diamond of the Season. Duh!!

Before 'Bridgerton' season 4 ends, Sophie and Benedict FINALLY get their happy ending!

So, it looks like all's well that ends well. Sophie and Benedict are finally able to be together publicly (and without having to permanently move to the countryside). The couple dances to an instrumental cover of "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron, which is my favorite dance in the entire series because of how sweet it is (and how satisfying it is. I love an emotional payoff!). And to top it all off, Benedict proposes on the dance floor. I'm swooning.

And love is in the air for Posy (Isabella Wei) too, who's encouraged by Eloise (Claudia Jessie) to explore a relationship with Lord Barnaby. It looks like one of the girls might make a good match after all!

Even more drama is in store for 'Bridgerton' season 5...

But as the season wraps up, the final moments prove that things in the Ton are more complicated than they might first appear. Violet and Marcus (Daniel Francis) end their relationship when she's not ready to be a wife, but he doesn't want to keep their relationship secret anymore.

Michaela (Masali Baduza) leaves Francesca (Hannah Dodd) after promising to stay in London, and an unexpected brush of their hands that seemed to really affect Michaela.

Especially since there's a new Lady Whistledown in town!

And as Benedict and Sophie dance in the gazebo, Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) realize someone else has picked up Lady Whistledown's pen — which could mean trouble for the Ton. Because even though Penelope kept everyone up to date on the gossip, the new author could be even more cutthroat and devious. It looks like we'll have to wait for season 5 to find out.