SOLVED. Romance - girl and aunt move into haunted manor, must live there for so long to inherit. Spoilers ahead. [s]

[Sam]

I read this book before 2014 possibly before 2008. it is about a woman (main female lead, think her name is Prudence) and her aunt (possibly named sarifina) inheriting a manor that is said to be haunted and to inherit it they need to live in the house for a period of time. all the other relatives closer in relation were driven off by the ghost. Main lead male is called Sonjin or something similar. his best friend is named Justin.

Spoilers -
plot has to do with the lord of the manor not being dead but pretending to be dead since he felt someone was trying to kill him. mentions 3 attempts - poison, muggers knowing his name, sliced saddle strap. the girl finds out he isn't really dead after he scares away a suitor that was only after her new wealth ( meaning his stuff) by dripping blood down the wall (lambs blood i think) by attacking him after he tries to scare her that night but she is so mad she charges him. story progresses to her helping him to find out who wants him dead. the manor has all these secret passages that he uses to spy on his relatives that come to stay for the aunts seance. as he spies on his relatives he finds out that his uncle and male cousin want him dead since they were expecting to inherit when he died but he was in the process of getting married and the debtors were calling in the markers since they were no longer going to be first in line. his aunt and her daughter (who really like taxidermy animals as that is what her late husband did) want him dead since they feel he should have asked to marry the daughter and keep the wealth in the family. his best friend wants him dead since he has been in love with his fiance for a while who only agreed to marry him for his money to save her family. and his mistress wants him dead since she had been stealing his family jewels and he would have noticed when he went to give them to his bride. after he learns all this he gets drunk and gives the cat alcohol and the next morning the cat comes to the table drunk and Justin (the best friend) says something about this gives new meaning to the phrase shot the cat. book ends up being that the solicitor (nicknamed teddy i think) has been embezzling money and didn't want to be found out when the books were called in for tallying when the main male character went over them when he was going to get married.

[Ayshe]

Lord Sayer's Ghost maybe?

[Sam]

yes that is it! thank you so much.