Inheritance

Nora Roberts

Inheritance

Nora Roberts
60 pages2-hour read
Fiction
Novel
Adult
Published in 2023

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Sonya is a 28-year-old graphic designer with deep green eyes and maple-syrup-brown hair. A practical and disciplined professional, she launches her own business after a personal and workplace betrayal. Her logical nature is tested when she inherits an ancestral estate in Maine and must adapt to its supernatural reality. She acts with determination to protect her new home and uncover the mysteries of her family tree.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Winter MacTavish

Daughter of Andrew MacTavish

Ex-Fiancée of Brandon Wise

Best Friend of Cleo Fabares

Romantic Interest of Trey Doyle

Cousin of Owen Poole

Niece of Collin Poole

Target of Hester Dobbs

Owner of Yoda

Trey is a 32-year-old attorney working at his family's law firm in Poole's Bay. He has a calm, reasonable demeanor and is well acquainted with the haunted history of Lost Bride Manor, having considered Collin Poole a surrogate uncle. He provides a grounding presence for Sonya as she faces her new life and supernatural challenges.

Key Relationships

Son of Deuce Doyle

Son of Corrine Doyle

Grandson of Ace Doyle

Brother of Anna

Romantic Interest of Sonya MacTavish

Best Friend of Owen Poole

Owner of Mookie

Cleo is a 28-year-old illustrator from Louisiana with a southern accent and a whimsical personality. Raised by a grandmother who identifies as a witch, she is highly attuned to the supernatural and immediately embraces the ghostly presences at Lost Bride Manor. She serves as a vital counterbalance to Sonya's initial skepticism, offering steady friendship and open-minded intuition.

Key Relationships

Best Friend of Sonya MacTavish

Romantic Interest of Owen Poole

Target of Hester Dobbs

Helped by Molly O'Brian

Friend of Jack Poole

Enemy of Brandon Wise

Owen is one of the last remaining Pooles in Poole's Bay and owns the family's shipbuilding business. He is a stoic, unflappable presence who possesses a deep appreciation for craftsmanship. His shared Poole ancestry gives him a unique sensitivity to the manor's supernatural phenomena, allowing him to perceive the same spectral elements that Sonya sees.

Key Relationships

Cousin of Sonya MacTavish

Best Friend of Trey Doyle

Romantic Interest of Cleo Fabares

Owner of Jones

Descendant of Agatha Winward Poole

Enemy of Hester Dobbs

Hester is a 19th-century witch whose unrequited love for Collin Poole twisted into violent rage. She remains a malevolent spirit within Lost Bride Manor, thriving on fear and grief while actively tormenting the living inhabitants. Her lingering presence perpetuates a multi-generational curse on the Poole family.

Key Relationships

Enemy of Cleo Fabares

Murderer of Astrid Grandville Poole

Murderer of Catherine Poole Cabot

Murderer of Agatha Winward Poole

Murderer of Lisbeth Anne Poole Whitmore

Supporting Characters

Brandon is Sonya's coworker and ex-fiancé who prefers an extravagant lifestyle and prioritizes his reputation. After being caught cheating, he spitefully orchestrates a campaign of workplace harassment and malicious rumors against Sonya, ultimately driving her to start her own business.

Key Relationships

Ex-Fiancé of Sonya MacTavish

Romantic Partner of Tracie

Winter is Sonya's mother and works as an administrative assistant. Pragmatic and supportive, she offers Sonya a strong emotional anchor during times of crisis. She cherishes the memory of her late husband and feels a lingering, comforting connection to his spirit.

Key Relationships

Mother of Sonya MacTavish

Widow of Andrew MacTavish

Employee of Marshall Tibbetts

Andrew was a talented artist and Sonya's father who tragically died when she was 12 years old. Separated from his twin brother Collin at birth and sent into foster care, he unknowingly painted images of Lost Bride Manor and his twin, demonstrating a profound subconscious link to his heritage.

Key Relationships

Late Father of Sonya MacTavish

Twin Brother of Collin Poole

Collin was Andrew MacTavish's twin brother and the previous owner of Lost Bride Manor. Having lost his wife Johanna on their wedding day, he spent his life grieving and maintaining the estate before eventually leaving it to his niece, Sonya.

