A Countess Below Stairs (1981)
Anna Grazinsky is a Russian countess who must flee to England after World War I when the Bolsheviks take over. Anna leaves Russia with her governess, Pinny, and decides that she must work since her family’s fortune seems to have been lost. After reading a manual on how to be a housemaid, Anna takes a position as a housemaid at Mersham, the home of the Earl of Westerholme. However, Anna conceals her position as a housemaid from her mother, brother and cousin, instead telling them that she is staying there as a guest. When Anna begins working at Mersham, the downstairs staff immediately realizes that Anna must be of noble birth, but since Anna is such a hard worker and a very sweet girl, they allow her to stay and become friends with her. Anna’s task is to prepare Mersham for the arrival of Rupert Frayne, the Earl of Westerholme, who is returning from the war—Rupert had promised his older brother (who had died in the war) that he would try to save the family home.
Rupert arrives with his fiancé, Muriel Hardwicke, a very wealthy and pampered young lady. The downstairs staff initially love her because the home will be saved, but they soon learn that she is a very spoiled, selfish, and downright nasty woman. Rupert begins to see this negative side of his fiancé, but feels like he must keep his promise to both Muriel (his promise of marriage) and his brother (his promise to save the family estate). However, keeping that promise turns out to be quite difficult, especially when Rupert meets Anna and begins to fall in love with her from the moment he sees her. Amidst the upstairs/downstairs relationships and a number of misunderstandings, Anna and Rupert fall in love with each other—but Muriel's presence and Anna’s secret seem to constantly pull them apart.
Rupert arrives with his fiancé, Muriel Hardwicke, a very wealthy and pampered young lady. The downstairs staff initially love her because the home will be saved, but they soon learn that she is a very spoiled, selfish, and downright nasty woman. Rupert begins to see this negative side of his fiancé, but feels like he must keep his promise to both Muriel (his promise of marriage) and his brother (his promise to save the family estate). However, keeping that promise turns out to be quite difficult, especially when Rupert meets Anna and begins to fall in love with her from the moment he sees her. Amidst the upstairs/downstairs relationships and a number of misunderstandings, Anna and Rupert fall in love with each other—but Muriel's presence and Anna’s secret seem to constantly pull them apart.