Their centuries-old family estate is Latchetts, in the fictional village of Clare, near the south coast of England.

Bee has kept the estate going by turning the family stable into a profitable business and combining breeding, selling and training horses with riding lessons.

The title character, Brat Farrar, is a young man recently returned to England from America.

He ended up in the western US, where he worked at ranches and stables for several years and became an expert horseman, until a fall injured his leg, leaving him with a limp.

Alec's idea is for Brat to impersonate Simon's missing twin, Patrick, and, as the elder brother, claim the trust and the estate.

Alec remembers a great deal about the Ashbys, Latchetts and the village, which will allow him to coach Brat on all of the background details.

The Ashbys are wealthy by other means with no money problems and so do not need to raise horses, the impostor who plays Tony is not a long-lost cousin and the character of Uncle Charles does not appear.