Belgravia series premiere recap: What really happened between Edmund and Sophia?

26 years later in Belgravia, London

The episode then skips ahead 26 years later to Belgravia, London.

There, an older Anne Trenchard attends a new thing called afternoon tea at the Duchess of Bedford’s residence. There, Anne meets up with the Charlotte, once more. Surprisingly, she remembers Anne, and she remembers Sophia. Anne delivers the tragic news that Sophia has died, not many months after Edmund.

Despite their differences, Anne and the Duchess part ways on good terms. It’s interesting that the Duchess of Bedford didn’t seem to think highly of Anne and tried to keep her away from the other woman. She does mention that Anne “only recently” before trailing off, I’m assuming the Trenchards may have had a change in societal status.

During their tea, a woman in purple watches Anne chat with the Duchess of Richmond. We quickly learn that the lady in purple is Lady Caroline Brockenhurst, and she is excellent at throwing shade and underhanded compliments.

Basically, Lady B. wants to know what the heck the Trenchards were doing at the famous ball all those years ago. It seems she may not know about the romance between Edmund and Sophia. Funnily enough, the snobby Duchess of Bedford interrupts their conversation and tries to introduce Anne to someone else. Caroline quickly cuts her off. Jeez, can’t that woman take a hint?

Back to the more intriguing conversation here, Anne and Countess Brockenhurst’s conversation reveals Anne’s change in status. James eventually teamed up with the famous Cubitt brothers to build the city of Belgravia, where all the rich now live. He’s come a long way from being a mere social climber.

It is fascinating to compare the conversations between Anne and Charlotte and that between Anne and Caroline. Anne and Caroline are both grieving mothers with more in common than Caroline knows.

Ironically, one of the few connections these women have to their beloved Edmund is the wife of a merchant supplier they would not have looked twice at in the past. Yet Anne helps Caroline feel as if she has seen Edmund again. The conversations parallel perfectly, complete with the interruption, and both women feeling enlightened by their chat with Anne.