1

SHEK O

HONG KONG

“Oh good, you’re early,” Corinna said, as Kitty was shown outside to the table by the butler.

“My God! The view! I don’t even feel like I’m in Hong Kong anymore,” Kitty exclaimed as she stared at the sparkling azure waters of the South China Sea from the dramatic cliffside terrace of the Ko-Tung villa at Shek O, a peninsula on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island.

“Yes, that’s what everyone always says.” Corinna nodded, glad to see that Kitty was duly impressed. She had arranged the lunch here today specifically because she knew she needed to do something special to make up for the whole Stratosphere Church debacle.

“This is the most beautiful house I’ve ever been to in all of Hong Kong! Does your mother live here?” Kitty asked, taking her appointed seat beneath the arch at the outdoor dining table.

“No. No one lives here full-time. This was originally my grandfather’s weekend retreat, and when he died he very cleverly left it to the Ko-Tung Corporation so that his children couldn’t fight over it. It’s shared among the whole family—we use it like our own private club, and the company also uses it for very special functions.”

“So this is where your mother hosted the ball for the Duchess of Oxbridge a few months ago?”

“Not just the duchess. My mother threw a dinner party here for Princess Margaret when she came with Lord Snowdon in 1966, and Princess Alexandra has visited too.”

“Where are those princesses from?”

Corinna had to refrain from rolling her eyes. “Princess Margaret is the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Alexandra of Kent is a cousin of the queen.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize there were so many princesses in England. I just thought there was Princess Diana and Princess Kate.”

“Actually, her name is Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and she is not officially a princess of the blood royal. As consort to Prince Will…oh never mind,” Corinna said dismissively. “Now, Ada and Fiona will be here in a few minutes. Remember to be extra gracious to Fiona, because she was the one who convinced Ada to come today.”

“Why is Fiona Tung-Cheng being so nice to me?” Kitty asked.

“Well, for one thing, unlike some of the members of Stratosphere, Fiona is a true Christian who believes in the power of redemption, and she’s also my cousin, so I could twist her arm into helping me. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Ada’s been dying to see this house for years.”

“I don’t blame her. I thought only Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay had a few big mansions—I didn’t know big houses on the water still existed in Hong Kong.”

“That’s how we prefer it. Shek O is where all the old families have their houses tucked away on the secluded headlands.”

“I should get a place here, shouldn’t I? You’ve been telling me to move out of Optus Towers. This would be like having a place in Hawaii!”

Corinna gave her a patronizing smile. “You can’t just buy a house here, Kitty. First of all, there are only a handful of houses, and most have been in families for generations and will always remain that way. In the rare instance that a property does come on the market, new residents need to be approved by Shek O Development, which controls most of the land around here. Living here is like being accepted into a very exclusive club—in fact, I would say that Shek O homeowners are part of the most exclusive club in Hong Kong.”

“Well, can’t you help me get in? Isn’t that the whole point of our working together?” And my paying you so goddamn much money every month, Kitty thought.

“We’ll see how things go. This is why it is so important to rehabilitate your image—in time, perhaps your grandchildren might be allowed to buy here.”

Kitty absorbed all this in a sulky silence. My grandchildren? I want to live here now, when I can still sunbathe in the nude on a private terrace like this one.

“Now, do you have the apology to Ada memorized by heart?” Corinna asked.

“I do. I was practicing it all morning with my maids. They thought it was very convincing.”

“Good. I really want this to come from the heart, Kitty. You need to deliver it like this is your one and only chance to win an Oscar. I don’t expect Ada and you to become instant best friends, but I do hope that this gesture will soften her and mark a turning point. Her forgiveness will go a long way toward your being accepted into society again.”

“I will try my best. I even wore exactly what you told me to.” Kitty sighed. She felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter in the muted floral Jenny Packham dress and peach Pringle cardigan that Corinna had chosen for her.

“I’m glad you listened. Just do me a favor and button one more button on that cardigan. Now it’s perfect!”

A few minutes later, the butler announced, “Madame—Lady Poon and Mrs. Tung-Cheng.” The ladies stepped onto the terrace, Fiona giving polite air-kisses to both Corinna and Kitty, while Ada barely looked in Kitty’s direction and hugged Corinna extravagantly. “My goodness, Corinna, what a place! It’s just like the Hotel du Cap out here!”

After the Niçoise salads had been served and a few pleasantries had been exchanged, Kitty took a deep breath and gazed earnestly at Ada. “Lady Poon, there’s no easy way to say this, but I so regret what happened at the Pinnacle Ball. I haven’t been able to forgive myself for my actions ever since. It was so terribly foolish of me to dash up on stage like that when Sir Francis was receiving his award, but you see—I was just so overcome with emotion. I have to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone before…” Kitty paused, looking the ladies in the eye one by one before she continued. “You see, when Sir Francis started talking about all those children in Africa that have been getting tuberculosis, I couldn’t help but remember my own childhood. I know everyone thinks I am from Taiwan, but the truth is, I grew up in a tiny village in Qinghai, China. We were the poorest peasants…we didn’t even have enough money to stay in the village—I lived in a little hut made out of metal and cardboard scraps beside the river with my grandmother. My grandmother raised me all by herself, you see, because my parents were working at a clothing factory in Guangzhou. We grew vegetables in the marshes by the river’s edge. That’s how we fed ourselves and earned a meager existence. But then when I was twelve, my grandmother…” Kitty paused again, as tears welled up in her eyes. “My grandmother contracted TB…and…”

“You don’t have to continue,” Fiona said softly, putting her hand on Kitty’s shoulder.

