Bad Heir Day

A Reluctant Inheritance

When graphic designer Harriet Simmons receives a terse phone call summoning her to the stately Ashworth Manor, she expects a brief tour and a cheque. Instead, she discovers she has been named sole heir to a sprawling estate—and the crumbling title of “Lady Ashworth”—after a distant great-aunt’s untimely demise. Thrust from her modest London flat into a world of velvet drapes, ancestral portraits, and cryptic family lore, Harriet must navigate a labyrinth of legal stipulations, eccentric trustees, and a suspiciously overzealous solicitor determined to capitalize on her naiveté.

Royal Chaos Unleashed

Ashworth Manor, however, is far from the picture-postcard idyll depicted in guidebooks. The lavish drawing room hosts a cast of desperate opportunity-seekers: a mutinous butler who believes he’s the rightful heir, a gossip columnist camped on the lawn, and a maid whose secret late-night escapades threaten to expose long-buried scandals. With leaking roofs, a prized peacock on the loose, and the local press circling like vultures, Harriet must rally unlikely allies—gardeners, disgraced aristocrats, and even a reformed petty thief—to restore order before her inheritance turns into a palace of problems.

Heart Over Heirloom

Amid the turmoil, Harriet finds an unexpected confidant in James Carter, the manor’s rugged groundskeeper with a soft spot for old architecture and strong tea. As they negotiate damp cellars and dusty attics in search of hidden deeds and forgotten treasures, sparks fly between pragmatic wit and genteel rebellion. Their partnership blossoms into a tender romance—proof that love, like lineage, can endure the most unexpected upheavals.

Finding Home in the Unlikeliest Places

By the final gala beneath the chandeliered ceiling, Harriet learns that true legacy is measured not in acres or aristocratic bloodlines, but in the laughter shared and the bonds forged amid adversity. With Ashworth Manor restored and her newfound sense of belonging firmly rooted, she embraces her title not as a burden, but as a bridge between past and future.

.Wendy Holden is a bestselling author known for her witty contemporary fiction that blends humor with heartfelt insights into modern relationships. With Bad Heir Day, she delivers a laugh-out-loud tale of unexpected legacies, personal discovery, and the true meaning of family.