In this section, the retrospective timeline becomes thematically connected to the present-day narrative via the discussion of the social pressure that Mary faces to terminate her pregnancy, even though she has no desire to do so. As Rosina cruelly warns Mary, “You will be shunned by society. Every door will be closed to you” (350). Even decades later, the idea of giving birth to a baby out of wedlock is still considered scandalous in some social circles, as evidenced by Arabella’s outrage over her suspicion that Eden might be pregnant with Rufus’s child. The retrospective narrative explores the plight of people who find themselves torn between the social pressure to conform to family expectations and their own authentic desire to follow their heart. Like Rufus and others in the present-day timeline, Mary must choose whether to risk everything to pursue the life she wants, or to give in to the warnings of those around her. This aspect of the retrospective narrative exhibits The Tension Between Parental Pressure and Filial Resistance, since Mary’s family believes that she should terminate the pregnancy and hide the entire experience.

The novel’s status as a comedy can be seen in the fact that it is structured around a series of weddings: the Hawaiian wedding of Augusta and Max, the Marrakech wedding of Amanda and Christian, and the Venetian wedding of Beatrice and Gopal. Because Rufus observes the first and second weddings in close succession, thematic contrasts soon arise. For example, the Hawaiian wedding is largely a choreographed spectacle, while the second wedding, although lavish, is far less pretentious and reflects the couple’s true interests. Rufus also cannot help but contrast the guests at the second wedding with the members of his usual social circle, noting:

His friends by and large came from families that had already been in possession of their country houses or companies or countries for many generations and were for the most part a decidedly low-key and unambitious lot. Here before him was the next generation of tech savants, financial gurus, thought leaders and visionary entrepreneurs (365).

With Rufus’s ruminations, Kwan pointedly contrasts the inherited wealth of families like the Greshams with the means of individuals who achieve a high net worth through innovation and hard work; his descriptions imply that the latter group offers a different energy and dynamism.

The trip to Marrakech is a significant moment in Rufus’s character development because it gives him time away from his family to reflect on what he truly wants. Rosina is pragmatic but also transparent in her goals, which gives Rufus the chance to think seriously about whether he is willing to marry for money. Martha is also introduced as a significant minor character, for although she is initially presented as a romantic rival to Eden, Martha and Rufus quickly form a sincere but platonic friendship, bonding over their mutual experiences of the downside of being wealthy. As Martha explains, “I’m a woman so that means I’ll never be acceptable until I get married and start producing babies” (419). Because Rufus is experiencing pressures that are more traditionally associated with female characters (i.e., the pressure to quickly utilize his fleeting youth and beauty to capture a wealthy match), he bonds with Martha as a friend rather than a romantic prospect. Martha’s sincere desire to facilitate a relationship between Eden and Rufus also subverts the expectation that female characters in these stories are always rivals; even before she meets Eden, Martha wants to help her find happiness.

However, Arabella’s cruel treatment toward Eden provides a sharp contrast to Martha’s benevolent kindness. Although Arabella has arguably fulfilled a surrogate maternal role in Eden’s life, she becomes extremely cruel and vindictive as soon as she perceives Eden as a social threat. Overcome by her outrage at the idea that Eden considers herself the social equal of the Gresham family, Arabella functions largely as the novel’s antagonist, causing significant conflict for Eden and creating a barrage of obstacles to thwart Eden and Rufus’s burgeoning relationship. However, because Arabella’s need to maintain her social status is based upon her own traumatic experiences with racism, she stands as a complicated and nuanced character rather than as a single-minded villain in the drama.