RP Roulette: A Crime of Fashion [Siobhan] {Casual}

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

ooc: I've been trying to come up with a witty title for ages and couldn't - if you have something good, feel free to tweak the title of the thread! Hopefully this post makes up for it! Also, for the laughs, here's the scene that inspired my idea for Lady C in this thread: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAAf-Zo6_lg

bic:

There were many places Lady Catherine de Bourgh never wanted to go. She never even thought of going to a bar. She didn't want to ever go to a library (unless it was for some sort of charity event and she absolutely had to). And she never, ever wanted to go to a salon where a manicure cost less than forty dollars or so.

A jail cell had never even entered her mind. Yet there she was.

Granted, she wasn't actually in prison, per se, but this felt bad enough. She didn't deserve to be in here - she had done nothing wrong! Well, she supposed slapping someone across the face in order to snatch the bag they had picked up in the sale wasn't the most Lady-like thing she had ever done, but surely that was no reason to throw her in a cell?

Lady Catherine de Bourgh was never usually one to go to designer sample sales - she wasn't averse to spending great deals of money in order to show just how wealthy she was, she could simply go to the designer's store and buy what she wanted without the mad rush, the clamour and the...other people. But although this was the case, and although she never seemed to run out of money, she had gone to this particular sale on a whim. After all, who knew what she was missing out on, with so many designer items being sold in one place at once?

As it turned out, had she not gone to this particular sale, she would have missed out on the particularly fetching classic Chanel blue quilted bag, which Her Ladyship just knew would go perfectly with that skirt she'd bought the other day. It didn't matter that someone else had picked it up a few seconds before she saw it - that bag would be hers.

It was ridiculous, and deep down Lady Catherine knew it. But she wasn't about to admit that, not now she was in a cell in the police station, of all places. Especially not since she was sure she had nearly worn her voice out with all the indignant shouting and complaining she'd been doing, as was Her Ladyship's style when things didn't go her way. At present she stood, arms folded, clutching the handle of the bag (which she had somehow managed to keep ahold of) firmly in one hand, as though it was the only thing keeping her from lashing out once again, seething. Waiting until she got her voice back before she launched into another tirade.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Walking through a police station in bare feet was an adventure. Well, her whole night was an adventure, so that wasn’t saying much.

It had started out tamely. She’d finally bowed down and decided to give one of Jamie’s executives a chance, agreeing to go on a date with the man. She really hadn’t been out with anyone since her husband’s death, preferring to throw herself into work or charity. It had done her well for a time, but when the apartment was so quiet, she just didn’t think that she could sit and twiddle her thumbs. So she’d thrown on one of her favorite black dresses, picked out a pair of heels, and threw her hair up in a style she’d worn for a cover shoot a few years back.

He’d picked her up with flowers in hand, and he’d been considerate on the car ride into uptown Manhattan where there were many overpriced restaurants just waiting for people with deep pockets to show up. Dinner had been mostly Brad talking about Brad. She’d lost interest quickly, wishing she’d gone out with someone who’d be interested in hearing her talk once in a while, even if it had been to ask her what she thought of the food. Brad wasn’t that kind, apparently. He was good looking, rich, and apparently had an ego to rival that of God from how he talked on and on. To top it off, he was on his third drink before the meal had even finished, and the more he drank, the louder he got. The longer dinner dragged on, the more certain she was that she was never going to give the man the time of day again, let alone sit with him in a restaurant.

Brad didn’t get that memo, apparently.

When she’d kindly prodded him towards ending the evening, he’d forcefully helped her from her seat and made lewd comments about where the night was going next. When she’d politely tried to turn him down, his grip on both her wrist and hip had been crushing, his scotch breath making her eyes water. One moment she’d been gaping at him and the next...Well, she wasn’t sure if he was just that tipsy or if her purse actually weighed that much, but one solid hit with her handbag and Brad had ended up sprawled all over the floor. He yowled something about how she was a tease and then she’d really lost her temper, stomping on the man’s kneecap before turning to leave.

