A Lady in Disguise (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Tired of being hemmed in by protocol and proper behaviour, Lady Emma Weston, the niece of the visiting Russian diplomat, Count Suravov, has escaped from the Pulteney Hotel, disguised as a maid, in order to enjoy the London sights. Much as Lady Emma loves her aunt and uncle, and much as she's been grateful to them for having taken her in when her parents died, she has found her life at Tsar Alexander's court to be rather stifling. Lady Emma had rather hoped that being back in England again would mean a little relaxing of all the rules about protocol and proper behaviour. Unfortunately, she's found life in London, so far, to be as stifling as life in St. Petersburg. And so, she's decided to slip out, in order to enjoy a few hours respite. And she was enjoying herself quite a bit until she was accosted by a lout. Fortunately, she's rescued by a very dashing and handsome Englishman whom she promptly (and unwisely) looses her heart to.

Except that her Englishman is no ordinary Englishman, he's actually Jack Howard, the Viscount St. Albans, and he's a spy in His Majesty's secret service. And it is while he's out (dressed as an underpaid secretary) delivering secret papers to Count Suvarov, that he runs into the Count's lovely niece, Lady Emma. Now Jack recognizes Lady Emma (he'd been introduced to her a few nights before); but it soon becomes clear to him that she does not recollect having met him at all. Half in love with Lady Emma because of her dazzling looks and her dreamy eyes, Jack decides to play along, little dreaming that he would find himself totally in love with the bewitching Lady Emma by the time their day together is over. To be able to meet Lady Emma again and spend more time with her is all Jack can think of. And yet what will Lady Emma say when she discovers his charade (as she will sooner or later), and can he persuade her to overlook his deceit and to carry on looking at him with her heart in her eyes?

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but here's what happened to me: I was enjoying the book enormously -- the nice and sedate pace at which things were unfolding between Jack and Emma, the manner in which the authour had fleshed out Jack's and Emma's characters (as well as a few others -- Madame Ana, Bertie Stonwich, Sir Jeremy Ashbey, Emma's aunt, Lady Lydia, and Jack's mother, Jane), as well as the slightly darker subplot that was developing in tandem to the main plot involving the Jack and Emma's romance, when suddenly everything moved at lightening speed (in the last 15 odd pages), to a shocking climax, with several issues still left hanging (in my opinion) in midair. And since this is supposed to be a Signet SUPER Regency romance (which I took to mean a little longer than the usual 200 odd pages format), I had rather expected everything to be resolved a little more satisfactorily and a lot more smoothly. For example, how does Lady Emma take the news that she's married to a spy? Will Jack give up spying in favour of a quiet life with Emma? Was there something even more sinister to the villain's fixation on Lady Emma than was indicated with the hurried ending? I wanted these questions answered, and was rather disappointed when they weren't.

On the whole though, "Lady in Disguise" is a rather magical and satisfying story of two lonely people who find love and fulfillment in each other -- and if that's not a good enough recommendation, I really don't know what is.