Meet Michaela Stirling, the new ‘Bridgerton’ character who just became Francesca’s greatest crucible

But soon after should our gaze turn to the other newlywed of the Bridgerton family: Francesca, who now goes by Francesca Kilmartin as of her marriage to John Stirling. The happy couple are off to Scotland with Eloise in tow, and the seeds for a future season could have easily quit being sown there. John, however, simply had to introduce his cousin Michaela to the Bridgerton girls before they departed, and suffice to say that if John gave Francesca butterflies, than Michaela is giving her bald eagles.

And yes, that educated guess goes far beyond the nervous, stutter-laden disposition that Francesca adopted when she first met Michaela.

Who is Michaela Stirling?

As previously mentioned, Michaela Stirling (portrayed by Masali Baduza) is the cousin of Francesca’s new husband John, who will be staying with the couple at the Kilmartin Estate for the time being. Her name is also remarkably close to the name Michael, and there’s a reason for that.

In the 2004 Julia Quinn novel “When He Was Wicked,” Francesca ⏤ the leading Bridgerton sibling of that story ⏤ is married to John, only for him to succumb to an illness some time during their marriage. This is a sad event, of course, but there’s a silver lining for one Michael Stirling, the cousin of John and successor to the Earl of Kilmartin title; Francesca, who he’s loved since the moment he first laid eyes on her, is single again.

The implications here are about as subtle as Queen Charlotte’s attire; with Michaela acting as the stand-in for the character that Francesca falls in love with in the novels, to say nothing of how drastically smitten Francesca clearly was upon their introduction, it doesn’t take a detective to conclude that Francesca’s Bridgerton story, whenever we get it, is going to be a queer one of sorts.

The stage for such a story has been set from the get-go. In the time we’ve spent with Francesca thus far, she’s mostly been defined by how differently she feels ⏤ and nebulously so ⏤ about occupying space in society and approaching love. Indeed, it will be no complicated task to use Francesca as a springboard for a queer love story, even if the exact beats will no doubt end up surprising us.

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Bridgerton are available to stream in full on Netflix, and a fourth season has been confirmed.