Apparently stomping on a date’s leg was considered assault, and stilettos were a deadly weapon. At least that was how Brad had spun the tale, demanding an ambulance, the police, the National Guard...By the time it was all said and done, Brad was pressing charges and one Siobhan Marie Shaw had ended up at the police station, her shoes confiscated, her purse locked up somewhere, and her bare feet gently brushing the linoleum of the hallway she was being escorted down. Her fingers were still covered with ink from the finger printing, and she had absolutely nothing to wipe them with. They hadn’t so much as left her with a breath mint, let alone a Kleenex. Still, she walked with her head high, not wanting to let anyone think that she felt guilty about what she’d done.

Finally, she was stopped in front of a cell while the officer unlocked it. Once it was open, she walked through on her own, taking in the space as the door clanked behind her. It wasn’t a private cell, so it was larger and open feeling, which was a good thing, seeing as how she didn’t want to feel claustrophobic. Finally, her eyes landed on the woman she was evidently sharing the cell with. She was a bit older, but from the clothing she was wearing and the handbag she was clutching – how had she managed to keep her purse? – Siobhan knew that she was rich. She didn’t belong in a jail cell, and the experience was probably scaring her underneath the calm demeanor. Siobhan knew she looked no different in her expensive clothing, but she’d been raised poor. She’d seen the inside of a jail cell when she was a teen and she knew enough to know that police officers were decent if you didn’t raise a fuss, so life would just be more boring than usual for a few hours while everything got figured out.

For now, she’d just have to make nice and mind her manners until she was let out.

“Hi,” she greeted the other woman, taking a seat on one of the benches, looking at her inky finger tips. “I don’t suppose you have a tissue inside that bag? Is it Chanel? It's a lovely color.”

She’d modeled enough of them to know that it indeed was Chanel, but making small talk meant that you had to make small concessions. So she smiled kindly and waited to see if the other woman would respond.

OOC: I love that Youtube clip, haha! So crazy! As for titles, "The Dangers of Fashion" keeps jumping to mind, but I've got nothing witty either, haha.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

Lady Catherine was rather surprised, to say the least, when the cell door opened and another woman was brought in - or walked in, rather, of her own accord. That in and of itself was odd, but in spite of the cell's size, Her Ladyship had been under the impression that it was a private cell - she was used to huge, echoing rooms and hallways at Rosings, after all, and had assumed that this police station would be no different. Her frown deepened, therefore, as the door clanged shut behind the woman. A jail cell it may have been, but Lady Catherine de Bourgh did not like sharing anything with others, as a rule.

She watched the other woman closely as she moved further into the cell, sitting down on one of the benches in a manner all too calm for Her Ladyship's liking. For herself, as much as she would have wanted to sit down, Lady Catherine did not want to sit on such an unhygienic bench as this one undoubtedly was, in such a horrid place as this, in her Louis Vitton skirt. She would not do that for all the world.

“Hi. I don’t suppose you have a tissue inside that bag? Is it Chanel? It's a lovely color.”

Her Ladyship started slightly as the woman addressed her, startled and a little frightened - only a hardened criminal would walk so calmly into a cell, surely? - and the woman's questions did not help put Her Ladyship at ease either.

"I do not have anything inside this bag," she replied, stiffly. "I have only just purchased it." She did have a packet of tissues in her cardigan pocket, but she was not about to point this out. "And yes, it is Chanel." She looked a little more intently at the woman then, trying to discern her circumstances. "Might I ask how you knew?"

The logo on the bag was far more subtle than some of the others Lady Catherine owned, almost indiscernible at the distance this woman was sitting from Lady Catherine herself. Maybe this woman was a hardened criminal who stole Chanel handbags?

