Of Hats and Hemlines [2/?] - Concerning Tea and its Importance
(Hoy! Me again, hope you guys are enjoying the fic! Sorry for the delay on this chapter, hit a bit of a writer's block midway. Anyway, I won't bother you quite yet- hope you enjoy this chapter!)
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The inner workings of Layton's house were far different than what Lucy ever would've imagined for any woman, particularly her tutor. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and where literature stopped, there were maps and portraits and other things Lucy wouldn't have dreamed possible. There were photographs of Layton with people Lucy assumed to be of importance, and in exotic places, doing incredible things. And all of these amazing things… done by a woman? To say the least, she was awed by the wealth of experience before her.
…And suddenly, she felt terribly out of place. Here was this woman who had traveled the world, and done so many things Lucy had only wished for… and what had Lucy done? Played in the creek and tracked mud into Layton's house. Horribly embarrassed, she moved to take her shoes off and run them to the front door when the other woman returned with a plate of tea. She was just as bright and chipper as she had been, setting the plate down on a table with a contented sigh.
"Well, if I am to be your tutor, I will give you the first lesson now." Taking one of the cups for herself, Layton held it with all the grace of a woman of high society. "That lesson, of course, is the importance of a good cup of tea." Lucy watched in confusion as the other sipped at her cup, sighing blissfully after tasting the tea. Layton then gestured at her slightly- cup in hand- and spoke more. "There's nothing better in the world, really. You ought to try some, my dear."
Lucy, of course, had been subjected to tea before- it was dreadful, nasty, and always made her feel slightly ill afterwards. Even now, she could feel her stomach churning at the thought. It wasn't until Layton was laughing slightly that Lucy realized she was scowling at the thought, and turned a light shade of pink.
"Not a fan, are you?" She asked softly, taking another sip of the stuff. Lucy could only nod dumbly, not really sure what else to say. Layton set her drink down, then took the still warm kettle and poured another cup. "Well, you simply haven't tried my secret recipe, then. Here." Setting the kettle down, she picked up the now poured tea, handing it to Lucy. "Please. Try it."
Unable to say no to the woman, Lucy carefully took the china from Layton, and sipped at it as daintily as possible. It certainly wasn't the greatest drink in the world, but it was much better than the tea she'd previously had. Amazed, she took another sip of it, only to make sure she wasn't mistaken.
"And…?" Layton asked, watching Lucy with interest. The girl looked up to her tutor with a slight smile, which quickly turned into a grin.
"Surprisingly good, Miss Layton!" She piped up happily, taking another drink of the stuff. Looking into her cup curiously, Lucy knitted her brow. "I have to ask, what'd you do to it?"
"If I told you that, my dear," Layton responded, taking her teacup up once more, "it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?" It was a reasonable point, she supposed, so Lucy simply nodded in agreement, taking another sip of the tea. Apparently satisfied with this, Layton strolled across the room to take a seat across from Lucy- who, at this, took a seat in the chair behind her.
"Well then… why is tea so important?" Lucy asked, looking down to her cup once more. It was admittedly nearly empty at this point- a fact that surprised Lucy herself. Her attention was divided into figuring out why she was so enamored with the drink, and the words actually coming from Layton.
"Many reasons, Lucinda. First, in polite society, women drink tea. It's commonplace. To refuse the invitation of another woman to a tea party is downright rude, and not drinking when at a party insults your host." A pause, here, with a light sip. "Secondly, if you have something to drink, it gives you more time to think of how you're going to respond to someone intelligently." Looking up at this with mild curiosity, Lucy only barely caught the smile creeping onto her tutor's face. Just as she was about to speak, Layton continued. "Thirdly, if a rather bothersome gentleman doesn't take the hint that you're unsatisfied with his company, a hot cup of tea to the lap does wonders for getting rid of him."
There was silence, then. Lucy was staring in a mix of awe and shock, slightly wondering just whose home she had walked into and how on earth she had been blessed with an absolutely perfect tutor.
And then she was laughing. It was not delicate or ladylike in any sense of the matter, and she was certain that she'd accidentally snorted by mistake, but Layton did not seem to mind. If anything, the woman was entertained herself. It took Lucy a good minute to settle down, nearly spilling her remaining tea as she set the cup onto the table. Still holding her side and gently giggling, Lucy shook her head.
"That's… horrible, and at the same time wonderful, Miss Layton." She spoke lightly, tone slightly breathy from laughing too hard. Her tutor simply smiled brightly, setting her own teacup down.
"I'll take that as a compliment, then. But… I must be perfectly honest with you, Miss Lucinda." Layton spoke, suddenly seeming more serious than she had before. Lucy, greatly concerned, sat up as straight and properly as possible. "…I'm entirely uncomfortable with this entire situation."
