Francesca Stirling (books)

*This page is about the book character. For the Netflix character, see Francesca Bridgerton*

## Biographical Information

### Alias

* Francesca Bridgerton
* Lady Kilmartin

### Title(s)

* Countess of Kilmartin *(1818-1820; 1824-)*
* Dowager Countess of Kilmartin *(1820-1824)*

## Familial Information

### Marital

* John Stirling † *(husband)*
* Michael Stirling *(husband)*

### Children

* John Stirling II
* Janet Stirling II

### Siblings

* Anthony Bridgerton
* Benedict Bridgerton
* Colin Bridgerton
* Daphne Basset
* Eloise Crane
* Gregory Bridgerton
* Hyacinth St. Clair

### Parents

* Violet Bridgerton
* Edmund Bridgerton †

### Grandparents

* Alexandra Bridgerton
* Lord Bridgerton

### Others

* Helen Stirling *(mother-in-law)*
* Billie Bridgerton *(aunt)*
* Hugo Bridgerton † *(uncle)*
* Georgiana Bridgerton *(aunt)*

*For a complete family tree, see the Bridgerton family tree*

## Appearances

### First

*The Duke and I*

**Francesca Stirling** (*née* **Bridgerton**) is the sixth Bridgerton child.

## History

### Early life

Francesca was born exactly a year after her older sister, Eloise, and the two would hang out together growing up. While Eloise was outspoken, Francesca was quieter and often follow Eloise's lead.

### Later life

In 1818, she married her first husband John. Two year later she was widowed and lost her unborn child. She spends her time between London and Scotland. Her residence in London is Kilmartin House.

## Personality

Comparing to her sisters, she was personality-wise more unlike them, having been more reserved than outgoing.

## Relationships

### Romantic

#### John Stirling

They married two months after first meeting each other. She claims she loved him and she felt he was her soulmate ever since she met him. She became a widow in 1820, aged 23. Following her husband's death, she revealed she was pregnant but later miscarried.

#### Michael Stirling

Michael fell in love with Francesca the moment he first saw her, which was thirty-six hours before her wedding to John. Following John's sudden death Michael became the next Earl of Kilmartin, but he took off to India, leaving a grieving Francesca to maintain her duties as the Dowager Countess. Four years later, Francesca returns to London for the 1824 social season to find a suitable husband, as does Michael from his travels. A series of misunderstandings culminate in a kiss, after which Francesca returns to Scotland. Michael follows her home, and they consummate their relationship. They decided to elope quietly not long after hearing about her sister Eloise's marriage to Phillip Crane, because Francesca felt that she didn't want another big wedding after she already had that with John.

### Familial

#### Eloise Crane

She has a very close relationship with her by exactly a year older sister Eloise. The two exchange a lot of letters.

#### Colin Bridgerton

Her brother comes to visit her in Scotland every few years. He wrote about Scotland in his journal.

#### Janet Stirling

She has a loving relationship with her mother-in-law, Janet. Following her marriage to Michael, she worried what would Janet think. Janet, however, while she was surprised about the match, she gave her support and blessing of the union. She named her daughter after her.

### Friendships

#### Michael Stirling

With her marriage to John, she gained a close friend in his cousin (who was more like his brother) Michael. During her first marriage, she tried finding him a wife, not knowing he was in love with her.

## Notes and Trivia

* She has blue eyes.
* According to Michael, his paternal grandmother would've approved of her.
* Francesca's niece, Francesca, was named after her.
* She struggled with infertility for years before having her children with Michael.
	+ During her first marriage; to John, she first managed to conceive after two years of marriage. However, she miscarried soon after his death.

## Appearances

 **#02** | "The Viscount Who Loved Me"
 **#03** | "An Offer from a Gentleman"

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 When He Was Wicked
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Romancing Mister Bridgerton
3. ↑ To Sir Phillip, With Love