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan was used to other people not knowing what to think of her or do around her, but that was generally after she commanded a board room or bowed down to a request she was within her rights to refuse. She liked to keep people on their toes, but the way that this woman seemed to jolt at just a simple little question was almost as if she had threatened to hurt the older lady. Well then, that was a bit different. However it was covered up quickly, the woman’s tone was stiff and clipped.

"I do not have anything inside this bag. I have only just purchased it."

Well, that would explain why they let her keep it. If she chose to wallop someone with it, it really wouldn’t do much. Siobhan’s, on the other hand, had been exceptionally heavy, seeing as how she had thrown a hard cover book in there earlier, having bought it on impulse. Add in her keys, wallet, make up, and various knickknacks that she’d picked up and it was heavy enough that those assault charges could stick.

"And yes, it is Chanel. Might I ask how you knew?"

For half a moment, she was tempted to tell the woman that she’d stolen her fair few of them and that she could spot them from a mile off, but she figured with how the woman was staring at her, it wouldn’t do to freak her out more just because she was feeling like levity.

“I modeled them a few years ago and I’ve been rather fond of them ever since. I buy one every so often,” she replied, deciding to wipe the ink on her left ankle. Most of it was dried to her fingers by that point, but the dark smudges on her pale skin almost looked like bruises. “In fact, they confiscated mine at the door.”

She sat a bit more proper, giving the other woman a small smile in hopes that she would relax. Having someone hovering while you were sitting was very disconcerting, after all. It made her feel like the space was smaller than it was, and there was no need to feel more caged than she was at that moment. They were in an actual cage, after all.

“I’m Siobhan Shaw,” she introduced, hoping that if they were on a name-basis they’d manage to get along for however long they’d be stuck there.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

ooc: I'm sorry its taken me such a long time to get to this post - I meant to reply then I forgot the thread was here and then exams started! XD

bic:

“I modeled them a few years ago and I’ve been rather fond of them ever since. I buy one every so often. In fact, they confiscated mine at the door.”

Lady Catherine was surprised at this information - since when did hardened criminals work as models? - but managed to hide the fact quite well, as though acting in her usual manner would help restore how she felt inside to that same level of normality. It didn't really help, as all she could come up with in reply was a small, stiff nod of acknowledgement.

It was then it occurred to her that this woman had said she bought Chanel bags every so often. Of course, with all the money she made as a hardened criminal that would make sense, and yet there was something about this woman that made Lady Catherine think twice. Well, if she weren't a hardened criminal, what was she doing here? And why did she only buy Chanel bags every so often? Lady Catherine was of the opinion that if one had the money, one could afford to buy Chanel bags all the time (which was, in fact, something she did).

“I’m Siobhan Shaw,”

Lady Catherine nodded again - glad she could put a name to the face although she didn't recognize either. At least this meant she could now tell this woman - Miss Shaw - who she was, in a natural, conversational type way, so she would be well aware of just whom she had the honour (if that was the right word for such a place as this) of being alongside.

"Lady Catherine de Bourgh," Her Ladyship replied. "Might I ask, Miss Shaw, just why you are here?"

As displeased as Lady Catherine was at this whole situation, it would not do to stand in awkward silence.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Even with introductions, it didn’t seem like the other woman was reassured by that. Siobhan wasn’t offended by that. Everyone reacted differently when it came to stressful situations. Where this other woman was uptight and clearly nervous, Siobhan was relaxed, keeping calm in the situation. There was no reason to be upset about it. She was where she was, and she wouldn’t be able to leave until the officers said so. Getting upset or nervous would just make the situation worse than it was. At least she knew that they couldn’t hold her indefinitely. At some point, she was going to home.
It couldn’t be soon enough.

"Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Might I ask, Miss Shaw, just why you are here?"

Siobhan smiled a bit at the other woman – Lady Catherine. She’d never met anyone who went by ‘Lady’ before. Well, that certainly explained why she was so uptight. Ladies didn’t end up in jail cells, after all.

“Please, Lady de Bourgh. If we’re going to go by titles – Mrs. Shaw.”