Lucy, at this, moved to speak, when Layton raised a hand to stop her.
"You see, I… I simply cannot understand where your mother got the idea to appoint me as your tutor. I'm honored, really I am, but I cannot support this sort of thing."
She was honestly trembling at this point. Her throat had tightened, and if she hadn't been trying her hardest to impress Miss Layton she honestly might have cried. At this point she as trying so desperately not to break down that she did not notice Layton rise and walk to her side, bending down to set a hand on her shoulder.
"I-I'm that bad of a case, then?" Lucy asked quietly, not able to look up to the woman who might've been her tutor had Lucy not been so pathetic. "I'm sorry I was late, and that my shoes were muddy, but… please don't give up on me! It feels like everyone else already has…" She mumbled, more to herself than to Layton. Perhaps everyone really had given up on her. Maybe she was as bad as the other girls made her out to be.
"Lucinda. Darling. Listen to me, please." It was spoken kindly, the hand on her shoulder offering a gentle squeeze. "You're misunderstanding me. I promise you, it is nothing against you or your character. It's… this whole situation." She sighed lightly, shaking her head, confusing Lucy all the more. When the young girl looked up to her potential tutor, she saw a great deal of worry in the woman's eyes- worry that hadn't been there before.
"I don't approve of changing who people are. It's not anybody's right to do such a thing, no matter how high class you presume yourself to be. I just…" Shaking her head slightly, Layton moved away from Lucy, taking up the teapot and pouring herself another cup. "You don't honestly want to conform to this horrible status quo, do you?"
"No m'am."
"My point exactly." Taking her seat once more, Layton went silent for a moment, seeming to mull the situation over. Lucy's mind was racing as she watched the other woman, terribly confused as to what was going on and what all she could've done wrong to cause this. When Layton suddenly pointed forward and cried 'Got it!' Lucy practically fell out of her chair.
"Got…got what, Miss Layton?" She asked curiously, getting a grin out of the other at this.
"What we'll do! I'll simply teach you how to act like a lady." While Layton was grinning from ear to ear at this, Lucy herself was quite perplexed. Wasn't that the original intention of this entire ordeal? Opening her mouth to ask, Layton quickly cut her off.
"We won't change you. At all. We'll simply teach you how to act, satisfy your mother, when you'll actually be better off than the lot of them." Layton waved a hand at this, a slight scowl at her distaste of society. Lucy worried slightly at this, as Layton seemed to be in a debate with herself that wasn’t being won easily. "You'll be witty. Intelligent. Know what to say and when, and more importantly, know when not to say anything at all." Taking another sip of the tea, she looked to Lucy once more. "How does that sound?"
Lucy was silent. Really, what was she to say right now? The woman who was supposed to reform her… basically had no interest in such a thing. At all. Rather, she wanted her to be… more defiant? Only more conservative in defiance, really. Suddenly, she found herself grinning at the prospect.
"That sounds fantastic, Miss Layton!" Lucy chirped, a bit too loudly for a proper young lady. But honestly, she didn't care about that at the moment. No, she was far too enthralled in how seemingly perfect her tutor was. "So how're we going to do that, then?" She asked, managing a slightly calmer tone this time.
"We'll meet in the afternoons, the way your mother wanted us to. I’ll teach you about literature and with instead of etiquette. There may be a few lessons in being a lady… for acting’s sake, of course, but nothing that will drastically change your character. Just little things that will help you learn to hide it."
"It's perfect." Lucy finished, glee bubbling up into her tone. Layton, obviously pleased with this, set her teacup down delicately and smiled.
"Shall we start your first lesson, then? I still have you here for a few more hours, and that'll at least give me time to get your outfit cleaned." Lucy nodded in response, enthralled with the idea. At this point, she would probably do anything Layton asked of her, she was so convinced. It was all just too perfect!
"Tell me, Lucinda my dear, how do you feel about Shakespeare?"
"I don't really know him, to be honest."
"Then I suppose the two of you ought to be introduced."
Later that evening, Lucinda returned to her home happy and clean. A collection of poems and plays had been added to her schoolbag, though there was no mention of this to her mother- that would go against the plan of action! She spoke of lessons in curtseying and walking properly, and how young ladies ought to address their parents properly. Her mother seemed pleased at this, to say the least.
When dinner was finished- her mother had commented that Lucy still needed work on table etiquette- Lucy bounded up her room with her schoolbag in tow. As she settled down for bed, her Shakespeare collection was hidden under her pillow. Why sleep when there was something so incredible happening? It just wasn't possible. So instead, when all the other lights had gone out, Lucy went to the windowsill and read. Should she have known where mother hid the matches, she might’ve taken one to light a candle- but that posed the risk of giving herself away.
And there, reading by the moonlight, she could not recall a time when she'd been more excited.
