The story in one page
Lionel Mortimer is a man defined by his lack of money and his abundance of idle time. When he encounters the elusive Beatrice Blair, he is drawn into a dizzying circuit of London society and country house secrets. Beatrice is an actress by trade and a puppeteer by hobby, balancing two separate personas to baffle her various suitors. As Lionel attempts to solve the puzzle of her conflicting schedules, he discovers that being a part of her orbit is the most expensive and exhausting hobby he has ever adopted. Eventually, the masks drop, and the two find that their mutual capacity for nonsense is the foundation of their romance.
Who's who
- Lionel Mortimer
An impoverished man with charm but no career path.
- Beatrice Blair
A professional actress who moonlights as an elaborate prankster.
- Henry Brown
A hapless suitor who tries to win Beatrice with expensive gifts.
- Ashford Billing
A persistent stage manager who believes he can marry Beatrice.
- Mizzi
A woman caught in the crossfire of Lionel's investigations.
What it's really about
- The Perils of Pretending
- Maintaining two lives is harder than having a real job.
- Romantic Strategy
- Love involves more plotting than a military campaign.
Why it's memorable
- Lionel interrogating a locked-in houseguest while calmly filling a pipe.
- Beatrice using a gardener who pretends to be mute to maintain her privacy.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Lionel and Beatrice abandon their elaborate games for the relative boredom of marriage, though they agree to maintain at least one 'adventure' per year.
For your book club
- Can one really be expected to dress on nothing a year?
- How many aliases is too many for a successful romance?