She would have preferred Siobhan, but she had the feeling that this woman wouldn’t be the kind who would bow down to such casualness with someone that she was sharing a jail cell with.

“As for why I’m here, well, it’s a long story,” she offered, really not wanting to tell the whole thing to someone who was already looking at her like she was about to get up and beat her with that empty Chanel bag. Siobhan knew if she told her the story, the other woman would probably pitch a fit. Right then, that was the last thing that she wanted to deal with. After all, it had already been one spectacular evening.

“The short version is that my dinner companion got a bit too handsy and I defended myself,” she explained. “He’s fine, but this is his way of telling me that he’s the one in charge.”

And she wasn’t about to kiss his ass in order to get out of the situation. When she got her phone call, it was going to be to anyone but him.

“How about you? Why are you here?”

After all, she was curious how a lady managed to end up in jail.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

ooc: 'really not wanting to tell the whole thing to someone who was already looking at her like she was about to get up and beat her with that empty Chanel bag' Wonderful stuff, m'dear!

bic:

“Please, Lady de Bourgh. If we’re going to go by titles – Mrs. Shaw.”

Lady Catherine smiled somewhat stiffly, following Miss - Mrs - Shaw's example. She was surprised at the woman's change of address - she didn't know why she hadn't expected this woman to be married, but for some reason the idea hadn't entered her head.

“As for why I’m here, well, it’s a long story. The short version is that my dinner companion got a bit too handsy and I defended myself. He’s fine, but this is his way of telling me that he’s the one in charge.”

Lady Catherine's eyes widened as Mrs Shaw explained why she was here - if she was able to defend herself in such a manner that she ended up in jail, maybe the idea of her being a hardened and violent criminal wasn't as crazy as she had recently persuaded herself to believe. And yet, the fact she was defending herself rather than attacking the aforementioned dinner companion purely because she was able to lessened Her Ladyship's disapproval and fear somewhat. She could approve of what Mrs Shaw had done - she was sure, had she been in that situation, that she would have done the same.

But then... who was this dining companion Mrs Shaw had mentioned? It couldn't have been her husband...so why was she dining with some other gentleman, and a 'handsy' one at that? It seemed Lady Catherine swung from dissaproval to approval and back again where Shaw was concerned. She was a nosy person as a rule, always interfering where she wasn't wanted, and in spite of her current disquiet and her fears about this woman, her curiosity over-ruled this.

“How about you? Why are you here?”

"Never mind why I am here, Mrs Shaw," she replied tersely, with an airy wave of the hand that wasn't clutching the Chanel bag, as if cementing her dismissal of the question. "Why were you with such a companion and not with your husband? Surely he would not approve of such behaviour."

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan watched as the other woman’s eyes widened at the tame version of her story. She was right to censor her words, apparently. She was sure that if she had gone into detail, Lady Catherine may have had some form of a fit. In fact, she looked like she was almost interested in what Siobhan had said. She couldn’t imagine why – it wasn’t all that interesting, but it wasn’t something that one heard every day, she supposed. She was much more interested in listening to why her companion got to keep her purse. That was the stickler in her mind. There was such a thing as fair play, and this wasn’t fair. There were things in her purse that she wanted. Like her hard covered Moning romance. She could have killed time much easier with a back and forth romance in her hands.

"Never mind why I am here, Mrs Shaw. Why were you with such a companion and not with your husband? Surely he would not approve of such behaviour."

Her question was apparently not something that Lady Catherine wanted to answer. It was dismissed in favor of her own...a question Siobhan wasn’t so sure she wanted to answer. Well, this was really turning out to be her night.

“Why not. I’m already in jail,” she offered with a shrug, unwilling to imagine how her night could get much worse. “I’m...a widow.”

She absently rubbed at her leg, wondering why saying that bothered her as much as it did. She supposed that there were just things that never got easier.

“I agreed to go out with Brad because I was getting tired of everyone worrying over me. Look how that turned out.”