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( You're going to laugh, but so help me god, this chapter's song was I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan. ...YUP. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY, EITHER.
Chapter three, coming soon! Fair warning, there's going to be a timeskip! )
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The inner workings of Layton's house were far different than what Lucy ever would've imagined for any woman, particularly her tutor. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and where literature stopped, there were maps and portraits and other things Lucy wouldn't have dreamed possible. There were photographs of Layton with people Lucy assumed to be of importance, and in exotic places, doing incredible things. And all of these amazing things… done by a woman? To say the least, she was awed by the wealth of experience before her.
…And suddenly, she felt terribly out of place. Here was this woman who had traveled the world, and done so many things Lucy had only wished for… and what had Lucy done? Played in the creek and tracked mud into Layton's house. Horribly embarrassed, she moved to take her shoes off and run them to the front door when the other woman returned with a plate of tea. She was just as bright and chipper as she had been, setting the plate down on a table with a contented sigh.
"Well, if I am to be your tutor, I will give you the first lesson now." Taking one of the cups for herself, Layton held it with all the grace of a woman of high society. "That lesson, of course, is the importance of a good cup of tea." Lucy watched in confusion as the other sipped at her cup, sighing blissfully after tasting the tea. Layton then gestured at her slightly- cup in hand- and spoke more. "There's nothing better in the world, really. You ought to try some, my dear."
Lucy, of course, had been subjected to tea before- it was dreadful, nasty, and always made her feel slightly ill afterwards. Even now, she could feel her stomach churning at the thought. It wasn't until Layton was laughing slightly that Lucy realized she was scowling at the thought, and turned a light shade of pink.
"Not a fan, are you?" She asked softly, taking another sip of the stuff. Lucy could only nod dumbly, not really sure what else to say. Layton set her drink down, then took the still warm kettle and poured another cup. "Well, you simply haven't tried my secret recipe, then. Here." Setting the kettle down, she picked up the now poured tea, handing it to Lucy. "Please. Try it."
Unable to say no to the woman, Lucy carefully took the china from Layton, and sipped at it as daintily as possible. It certainly wasn't the greatest drink in the world, but it was much better than the tea she'd previously had. Amazed, she took another sip of it, only to make sure she wasn't mistaken.
"And…?" Layton asked, watching Lucy with interest. The girl looked up to her tutor with a slight smile, which quickly turned into a grin.
"Surprisingly good, Miss Layton!" She piped up happily, taking another drink of the stuff. Looking into her cup curiously, Lucy knitted her brow. "I have to ask, what'd you do to it?"
"If I told you that, my dear," Layton responded, taking her teacup up once more, "it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?" It was a reasonable point, she supposed, so Lucy simply nodded in agreement, taking another sip of the tea. Apparently satisfied with this, Layton strolled across the room to take a seat across from Lucy- who, at this, took a seat in the chair behind her.
"Well then… why is tea so important?" Lucy asked, looking down to her cup once more. It was admittedly nearly empty at this point- a fact that surprised Lucy herself. Her attention was divided into figuring out why she was so enamored with the drink, and the words actually coming from Layton.
"Many reasons, Lucinda. First, in polite society, women drink tea. It's commonplace. To refuse the invitation of another woman to a tea party is downright rude, and not drinking when at a party insults your host." A pause, here, with a light sip. "Secondly, if you have something to drink, it gives you more time to think of how you're going to respond to someone intelligently." Looking up at this with mild curiosity, Lucy only barely caught the smile creeping onto her tutor's face. Just as she was about to speak, Layton continued. "Thirdly, if a rather bothersome gentleman doesn't take the hint that you're unsatisfied with his company, a hot cup of tea to the lap does wonders for getting rid of him."
There was silence, then. Lucy was staring in a mix of awe and shock, slightly wondering just whose home she had walked into and how on earth she had been blessed with an absolutely perfect tutor.
And then she was laughing. It was not delicate or ladylike in any sense of the matter, and she was certain that she'd accidentally snorted by mistake, but Layton did not seem to mind. If anything, the woman was entertained herself. It took Lucy a good minute to settle down, nearly spilling her remaining tea as she set the cup onto the table. Still holding her side and gently giggling, Lucy shook her head.
"That's… horrible, and at the same time wonderful, Miss Layton." She spoke lightly, tone slightly breathy from laughing too hard. Her tutor simply smiled brightly, setting her own teacup down.
"I'll take that as a compliment, then. But… I must be perfectly honest with you, Miss Lucinda." Layton spoke, suddenly seeming more serious than she had before. Lucy, greatly concerned, sat up as straight and properly as possible. "…I'm entirely uncomfortable with this entire situation."
Lucy, at this, moved to speak, when Layton raised a hand to stop her.
"You see, I… I simply cannot understand where your mother got the idea to appoint me as your tutor. I'm honored, really I am, but I cannot support this sort of thing."
