Chapter 24

Summary

• A party is being held in Hong Kong.
• Culum greets guests and notices Mary Sinclair talking to Glessing and Manuelita Vargas looking at him.
• There are two stages for music, one for the Navy band and one for the Army band.
• Longstaff, the Duke, and the Admiral arrive.
• Culum asks Mary to dance and also dances with Manuelita.
• The Duke proposes a toast to the Noble House.
• Culum dances with Tess multiple times and Struan dances with Shevaun.
• Cooper and Tiliman observe Struan and Shevaun dancing and discuss the possibility of their marriage.
• Longstaff, Glessing, and Turnbull discuss the issue of a group of pirates who have been captured and the question of who should hold their trial. They ultimately decide to release the pirates and warn them not to return to British waters.
• Struan talks to Culum about the business of the Noble House and mentions the sale of opium. Struan also says he will not allow Culum to marry Mary until Culum proves himself in the business.
• Culum sees Mary talking to Glessing and becomes jealous, but reminds himself that Mary is a beautiful woman and it is natural for Glessing to want to be with her.
• Shevaun sees Struan dancing with a Portuguese woman and becomes angry, but later sees him dancing with Elisa Brock and decides to trust him.
• Struan and Shevaun dance together and Struan mentions his desire to have a son. Shevaun becomes upset and Struan apologizes and says he will wait for her to be ready to have children.
• Brock and Gorth discuss their future and the potential of a marriage between Culum and Tess as a way to secure their future and the future of their company. Gorth believes that Dirk will eventually leave and that he will become Tai-Pan, but Brock is hesitant to accept this possibility.