She blushed a little, wondering why she was pouring her heart out to a stranger the way she was. Maybe because she was a stranger, it made things easier.

“So that’s my story. Now, what’s the story behind the bag?” she asked, gesturing at the handbag still clutched between Catherine’s fingers.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

“Why not. I’m already in jail. I’m...a widow.”

Lady Catherine assumed the first part of Shaw's speech was introspective, as if to say 'why not tell this stranger everything who's enquiring about my life, I'm already stuck in jail?'. To Lady Catherine this was an unusual stance to take - she didn't not plan on pouring her heart out about anything to this woman.

And then things changed. Siobhan said, with difficulty, that she was a widow. Lady Catherine had thought it would be impossible for her to connect to Shaw and yet...this. She couldn't have expected it, and her expression clearly showed it. But her expression changed as Siobhan looked away, then back again. She was sympathetic, as contrary to her usual demeanour as that might seem.

"Mrs. Shaw, I'm sorry, I truly am," she said at last. "I don't know how much of a comfort it will be for you to hear that I have also lost my husband - but I'm sure this is a topic you would rather not discuss."

“I agreed to go out with Brad because I was getting tired of everyone worrying over me. Look how that turned out.”

Her Ladyship offered Siobhan a small smile, unsure how the other woman would take it. There was a few moments of silence. then Siobhan spoke again, reverting the topic back to Lady Catherine.

“So that’s my story. Now, what’s the story behind the bag?”

"Well," Lady Catherine said. Ordinarily she would have fabricated something in order to make herself look good but really, there was no way for her to look good in this situation. Besides, Siobhan had been truthful - she might as well be also.

"I don't ordinarily go to designer sample sales but today I made an exception," she explained. "And I was very pleased I did so as I saw this bag, which I know will go perfectly with this charming skirt I bought the other week. However, I only noticed it after someone else had picked it up. I...manoeuvred the situation so as to obtain the bag for myself."

Very strangely for Her Ladyship, she looked at her feet then. She was not proud of her actions.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan couldn’t believe that she’d shared her history with this woman. She wasn’t the kind who went around and shared sob stories. She didn’t like getting pity from people, and she expected none from this woman. Maybe that was why she managed to actually say what she had.

"Mrs. Shaw, I'm sorry, I truly am. I don't know how much of a comfort it will be for you to hear that I have also lost my husband - but I'm sure this is a topic you would rather not discuss."

Siobhan studied the other woman for a long moment. She wouldn’t have guessed that she and Lady Catherine had anything in common. Well, that just went to show that it was a small world and judging people wouldn’t get her far, nor would making assumptions. But she was right. It really wasn’t something that she could sit and talk about.

“I’m sorry to hear about your husband,” Siobhan offered, knowing it wouldn’t mean much, but she still had to say it. “And I’d rather not talk about it, but I’m sure you understand.”

Siobhan was sure it was something anyone who had lost a spouse could feel, so anything that she had to say the other woman had probably thought or felt for herself at one point. The small smile the other woman gave was enough. She was glad when her question about the bag was finally answered.

"Well, I don't ordinarily go to designer sample sales but today I made an exception. And I was very pleased I did so as I saw this bag, which I know will go perfectly with this charming skirt I bought the other week. However, I only noticed it after someone else had picked it up. I...manoeuvred the situation so as to obtain the bag for myself."

Ah. She was a sale rager. It happened to the best of them. Mild mannered women became wild cats when there were things for sale.

“Oh, I’ve been there. I ripped out someone’s hair over a pair of Gucci thigh highs about four or five years ago.”

To be fair, she’d been doing drugs and she was definitely not in the best headspace, but she’d still walked out with the boots...and a long blonde lock of hair. Nick had been highly amused. Nick was an idiot, though.

“At least you got to keep the bag.” She smiled a bit, figuring that there was a silver lining after all.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

“I’m sorry to hear about your husband. And I’d rather not talk about it, but I’m sure you understand.”