Key Relationships

Late Uncle of Sonya MacTavish

Late Husband of Johanna Poole

Oliver "Deuce" Doyle II is an attorney representing the estate of Collin Poole. He is a warm, reassuring figure who helps guide Sonya through the legal intricacies of her inheritance and provides vital context regarding the Poole family history.

Key Relationships

Father of Trey Doyle

Lawyer for Sonya MacTavish

Lillian "Clover" Poole is Sonya's grandmother who died giving birth to Andrew and Collin. As a benevolent spirit in Lost Bride Manor, she serves as a playful presence, using music to communicate encouragement to Sonya and warning Trey about Hester's influence.

Key Relationships

Grandmother of Sonya MacTavish

Mother of Andrew MacTavish

Astrid is the original cursed bride whose murder initiated the generations-long tragedy on the Poole family. Her spirit haunts the manor, frequently playing the piano and communicating with Sonya through dreams to plead for the recovery of the stolen wedding rings.

Key Relationships

Ancestor of Sonya MacTavish

Victim of Hester Dobbs

Johanna was a teacher who loved children and became the seventh cursed bride when she fell to her death on her wedding day in 1995. Her ghost occasionally appears to those who care for the family, asking them to look out for her grieving husband.

Key Relationships

Late Wife of Collin Poole

Friend of Corrine Doyle

Anna is Trey's pregnant sister and one of Sonya's first clients in Maine. She is welcoming and friendly, helping to integrate Sonya into the local community by hiring her graphic design business.

Key Relationships

Sister of Trey Doyle

Client of Sonya MacTavish

Corrine is Deuce's wife and Trey's mother. Having been a friend of the late Johanna Poole, she has her own history with the manor's ghosts and helps provide Sonya with additional context about the family's past.

Key Relationships

Mother of Trey Doyle

Friend of Johanna Poole

Ace is Trey's grandfather and a welcoming figure in Poole's Bay who warmly embraces Sonya's arrival and integration into the town.

Key Relationships

Grandfather of Trey Doyle

Neighbor of Sonya MacTavish

Yoda is a ten-month-old Boston terrier-dachshund mix that Sonya adopts for companionship and security. Highly attuned to the supernatural, he interacts playfully with benevolent ghosts and alerts Sonya to malicious presences.

Key Relationships

Playmate of Jack Poole

Molly is the benevolent ghost of an Irish immigrant maid who continues her housekeeping duties in the afterlife. She helps Sonya and Cleo by putting away groceries, making beds, and laying out clothes.

Key Relationships

Helper of Sonya MacTavish

Helper of Cleo Fabares

Jack is the ghost of a nine-year-old boy who died of scarlet fever. He brings a lighthearted energy to the manor, teaching Yoda new tricks and providing the living residents with moments of innocent joy.

Key Relationships

Playmate of Yoda

Relative of Sonya MacTavish

Tracie is Sonya's cousin whose affair with Brandon shatters Sonya's relationship and upends her life, acting as the catalyst for Sonya's massive life changes.

Key Relationships

Cousin of Sonya MacTavish

Romantic Partner of Brandon Wise

Charles was the father of Andrew and Collin who died by suicide after the tragic death of his wife, Clover. His despair set off a chain reaction that resulted in his twin sons being separated.

Key Relationships

Late Husband of Clover Poole

Father of Collin Poole

Agatha was a lost bride who married a historical Owen Poole. She died of anaphylactic shock from an intentionally poisoned wedding cake, continuing the legacy of Hester's curse.

Key Relationships

Wife of Historical Owen Poole

Victim of Hester Dobbs

Lisbeth was a cursed bride who suffered a gruesome death from multiple black widow spider bites on her wedding day, becoming another victim of Hester's vengeance.

Key Relationships

Wife of Edward Whitmore

Victim of Hester Dobbs

Catherine was a niece by marriage to Astrid and the second bride to fall victim to the curse. Lured into the snow by Hester, she froze to death, solidifying the multi-generational nature of the curse.

Key Relationships

Victim of Hester Dobbs

Ancestor of Sonya MacTavish

Marianne was a 19th-century Poole bride who died while giving birth to twins. In a supernatural encounter across time, she recognizes Sonya's presence before Hester steals her wedding ring.

Key Relationships

Victim of Hester Dobbs

Ancestor of Sonya MacTavish