He knew that what he felt for young Selby was a kind of desire. And he knew himself well enough to understand that he felt this kind of desire for men as well as women. Thus far, he had been able—for the most part—to ignore this inconvenient urge when it applied to men. [p. 56]
Louisa Selby is blonde, pretty and penniless. She's come to London with her brother Robert, looking to make an advantageous match. The pair concoct a scheme which seems harmless: Robert approaches Alistair de Lacey, Marquess of Pembroke, claiming that his father was Louisa's godfather, and hoping that he'll help launch Louisa into society. The Marquess is more interested in Selby than in Louisa, and swiftly finds himself in a compromising position. After which Selby reveals that he is not in fact Robert Selby, but a former housemaid named Charity Church.
Charity is a refreshing protagonist, with a strict moral code despite the constant deception of her 'Robin' persona. She was married to Robert Selby -- and studying in his place at Cambridge -- when Robert died: Charity assumed his identity, and felt more comfortable as a young man than she'd ever felt as a young woman. She's determined to see Louisa, Robert's little sister, properly settled, even at her own expense. And she is far from oblivious to the charms of Alistair de Lacey.
There are, of course, considerable reversals, miscommunications and shenanigans before all comes right. Charity is revealed (though refuses to ever live) as a woman, to a reassuring lack of fuss: “Well," says one of her university pals, "I knew you weren’t quite in the ordinary way of things... I wondered if you might be French.” And there's a good chance that most of the characters live happily ever after.
Unmasked by the Marquess was great fun, as well as being a surprisingly sincere portrait of a non-binary person (Charity thinks of herself as neither woman nor man, just 'Robin') and a bisexual aristocrat. The other characters are lightly sketched: the focus is very much on Robin and Alistair, and their initially-antagonistic relationship.
I'm intrigued by a mention of 'a man with a cat ... some kind of astronomer.' Oh no! I shall have to read more in the 'Regency Imposters' series!
For Shop Your Shelves Bingo, Summer 2023: purchased 27 DEC 2018, prompt 'favourite trope'. Hey, I have a lot of favourite tropes :) but I do like a nice bit of cross-dressing.
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