Lies and Weddings

“As the family doctor, Thomas Tong was barely a notch above the butler, and Eden was merely a playmate for her children when it suited them.”

This quotation reveals the social dynamics that coexist alongside the emotional intimacy between the Gresham and Tong families. Eden is aware that Arabella does not see her as the equal of the family and that the fact that Eden and Thomas work for a living is seen as a crucial demarcation of social class. The perception is somewhat ironic because working as a physician is often perceived as a relatively high-status profession, yet Arabella still does not respect them.

“These women think I’m the nanny! Because I’m Chinese, and my half-British daughter doesn’t look like me!”

This quotation comes from an anecdote that Arabella often shares about the experience of being mistaken for a nanny when she was young. Because she is of Chinese heritage, many people assume that Arabella must be a staff member hired by a (presumably white) wealthy woman; casual observers never assume that she is a wealthy aristocrat herself. The quotation reveals the racism that Arabella faced while trying to integrate into English high society, and it also provides context for her social ambitions.

“It would not be surprising at all if Arabella’s kids ended up siring the next generation of Europe’s royals, and what fitting revenge that would be for the countess who was mistaken for the nanny.”

This quotation captures Arabella’s determination to see her children marry into white, titled European aristocracies. She wants to achieve this so that no one can ever question her social legitimacy again.