"Who are you?"
— Heather to the ghosts, Who Do You Think You Are?
Lady Heather Button was the previous owner of Button House, which was then inherited by her distant relative Alison Cooper and her husband, Mike, when she passed away in 2019.
Biography[]
Heather was the last of the Button bloodline (other than Alison). She had no children and is never referred to as having been married. She had a very long life of almost a hundred years though did become rather frail towards the end of her life which resulted in the house falling into a state of great disrepair. Unfortunately, she never knew about the ghosts which inhabited the house and so was unaware they'd been keeping vigil at her bedside during her last hours.
At the moment of her death her spirit leaves her body as a partially transparent, white-ish entity which floats above her bed for a short time. This is the first time the ghosts become visible to her and rather than being scared she just asks who they are, Fanny then informs her that she is the ghost of her great-grandmother. Kitty had hoped Heather would stay but she quickly flies upwards and moves on to the afterlife rather than lingering; the ghosts say they're happy for her but there is clearly some jealousy. The Captain says he'd say a few words for her, clears his throat and then announces that he'd be claiming her room; even Julian finds this distasteful.
Following her death Button House is passed down to Alison Cooper as she is the only remaining branch of the family. There is no exact term for how Alison and Heather are related though Alison likens it to being a great niece of some sort. They were so distantly related that neither knew of one another's existence and never met.
Heather is mentioned during Getting Out by Fiona Legge who says that after Heather's death they'd expected the house to go up for sale.[1] It is implied that Herrington Hotels had previously made offers to purchase the house from Heather.
In the Season 3 episode Something to Share?, it is revealed that Heather knew Julian in her (and his) life, as she was in Button House when it was being used as a Conservative Party meeting place, and he addresses her by name shortly after his death. She however does not seem upset at his death.
Appearance[]
Heather was an elderly woman of ninety-nine with short grey hair and a slender frame. She had been weak and frail for many years before her death. In the past, as shown by a photo of her, she was shown to be a very beautiful lady with long brown hair.
Personality[]
Little is known about Heather's personality since her death is right at the start of Who Do You Think You Are?, however, the other ghosts never say anything bad about her. This suggests she was quite nice and sweet, and at the very least a person that gained their respect, as even Julian was furious when The Captain tried to claim her bedroom after she had only just died. She did not however seem very upset at the death of Julian, implying that Heather was a good judge of character and was aware Julian was perhaps a bit manipulative and selfish. She also seems to have been intelligent and possibly a bit involved in Politics, as she hosted at least two Conservative party meetings at her home, which Julian attended. She also seems to have had courage and a great deal of bravery, as when she passed away and her spirit was with the ghosts for a few seconds rather than screaming she simply asked “Who are you.”
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Upon her death Robin and Julian make a bet of ten pounds regarding if she'd pass on or remain a ghost with them.
- Due to Heather's age, and the fact she knew Julian, it is quite likely she knew the Captain and Pat as the Captain worked in, presumably her house at the time, during WWII and Pat did Scouts sessions at her house.
- Its unknown if she was married during her life, but she had no children and as such had no descendants.