Pleasure Reading Part 1

Kitty and Charlie were in the midst of an adulterous rendezvous at her home in Hong Kong. This was a common occurrence for them, but Charlie had decided to come over at an abnormal time. Kitty was scared because someone tried to open the door to the bedroom they are in and fears it is her husband, but Charlie reassured her that it was one of the Chinese servants. After that there were description of Kitty's early life. Her mother wanted she got married as soon as possible. But after her marriage, Kitty knew she had made a mistake but blamed her mother for pressuring her. Her father was a lawyer—a King's Counsel—and a very slight, timid man. Her mother was overbearing and critical. Kitty was not at all fond of her mother, Mrs. Garstin. She had married Kitty's father in the hopes that he would turn out to be a prestigious, rich man, but those hopes never panned out, and he wound up with a modest legal practice. He was a very timid man, and she had no difficulty controlling him. Kitty's mother was driven by social ambition and frugality. She would frequently throw dinner parties for her many acquaintances and prided herself on how cheaply she could do so.