Pizza waitress Gemma must learn how to elegantly eat and drink like an aristocrat, wear the right clothes, talk and behave... How will brooding Lord Edward react to the pretend Abbey? Perhaps she'll bond better with Nick, the down-to-earth sexy gardener...
Thanks goodness for Abbey's aunt, Lady Constance of Woodfold, who used to run a finishing school. She still thinks the concept of a "lady" is very relevant to the modern world - yet she only had four days to teach Gemma everything.
Could you adapt to the High Life with so little training?!
Gemma has a rough idea of what to wear and how to act, thanks to living with posh Abbey whose idol is KMid (that's the Duchess of Cambridge, to you and me!)
Yet she must undergo rigorous training, from Lady C (as Gemma calls her). Here are the basic principles she tries to follow.
Firstly, Lady C wants Gemma to always remember The Three Ms:
"Modesty, Manners and No Men!"
Gemma must learn how to walk with panache:
"Shoulders back, chin not too high or low and stomach pulled in. Don’t walk too fast or slow, nor appear aimless – a lady always knows where she is going."
And yes, she has to practice walking, with a book balanced on her head!
The art of good conversation is critical, too:
"Don’t ever mention something personal and avoid religion and politics and gossip... No interrupting either. Remember people’s names, compliment them, don’t raise your voice or ever show emotion...Keep yourself informed. Read the papers."
"Self-esteem and self-ambition make a lady. Always aim high; consider the long plan. That’s the trouble with young girls nowadays – there’s too much living for the moment."
Don't fall for old-fashioned stereotypes of what it means to be an aristocrat:
"You seem to have this idea that minding one’s manners and dressing modestly, equates with being, well, something of a lily-livered wimp...Whereas ladies display strength of character, they are fair and charitable.""Ladies aren't stuck in the nineteenth, century. Expert knowledge in any area is admirable."
So, in short, know where you are going in life, have high standards of behaviour, be kind to others and act with confidence. Plus Lady C feels chivalry is not your enemy - respect yourself and others will respect you as well.
Will Gemma pull off the transformation and pass herself as a toff? Or will she spill soup down her clothes, swear and wear too low-cut tops?
