Well, you know the form,' Bedingfield says. 'She lives in that room and has her ladies – those ones – cook for her over the fire. You knock and go in, and if you call her Lady Katherine she kicks you out, and if you call her Your Highness she lets you stay. So I call her nothing. You, I call her. As if she were a girl that scrubs the steps.
Bedingfield describes the intricacies of the relationship with Lady Katherine in the book "Bring Up the Bodies" by Hilary Mantel. He explains that her living conditions and the need for proper titles reflect her status. The distinction in how one addresses her is crucial, as using the wrong title can lead to immediate dismissal from her presence. This highlights both her authority and the rigid social hierarchies of the time.
Interestingly, Bedingfield opts to forgo formal titles altogether, choosing to address her simply as "you." This choice demonstrates a level of familiarity and perhaps a subtle defiance against the constraints that titles impose. It suggests a desire to connect on a more personal level, reducing her status to that of an ordinary person rather than a noble figure, emphasizing the complexities of status and power dynamics in their interactions.