Set in 1910, Montgomery’s novel unfolds during the final days of the Edwardian era (1901-1910), a period defined by a rigid class hierarchy in which “social relationships were strictly defined, and interactions among and between the classes were governed by a series of complex and rigid rules” (“The Manners of the Edwardian Era.” Driehaus Museum, 16 May 2016). In grand country estates like Tithe Hall, a distinct divide existed between the family upstairs and the staff downstairs. The leisured life of the family was made possible by a large, disciplined staff with its own internal hierarchy, from the head butler down to the scullery maids. Servants worked long hours for low wages: “[A] housemaid might earn £18-25 [£2700-£3800 in 2026] per year, while a butler could earn £50 [£7600 in 2026] or more” (Montagu, Julie. “The Life of Gilded Age Servants.” Gilded Heiresses, 25 Sep 2025).  They were expected to remain unseen and unheard yet perform their tasks impeccably.

Within Montgomery’s novel, this expectation of both excellence and invisibility facilitates an imbalance of power that creates escalating tension. As Mr. Stokes insists, “The success of a servant depends upon his or her ability to be invisible […] [t]o be as integral, and yet as indiscernible, as the furniture” (10). Montgomery positions this strict upstairs/downstairs divide at the center of the murder mystery. The murderers, Mr. Stokes and Temperance, are driven by resentments born from grievances with the social hierarchy, specifically the exploitation of Temperance’s mother by the Viscount. Their ability to navigate the house unseen via servants’ staircases and their intimate knowledge of the family’s routines allow them to execute their complex plan, while also escaping notice.

Montgomery’s novel, set in 1910 at the tail end of the Edwardian period, captures a historical moment just before this strict class structure began to erode, exploring the simmering tensions and power imbalances that festered beneath a veneer of aristocratic decorum. The rigid, upstairs/downstairs divide that dominated British society throughout the Victorian and Edwardian eras remained until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. As men from all social classes were drafted to the front lines of a global conflict, women who had formerly worked as maids and cooks could make more money in working-class positions previously filled by men. As reported by BBC News, “With the men sent off to fight, women dominated traditional male working roles in munitions factories, making aeroplanes and uniforms. After World War II, many women did not return to their domestic service roles.” Eventually, post-war technological advances introduced “new equipment to accommodate the shortage of servants—the introduction of flushing toilets, washing machines and microwave ovens” (Wallis, Lucy. “Servants: A Life below Stairs.” BBC News, 21 Sep. 2012).