Another option we could do is for all of us involved wanting to participate is also just create a new family entirely - an NPC family. That way, we can all collectively make up some sort of drama to do with the family and it's easier since there's no one actively having their rep be affected by what the servants do.

If we want the best of both worlds - both NPC families AND a played family, we could do the Sanditon Inn - we make up guests who visited, and there are lots of things to speculate with events, etc that go on there.