Adelheid

Adelheid is Bertha Russell's lady's maid, a quiet, watchful presence in the new-money household on Fifth Avenue. German-born and precise, she dresses her mistress, keeps her counsel, and observes the servants' hierarchy below stairs with the same careful attention she gives Bertha's gowns. She wants steadiness, and to do her job well.

Erin Wilhelmi plays her with a stillness that makes you lean in — Adelheid rarely raises her voice, but her eyes track every slight and alliance in the servants' hall. The writing uses her as a quiet barometer of the house's tensions, and Wilhelmi finds real feeling in restraint rather than melodrama.