Summary

In Chapter 12, “Cecily, Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, 1936, Nine years earlier, British-occupied Malaya,” rumors began circulating about Cecily’s sanity in May of 1936. Cecily did feel “like she [was] losing it” (139). She let her hygiene go because she was convinced she would be caught for her espionage work. She also worried that Fujiwara was being tortured for information, as she still had not heard from him. She tried settling back into her home life, which had improved. Gordon was doing well financially and their family was thriving.

Then one night, Cecily and Gordon attended the Monsoon Ball at The Federal, “a whites-only country club” (143). Cecily was shocked to see Fujiwara there and to discover that he and Mrs. Yap, or Lina Chan, had married. However, Lina still believed that Fujiwara was Bingley. Lina wanted to be friends with Cecily, but Cecily struggled to control her...