The main course ended, leaving several empty dishes sitting on the fine lace table.
Instead of calling the hired butler, Margarethe turned her cold eyes directly toward Clara.
She snapped her fingers loudly, shocking the nearby guests into a sudden silence.
Margarethe: Clara, stop sitting there doing nothing while the rest of us eat.
Clara froze in her seat, feeling all eyes suddenly lock onto her face.
Clara: I am watching the baby, Mrs. Sterling.
Margarethe: You can watch the baby while making yourself useful for once in this home.
Margarethe pushed a dirty plate toward the edge of the polished mahogany table.
Margarethe: Take these two plates to the kitchen immediately.
Clara felt a burning wave of shame wash over her cheeks and neck.
She did not want to cause a loud scene in front of Mark's family guests.
Slowly, Clara stood up while holding the baby carrier safely on her chest.
She reached over to pick up the heavy, grease-stained dinner plates.
Mark watched his wife in total disbelief as she began stacking the dishes.
His heart beat fast with a mix of shock and rising anger.
Mark: Mother, what are you doing?
Margarethe: I am giving her something simple to do so she earns her dinner.
A few guests giggled quietly behind their cloth napkins at the table.
Clara bit her lower lip hard to keep her tears from falling down.
She lifted the stack of dirty plates, her hands shaking slightly from embarrassment.
Mark: Put those down right now, Clara.
Clara: Mark, please, it is fine, I can just take them away.
Mark: No, it is not fine, and you are not doing that.
Margarethe frowned deeply, unhappy that her son was challenging her power.
Margarethe: Do not command her, Mark, she knows her place in this house.
The room became completely quiet as the conflict grew rapidly between them.
Mark stared at his mother's harsh face, realizing how wicked her heart truly was.
He could no longer stay silent while his wife was treated so terribly.