How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Alek bit his lip. Father had never allowed him to be photographed or even sketched, and now Alek knew why—in case he would ever need to hide. And yet he'd still given himself away. (13.41)
It's not Alek's appearance that betrays him—it's his tongue. No matter what he looks like, he can't help but sound like a nobleman. Deryn and Alek both change their appearances—Deryn to hide her gender, and Alek to hide his social class—but both also realize that a good disguise is about more than appearances. They have to work on changing their behavior, too.
Quote #2
As another female, Dr. Barlow might notice a few odd things the other crewmen hadn't. And she was a clever-boots, with all that science under her bowler. If anyone was going to guess Deryn's little secret, it would be this lady boffin. (16.92)
Another woman on board is definitely something Deryn didn't bargain on. It's easy enough to hide her gender from a bunch of men, but hiding from another woman is going to be a different trick entirely. Is it odd that Dr. Barlow never seems to figure it out?
Quote #3
She'd been such a ninny to muck about with razors. This was how she'd always been caught out in lies—making things too barking complicated.
"I…I'm not sure what you mean, ma'am."
"How old are you, Mr. Sharp?"
Deryn blinked. She couldn't speak.
"With a face that smooth, not sixteen," Dr. Barlow continued. "Perhaps fourteen? Or younger?"
A squick of hope began to trickle through Deryn. Had the lady boffin guessed the wrong secret? She decided to tell the truth: "Barely fifteen, ma'am." (19.47-52)
We're so focused on Deryn's gender-bending disguise that we don't think about the other reason she's not allowed in the military: she's not old enough. Dr. Barlow definitely notices that something's up, but she attributes anything less than masculine about Deryn's appearance to age instead of gender. Hmm… Maybe Dr. Barlow isn't quite as smart as she thinks she is.