“No, no I must,” Kitty said, shaking her head and swallowing back her tears.

“Lady Poon, I want you to understand why I was so overcome that night when your husband started talking. My nainai contracted tuberculosis, and I had to stop going to school to nurse her. For three months I did this…until she died. This is why I was so touched by your husband’s efforts to combat TB in Africa. This is why I jumped onstage and wanted to write my twenty-million-dollar check right there and then! I just felt so lucky that a girl like me, who grew up in a hut by the river, could now be in the position to help others with TB. I really had no idea what I was doing…I wasn’t thinking…I never imagined how disrespectful it was. That was the last thing I wanted to do to your husband…your husband is such a hero to me. And you, if you only knew how much I admire you. Everything you do for the people of Hong Kong, your work on behalf of breast cancer awareness…it’s made me become aware of my breasts in a whole new way, and when I realized what I had done to offend you and offend all the Poons, my God, I just…I just wanted to bury myself in shame,” Kitty said sadly, as she cast her eyes downward and shook violently with sobs.

My God, she’s better than Cate Blanchett! Corinna thought, transfixed at the sight of Kitty with tears streaming down her face and snot running from her nose.

Ada, who had been sitting stone-faced through Kitty’s entire performance, suddenly broke out a tight smile. “I understand now. Please say no more. It is all in the past.”

Fiona’s eyes were moist as she reached across the table and grasped Kitty’s hands tightly. “You have been through so much in your life. I never knew! And now with Bernard as ill as he is—you poor girl…”

Kitty gave her a look. What the hell is she talking about?

“I want you to know that I have been praying for Bernard. I don’t know him very well, but he and my husband go way back. I know Eddie looks at him like another brother.”

“Really? I never knew they were that close.”

“The two of them did stints at P. J. Whitney in New York early in their careers, and they used to frequent some sporting club called Scores. Whenever I called Eddie, he was always having a match there with Bernard—he would sound so out of breath. Anyway, I will pray even harder now for Bernard, that he makes a full recovery. Jesus can work miracles.”

“Yes, I hope so,” Kitty said softly. It’ll take a miracle to help Bernard.

“If I might ask,” Ada said as she leaned in closer, “what is the prognosis like? And is it really as contagious as they say?”

Kitty stared at them blankly. “Um, we really don’t know…”

After Ada and Fiona had departed, Corinna summoned for a bottle of champagne. “Here’s to you, Kitty! That was a brilliant success,” she said as she clinked glasses with her protégée.

“No, no. You did all the work! Where in the world did you come up with that whole story about the grandma and the shack by the river?” Kitty asked.

“Oh, I got all of that from some documentary film I saw last year. But my goodness, you really brought my writing to life—even I was feeling a lump in my throat.”

“So you knew all along this would work with Ada? Just making that heartfelt apology and flattering her was enough?”

“I’ve known Ada for many years now. I don’t think she really gave a damn about the apology, quite honestly. All she needed to hear was you admitting that you come from some shitty village in China. She needed to feel superior to you, and it didn’t hurt that you groveled so nicely at her feet for a bit. Now she will feel much more comfortable around you. Just you watch—more doors are going to start opening to you now.”

“I can’t believe your cousin Fiona invited me to that charity party next week. Am I allowed to go?”

“The King Yin Lei Mansion fund-raiser? Of course. Fiona will be expecting you to write a big, fat check.”

“She was really so nice to me today. I think she felt sorry for me because of Bernard.”

“Yes, but you know the sympathy for you will only last so long. I think you were almost seen through today. Ada isn’t as gullible as Fiona, you know. Really, Kitty, you need to address all the whisperings going on about Bernard and your daughter.”

Kitty turned toward the ocean and stared at a small island in the distance. “Let them whisper all they want.”

“Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on? Is Bernard really ill? Did he really infect your daughter with some strange genetic disorder?”

Kitty suddenly burst into tears, and Corinna could tell that this time, her tears were all too real. “I can’t explain…I don’t know if I even have the words to explain,” she said softly.

“Then can you show me? If you want me to help you, I need to understand. Because until we can put a full stop to all the rampant rumors about Bernard, things are not going to get much better for you here in Hong Kong,” Corinna said gently.

Dabbing away her tears with an embroidered handkerchief, Kitty nodded. “Okay, I’ll show you. I’ll take you to Bernard.”

“I can go to Macau with you anytime after Thursday.”

“Oh no, we won’t be going to Macau—we haven’t lived there in years. You’ll need to come with me to LA.”

“Los Angeles?” Corinna said in surprise.

“Yes,” Kitty said through clenched teeth.