Lady Catherine nodded in reply to this, but said nothing as Siobhan requested, save a quiet 'Thank you' for her words of comfort. It was a strange moment between them, both realizing they had something in common with each other, something neither of them could have expected.

This moment soon passed with Lady Catherine's explanation of just how she came to possess the Chanel bag. In truth there was more she could have said, a more detailed explanation she could have given, but she felt to go into further detail would further mar her supposedly stainless reputation, and so she refrained. Siobhan did not seem surprised, however - in fact, she had a story of her own.

“Oh, I’ve been there. I ripped out someone’s hair over a pair of Gucci thigh highs about four or five years ago.”

Although Lady Catherine was beginning to feel a little more at ease in Siobhan's presence, this piece of information caused her to involuntarily start. She gave Siobhan an apologetic look having done so, but there was a continued wariness in her eyes.

"I...I see," she replied. "Well, at least they were Gucci."

A vain attempt at a joke.

“At least you got to keep the bag."

Lady Catherine gave a small laugh.

"Indeed, being titled come with some strange privileges, although I don't see what use the bag is doing me in here. Then again, I'd rather I kept it in my possession than had it taken away by goodness knows whom and placed goodness knows where!"

She paused. Then,

"You wouldn't happen to know...what happens now, would you? Why are we simply waiting here - why are we not being allowed to leave?I made a very clear explanation of my case before being unceremoniously brought in here, I assure you!"

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

Siobhan was actually starting to feel a bit of camaraderie with the other woman. It was sort of awing, considering that the other woman had spent most of their time together looking at her as if she was going to shank her for the purse. She supposed that possibly the other woman was beginning to relax a bit. Well, until Siobhan commented about her own experience in the world of bargain sales. The way that Lady Catherine tried to cover up her involuntarily reaction was a bit backwards when it came to putting the other woman at ease.

"I...I see. Well, at least they were Gucci."

Siobhan couldn’t help but smile at that, pleased when the other woman laughed a bit at their back and forth, clearly feeling a bit more at ease. She wondered if they would have gotten along so well had they met under different circumstances, but right then and there, they seemed to be doing well enough.

"Indeed, being titled come with some strange privileges, although I don't see what use the bag is doing me in here. Then again, I'd rather I kept it in my possession than had it taken away by goodness knows whom and placed goodness knows where!"

She really couldn’t blame her there. Having things out of her sight was not something Siobhan enjoyed overly much, even if there was no point to having a purse in a jail cell, but who knew what was happening to her purse while she was sitting there. Someone could have been enjoying her book while she was sitting and waiting to read it. That was rude.

"You wouldn't happen to know...what happens now, would you? Why are we simply waiting here - why are we not being allowed to leave?I made a very clear explanation of my case before being unceremoniously brought in here, I assure you!"

Siobhan smirked a bit. Oh, she really was an upper crust lady.

“Unfortunately, policemen don’t get paid to take in your case – they save that for the judge,” she explained, a bit more familiar with the system than she wanted to be. “Well, first we’ll go to arraignment court where a judge decides if we’re dismissed with time served or if we have to wait for bail. If we make bail, then we’re free to go. The only way to get out before then is if the charges are dropped.”

Siobhan slumped a bit at the thought. Brad wasn’t about to do that. This was something to teach her a lesson, after all.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

ooc: I'm so sorry this has taken so long m'dear D:

bic:

Although she was now feeling slightly more at ease with this woman, if not her situation (who was she kidding, Her Ladyship would never in her life be used to this situation!), Lady Catherine still could not help but be surprised at Siobhan's little smirk. What did that mean? Clearly the younger woman knew something that Lady Catherine did not.

“Unfortunately, policemen don’t get paid to take in your case – they save that for the judge. Well, first we’ll go to arraignment court where a judge decides if we’re dismissed with time served or if we have to wait for bail. If we make bail, then we’re free to go. The only way to get out before then is if the charges are dropped.”

