The master of a wealthy household is found face down in his morning porridge.
Tropes:
- Asshole Victim: Both the victim and his mother. The victim had a long history of sexually harassing, if not outright raping the female servants, often leading to their dismissal when they turned up pregnant. His mother was a cruel woman who fostered that environment.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The victim's family all know that the head of the family sexually abuses their female servants.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Clara became engaged to her half-brother to perpetuate his revenge although its unclear if their relationship was ever consummated.
- The Butler Did It: The butler murdered the victim's mother in order to protect the identity of the actual killer. However she was also a bit of an Asshole Victim, creating a hostile working environment in which the servants were treated horribly by her family.
- Frame-Up: Billy the footman attempts to frame the housekeeper due to his bitterness over how she treats the servants who Mr. Jenkins sexually harasses including his own sweetheart.
- Like Father, Like Son: Victor Jenkins, like his father, also has a wandering eye for servants, although at least in his case, any encounters appear to be consensual. They also both went after the same girl at one point (in the case of Mr. Jenkins Sr., she threatened to scream and alert the whole house if he didn't let go of her, or touched her again).
- Nice to the Waiter:
- Julia is really nice to her servants.
- Averted with the victim's family, several of whom treat their staff unspeakably.
- Non-Idle Rich: Nicholas Jenkins, at least compared to the rest of his family. He disapproves of their classic and makes an effort to do his own chores rather than simply order a servant to do them. He was also willing to accept being disinherited out of anger for his father protesting his marriage.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Clara and the butler. Clara's mother was a servant in the household who was essentially — if not actually — raped by the victim some twenty years earlier, and then unceremoniously fired and turned out on the street when she turned out to be pregnant. Clara admitted her regret at using her fiance, the only decent member of the family, whom she genuinely grew to care about, but was driven by her desire for vengeance. The butler's murder of the victim's mother was driven by his guilt over failing to protect Clara's mother and at least two other girls that his master forced himself on and impregnated, leading to their dismissals. Ultimately, both were seeking justice for decades of abuses that the victim and his cruel mother would likely never be held accountable for otherwise.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: Victor Jenkins, which saw him disinherited. When accused on this grounds he points out that as he'd already been disinherited, killing his father wouldn't have solved anything.
