One rigid diplomat. One chaotic heiress. And a kleptomaniac monkey who might just start an international war.

Lord Alexander Wellington is one week away from the career-defining posting he’s spent years perfecting his pedigree to achieve. All he has to do is prevent a diplomatic disaster during the Ottoman Ambassador's visit to Thornfield Hall. He expected a challenge. He did not expect a family of theatrical eccentrics who think protocol is a suggestion and an ancient Egyptian costume is appropriate dinner attire.

Penelope Thornfield has three months to save her home from creditors. She isn't a scholar or a beauty; she’s the "entertaining" daughter, armed with a diplomatic manual full of spectacularly wrong advice and enough enthusiasm to accidentally insult an empire. When her family’s pet monkey steals the Ambassador’s ceremonial hat, Penelope’s quick-thinking—and utterly fabricated—tradition is the only thing that saves the day.

Alexander is horrified. He is precise. He is controlled. He is… losing his mind.

To survive the week, the two must form a precarious partnership. Alexander provides the cultural expertise, while Penelope offers the intuitive warmth his rigid world lacks. But as they navigate fusion cuisine catastrophes and territorial peacocks, the biggest risk isn't the Ambassador’s temper—it’s the undeniable spark between a man who lives by the rules and the woman who makes him want to break them all.

With her family's future on the line and his reputation at stake, can they turn a week of disasters into a lifetime of love? Or will the chaos of Scandal Manor finally be their undoing?

If you love the witty banter of Tessa Dare, the charming absurdity of The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo, and the "grumpy x sunshine" trope, you’ll fall for this hilarious historical romp.