Lady Catherine was surprised at how much Siobhan knew about the system - and she wasn't particularly eager to find out how she knew all of this. She was also surprised at how (in her opinion) complicated getting out of this cell would prove to be. It was mostly complicated because she wasn't entirely sure she understood all of the information -even the words - that Siobhan had just afforded her. But she wasn't about to point that out.

She noticed Siobhan's slumped posture having spoken, as though she were defeated by the notion of the charges being dropped. Clearly she didn't expect that to happen for her.

"How long will it be until we're taken to the arraignment court, then? hey can't expect us to spend much longer in here, surely?" She gestured grandly to the room, in a dismissive manner.

[SIOBHAN "NYX" SHAW]

"How long will it be until we're taken to the arraignment court, then? They can't expect us to spend much longer in here, surely?"

Siobhan couldn’t help smirking a bit. It was one of those things that someone who was new to all this would say. Clearly she’d never been in the position of having to wait for anything in her entitled life. Siobhan was used to waiting for most things, even if she didn’t like it all the time. It had taught her a sense of patience and acceptance to situations she couldn’t change. This was one of those.

“It depends how many people are going to be arraigned before us,” Siobhan answered easily. “Judging by the fact we’re the only two here, it probably isn’t many.”

That was something she was grateful for. The last time she’d been arrested, she’d had to sit with three or four prostitutes, and one woman who knocked her husband upside the head with a frying pan. It was...a great way to be scared straight. She’d avoided breaking the law ever since. Well, until tonight.

“And as for making us wait, that’s the whole point. They want us to think on why we’re here. It’s like when you put your kids in time out.”

It was essentially the same principle. The anticipation of the punishment often was worse than the punishment itself. Also, the system was pretty slow. Over worked, over loaded, over complicated. Having been here twice now, she was going to kill any future child she may have if he or she were to be as dumb as she was.

“Though what we did was kind of childish,” she offered with a small chuckle. “I beat up a boy and you smacked someone with your bag. Had we been thirteen, we’d have been sent to bed without supper after we apologised.”

Yeah, adults made things overly complicated on themselves.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

“It depends how many people are going to be arraigned before us. Judging by the fact we’re the only two here, it probably isn’t many.”

It was strange. Earlier on in this conversation Her Ladyship would have been alarmed at the swiftness and ease with which Siobhan answered what she thought to be a difficult question - not to mention on related to their breaking of the law. But she had begun to reach the point where Siobhan didn't seem so frightening any more - they had a few, small things in common, at any rate.

Besides, she appreciated the answer. Not only did Siobhan, more experienced in this area than she, not think they'd have much longer to wait (and how Lady Catherine despised having to wait!) but the fact that she was able to give an answer - that was a comfort, now. Even if the information afforded concerned their time in a prison cell.

Lady Catherine gave Siobhan a small smile.

"Good," she replied. "You can probably tell I am not the sort of person who can handle being kept waiting for long." This statement was followed by an unusually self-deprecating laugh.

“And as for making us wait, that’s the whole point. They want us to think on why we’re here. It’s like when you put your kids in time out."

Lady Catherine nodded again, though a little confusedly. Time out? What was 'time out'? She was sure she had heard the expression somewhere, but it had never been applied to herself or her siblings when they were younger - if they had wanted to, she was sure they could have gotten away with anything for all their parents noticed. And it wasn't as though Anne ever did anything worthy of being sent to her room to think on her actions - she spent a great deal of her time there anyway, what with her illness...

“Though what we did was kind of childish; I beat up a boy and you smacked someone with your bag. Had we been thirteen, we’d have been sent to bed without supper after we apologised.”

Lady Catherine had to laugh at that, though.

"I myself was never sent to bed without supper, Mrs. Shaw, but I must say I would rather that than remaining in this cell!" She paused, then continued. "I mean that as no slight against you, you understand; I simply don't appreciate being treated in this most undignified manner."