Apple TV+‘s The Buccaneers is bold new retelling of Edith Wharton’s final, unfinished novel. In this very of the story, Nan St. George (Kristine Frøseth) is haunted by the revelation that she is her father’s illegitimate daughter by a secret lover, Conchita Closson (Alisha Boe) is excluded by her in-laws because of her racial background, and there is a real, juicy love triangle between Nan and her equally hunky suitors, Theo, Duke of Tintagel (Guy Remmers) and Guy Thwarte (Matthew Broome). However, the consensus seems to be that the best change Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers made to Wharton’s story was to add a sapphic spin with a romance between Mabel Elmsworth (Josie Totah) and Honoria Marable (Mia Threapleton).

**Spoilers for The Buccaneers Season 1 finale “Wedding of the Season,” now streaming on Apple TV+**

The Buccaneers Season 1 ends with Nan choosing to marry her Duke in order to give cover for her sister Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse) to escape her abusive husband Lord Seadown (Barney Fishwick). Nan gives up on her happily ever after with Guy to save Jinny. Meanwhile, Conchita has no idea that her husband, Lord Richard (Josh Dylan), has learned he’s likely to be trapped leading his family when his father dies in a few months. Finally, Lizzy Elmsworth (Aubri Ibrag) has managed to shed her shame, but she has yet to find a love of her own.

This means that the secret lovers, Mabel and Honoria, have the closest thing to a happily ever after in The Buccaneers Season 1 finale. After calling off her lavender marriage to a British nobleman, Mabel rushes to Honoria to suggest they find a way to be together on their terms in the years ahead. It solidifies the girls’ love for each other and opens up the door for an intriguing possible Season 2…

Decider recently caught up with Buccaneers stars Josie Totah and Mia Threapleton. We asked them about the fervent online fanbase for Mabel and Honoria’s love story, where the future could take the lovers, and which costume they loved wearing the most…

DECIDER: As a huge fan of the show, I’ve noticed the fandom has fallen in love with your characters and your romance. You guys have been like gif-ed out the wazoo. I’m curious if you have any sense of how much the fans have loved Honoria and Mabel’s romance and if you had any sense when you were filming it that it might hit a nerve?

MIA THREAPLETON: Definitely no. I mean, I have absolutely no idea how much people are liking it because I don’t have any social media. So Josie’s just been feeding me information about — 

JOSIE TOTAH: I send her the TikToks.

THREAPLETON: How much people are, yeah. Which I can’t even really watch because I don’t even have, I don’t have the app or anything really. So, it doesn’t really work all the time. But, I mean, I’m thrilled that people are liking it as much as they are. We’ve come up with a ‘ship name for ourselves.

TOTAH: We have, we’re “Ma-noria.”

THREAPLETON: We are Ma-noria.

TOTAH: Or possibly Hon-abel. We’re unsure.

THREAPLETON: Yeah, it’s undecided.

TOTAH: It’s in the brainstorm phase.

THREAPLETON: We’ll leave that to the masses.

I want to talk about the finale. Josie, Mabel has this beautiful moment where she goes to her sister and basically comes out in the 1800s. What does it mean that she has the courage to do that with Lizzy? And what does Lizzy’s reaction to the information mean?

TOTAH: I think Mabel is just overcome by fear before that. I think that’s like her main motivator. To the point where like all the water has sort of boiled over and there’s nothing else left for her to be other than honest. And I think Lizzy’s response, to what she probably thinks would be the scariest thing in the entire world. You know, if the scariest thing in the entire world happens — which is her telling her truth — and she doesn’t die. You know, she comes out of it okay. And, if anything, not just okay, but loved and empowered and emboldened to deliver her truth… I think that ultimately is what leads her to going to Honoria and having that conversation.

Mia, if there is another season, I’m very curious to see how Honoria develops because we’ve seen her under her parents’ thumb throughout most of the first season. We’re given a hint that perhaps Richard might be the new Lord Brightlingsea. Do you think if Lord Richard becomes Lord Brightlingsea, Honoria will find herself more empowered? Or is she already more empowered because of her relationship with Mabel?

THREAPLETON: I think she’s slowly stepping into her own more and more. Actually, there is a scene that I don’t think has made it into the final thing that actually is not in between Mabel and myself, Honoria. It’s between Richard and Honoria, sort of discussing how we’re both mutually, really happy for each other because Richard’s has started to sort of see roughly what’s been happening. And I think I’d like to see Honoria….I think I’d just like to see her stepping more and more into her own and also finding out who that person is, really. What that means for her, how she would be. Does that mean that she goes barefoot, running on a beach or riding horses with no skirts on? Like what does that mean for her? And I would love to find out what that means.

Josie, you mentioned how after the conversation with Lizzy, Mabel’s empowered to go to Honoria, declare herself, and basically kind of like propose a vision of a future where they could possibly be together in their own way. I know that there were queer heiresses in this era who found their own path in Paris and the like. What in your imagination would Mabel and Honoria’s future look like?

TOTAH: Ooo, I hope for them to be happy and be able to have their life together, in love. Maybe even if they can’t tell everybody, if they can have a little circle of people that are clued in and know what’s going on. I don’t know, I’d love for them to escape to Paris.

THREAPLETON: That would be wonderful.

Obviously this is set in the Gilded Age. A time of gorgeous costumes, known for their opulence.  Did you guys have a favorite costume? Did you find the corsets difficult? 

THREAPLETON: [to TOTAH] I love that you just looked straight to me. I loved the corsets.I loved the costumes. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Would have happily continued wearing it for as long as I possibly could. I think favorite costume-wise is actually a costume that we haven’t seen yet and it comes out in Episode 8. It’s this beautiful — it was actually, I think it was my only piece that was custom-made for the character. And it’s a beautiful, sort of very simple, yet very elegant, deep, kind of a red thing and I just loved it. I felt extremely pulled together wearing it for some reason.

TOTAH: I think I loved my dress for the Tintagel Ball in Episode 3.

THREAPLETON: Oh, yeah.

TOTAH: Which is purple —

THREAPLETON: With like black fringe.

TOTAH: Yes, that one. And then the green one in Episode 4, which —

THREAPLETON: I don’t think I saw that one. Yeah, because I wasn’t in Episode 4.

TOTAH: So you didn’t watch it?

THREAPLETON: No, no, I know it. But I just like, I don’t remember the most.

TOTAH: I do a lot in it. So.

The Buccaneers Season 1 finale is now streaming on Apple TV+.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.