Lessons to be a Lady (Lady C){FIN}

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

Lady Catherine observed Jane from where she stood, taking the affair so seriously as to make some notes in her small pink book. Jane walked well enough; she clearly wasn't as adverse to heels as it would first seem, but there was still some work to be done in Her Ladyship's esteemed opinion.

"If you could turn, Jane, and walk back," Lady Catherine instructed, looking up from her notebook to see Jane still standing at the other end of the room. "Hold you head higher this time, and try not to teeter about so much. Teetering about in heels is for people with no sense of poise or refinement."

The seriousness with which Lady Catherine was conducting this lesson (if it could be called that, as opposed to a set of criticisms and strict instructions) would have been laughable had anyone other than herself, Jane and her staff (well used to her ways) been in the room. It was as though, to Lady Catherine, making Jane acceptable in her newly acquired status was now a life or death situation.

[JANE EYRE]

Jane held her head up a little higher and fared much better on the return trip across the room. She walked better in the heels but still didn't find them comfortable or herself confident in them. It didn't help to know that her feet were sure to be sore after the meeting. Jane, liked all mammals, tried to avoid pain when possible.

"Was that better?" Jane asked as she turned carefully to face Lady de Bourgh, her hands folding in front of her again.

Jane wondered if this was what it felt like to be a bug beneath some child's magnifying glass. Lady de Bourgh's stoic expression made Jane incredibly uneasy, the seriousness with which the situation was being considered did the same. Jane hadn't expected such solidarity in a lesson but she did ask for it.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Was that better?"

"Marginally," Her Ladyship replied, making a final flourish with her pen as she finished her notes. Returning her notebook to her pocket, she approached Jane, looking from her heels to her face and back again.

"Now then, I think that will do us for one day. Next time you come I want to see you in heels and-" Her Ladyship paused. Then, "Take that pair, actually. Anne has never worn them and besides, now I come to think of it, cobalt blue is not her colour."

It was no great pain for Lady Catherine to part with the shoes, and she hadn't the faintest clue how uncomfortable her serious nature and scrutiny was making her pupil feel.

"I want you to practice walking in heels Jane, and believe me, I shall be able to tell if you haven't done so. I'm only doing this for your own benefit."

Having said this, Her Ladyship began to escort Jane from the room and towards the front door, continuing to talk as she did so.

"At our next lesson we shall be focussing on current events, as one should always be aware of what is going on in the place where one lives. The New York Times should suit for brushing up on this topic, Miss Eyre. I trust that will work for you."

Of course it would work for her; with Lady Catherine it was her way or no way.

[JANE EYRE]

"Yes Lady de Bourgh," In order to please her ladyship, Jane kept the heals on and placed her other shoes inside of her bag, She would wear the shoes out and then switch once she was safely away from Rosings. She would practice walking in heels once she was safely home; she would also brush up on current events while doing so. It wasn't too difficult to walk and read at the same time when Jane was in the comfortable isolation of her apartment.

Jane let herself get ushered out of the house, pausing to thank Lady de Bourgh and bid her good day before leaving. Jane walked away from the door in the form that Lady de Bourgh had instructed her to have and onto the street. Once away, Jane leaned against a wall to remove the heels and to slide on her flats. Sighing in relief, Jane spared a glance in Rosings direction.

These lessons weren't going to be enjoyable.