The character Rosemary Fell is a "fictional reconstruction" of Mansfield's wealthy first cousin, once removed, the writer Elizabeth von Arnim.
Before going to the car, Rosemary is approached by Miss Smith, a poor girl who asks for enough money to buy tea.
Instead, Rosemary drives the girl to her plush house, determined to show her "that dreams do come true" and "that rich people did have hearts."
An adaptation of "A Cup of Tea", directed by Shyam Benegal, was included in the Indian television series Katha Sagar in 1986.
This was a series of readings of four short stories written by Mansfield when she lived in the Montana region (now Crans-Montana) of Switzerland between May 1921 and January 1922, and later from June to August 1922.