She was honestly trembling at this point. Her throat had tightened, and if she hadn't been trying her hardest to impress Miss Layton she honestly might have cried. At this point she as trying so desperately not to break down that she did not notice Layton rise and walk to her side, bending down to set a hand on her shoulder.
"I-I'm that bad of a case, then?" Lucy asked quietly, not able to look up to the woman who might've been her tutor had Lucy not been so pathetic. "I'm sorry I was late, and that my shoes were muddy, but… please don't give up on me! It feels like everyone else already has…" She mumbled, more to herself than to Layton. Perhaps everyone really had given up on her. Maybe she was as bad as the other girls made her out to be.
"Lucinda. Darling. Listen to me, please." It was spoken kindly, the hand on her shoulder offering a gentle squeeze. "You're misunderstanding me. I promise you, it is nothing against you or your character. It's… this whole situation." She sighed lightly, shaking her head, confusing Lucy all the more. When the young girl looked up to her potential tutor, she saw a great deal of worry in the woman's eyes- worry that hadn't been there before.
"I don't approve of changing who people are. It's not anybody's right to do such a thing, no matter how high class you presume yourself to be. I just…" Shaking her head slightly, Layton moved away from Lucy, taking up the teapot and pouring herself another cup. "You don't honestly want to conform to this horrible status quo, do you?"
"No m'am."
"My point exactly." Taking her seat once more, Layton went silent for a moment, seeming to mull the situation over. Lucy's mind was racing as she watched the other woman, terribly confused as to what was going on and what all she could've done wrong to cause this. When Layton suddenly pointed forward and cried 'Got it!' Lucy practically fell out of her chair.
"Got…got what, Miss Layton?" She asked curiously, getting a grin out of the other at this.
"What we'll do! I'll simply teach you how to act like a lady." While Layton was grinning from ear to ear at this, Lucy herself was quite perplexed. Wasn't that the original intention of this entire ordeal? Opening her mouth to ask, Layton quickly cut her off.
"We won't change you. At all. We'll simply teach you how to act, satisfy your mother, when you'll actually be better off than the lot of them." Layton waved a hand at this, a slight scowl at her distaste of society. Lucy worried slightly at this, as Layton seemed to be in a debate with herself that wasn’t being won easily. "You'll be witty. Intelligent. Know what to say and when, and more importantly, know when not to say anything at all." Taking another sip of the tea, she looked to Lucy once more. "How does that sound?"
Lucy was silent. Really, what was she to say right now? The woman who was supposed to reform her… basically had no interest in such a thing. At all. Rather, she wanted her to be… more defiant? Only more conservative in defiance, really. Suddenly, she found herself grinning at the prospect.
"That sounds fantastic, Miss Layton!" Lucy chirped, a bit too loudly for a proper young lady. But honestly, she didn't care about that at the moment. No, she was far too enthralled in how seemingly perfect her tutor was. "So how're we going to do that, then?" She asked, managing a slightly calmer tone this time.
"We'll meet in the afternoons, the way your mother wanted us to. I’ll teach you about literature and with instead of etiquette. There may be a few lessons in being a lady… for acting’s sake, of course, but nothing that will drastically change your character. Just little things that will help you learn to hide it."
"It's perfect." Lucy finished, glee bubbling up into her tone. Layton, obviously pleased with this, set her teacup down delicately and smiled.
"Shall we start your first lesson, then? I still have you here for a few more hours, and that'll at least give me time to get your outfit cleaned." Lucy nodded in response, enthralled with the idea. At this point, she would probably do anything Layton asked of her, she was so convinced. It was all just too perfect!
"Tell me, Lucinda my dear, how do you feel about Shakespeare?"
"I don't really know him, to be honest."
"Then I suppose the two of you ought to be introduced."
Later that evening, Lucinda returned to her home happy and clean. A collection of poems and plays had been added to her schoolbag, though there was no mention of this to her mother- that would go against the plan of action! She spoke of lessons in curtseying and walking properly, and how young ladies ought to address their parents properly. Her mother seemed pleased at this, to say the least.
When dinner was finished- her mother had commented that Lucy still needed work on table etiquette- Lucy bounded up her room with her schoolbag in tow. As she settled down for bed, her Shakespeare collection was hidden under her pillow. Why sleep when there was something so incredible happening? It just wasn't possible. So instead, when all the other lights had gone out, Lucy went to the windowsill and read. Should she have known where mother hid the matches, she might’ve taken one to light a candle- but that posed the risk of giving herself away.
And there, reading by the moonlight, she could not recall a time when she'd been more excited.
---
( You're going to laugh, but so help me god, this chapter's song was I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan. ...YUP. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY, EITHER.
Chapter three, coming soon! Fair warning, there's going to be a timeskip! )