Built in 1776, Ghastly Manor has been home to 5 generations of Ghastlys, each with their own peculiar passions. Yet none were as unusual as Lord Nigel Ghastly, who with his trusted batman Sergeant Woodhouse at his side, sailed on many voyages to far off lands in search of antiquities. His greatest – and final – expedition saw him travel to Egypt, where he uncovered the great of pyramid of the lesser-known pharaoh, Pitzahut.
Lord Nigel sent back many artifacts and jewels from Egypt, but in reality they were worth little and his expedition was costing him a fortune that would never be recovered. After sending home a statue of the cat god Bastet, he fell gravely ill. His wife, Prunella, rushed to Cairo to be with him, but he died in her arms, and she believed that the statue was cursed and vowed that it must never be touched.
In the year which past since his death, a cloud of doom had descended upon Prunella. Her children, Cuthbert and Rowena, were useless with money. To keep the house, they had to sell much of their possessions, and fired as much of their staff as they could bear to part with. As a last resort, Lady Prunella concocted a half-baked plan to marry Cuthbert off to her sister’s adopted daughter, Marcy Twerkington, heiress to the legendary Twerkington fortune.
Later, on his journey home, Sgt. Woodhouse also fell ill and passed away before he ever made it back to England. Among his personal effects were a letter of recommendation from Lord Nigel that Woodhouse’s son, Peter, become Lord Cuthbert’s new valet.
The year is 1929. The place: Piddleswick, northern England. It is Peter’s first day at Ghastly Manor, Marcy and the Twerkingtons are arriving for the weekend and things are about to get very silly indeed.
