I'm seeing posts saying they'll feel sad if Debling turns out to be a great guy and Pen doesn't end up with him. I want to say it doesn't matter if Debling is the so called perfect gentleman. He doesn't know her. She doesn't know him. Not really. The same would be true for ANY other man they had come in as the convenient plot device too.
Everyone in these convos always forget what made the Bridgerton family so infamous in the ton. Marriage was a business for everyone, and that was an accepted fact of life, but the Bridgertons had a thing for making marriages of love. Even if Debling is the nicest dude to exist on earth, he's still a man of the ton who will be looking for a wife to fulfill a role, and ultimately marriage in those times would always, always be transactional. And Portia pushing Pen into the marriage mart so early, Penelope looking for prospects year after year, is also for her own worldly well being, not related to her heart.
One of the things that actually makes Colin stand out is the very fact that he appreciated her as a person first, then a friend, and only later as a woman. Back when women were seen as just potential wives or side pieces, ornamental displays for one's arms, or someone to fulfill the role of housekeeper and mother, Colin who appreciated her as a friend first, saw her as someone that could be confided in, but also someone that he could be inspired by, is an anomaly. In fact, even among his own brothers, he is an anomaly.
I adore Luke and Nicola and I’m so excited to see them shine, but I cannot help but think that Luke looks slightly annoyed and overwhelmed at what Nicola is doing… his body language just seems a little on edge with her. Maybe it’s nerves. I hope I’m wrong.
I feel like it's best not to speculate on these things. There are a range of emotions that someone can feel on any given day (and actions that mean nothing) especially in the public eye where people are watching/may overanalyze your every move. I think Luke and Nicola are professional and friends. Personally, shipping actors makes me uncomfortable, and I have already seen some things going back to the February event. I think it's important for everyone to remember you're not entitled to the lives of people in the public eye, and theorizing about otherwise random gestures whether positive or negative is not always what's perceived. At the end of the day, as much as we love polin, we're not involved in a real friendship and working relationship-one that has years of history, where 2 people are very familiar to conversation, and actually knowing the person unlike any of us.