These Violent Delights

Juliette visits a brothel in Scarlet territory with her cousins, Rosalind and Kathleen. She has heard that the madam of the brothel, whom she calls Madame, is allowing the Communists to meet under her roof. Juliette asks Madame for information about the Communists and their involvement in the madness. Madame denies the rumors that she is working with the Communists.

Juliette pretends to give a brothel owner named Madame a necklace and then tightens a garrote wire around her throat. She chokes Madame until the woman cooperates. She says that there is a rumor that the Secretary-General of the Communists, Zhang Gutai, has been “planning it all” (106)—referring to the insects and the deaths. Juliette releases Madame once she has the information she needs, not bothered by her own violent behavior. Kathleen, on the other hand, is disturbed by how ruthless her cousin has become. Juliette responds by pointing out that all three cousins have all been implicated in the Scarlet Gang’s violence since they were young. She justifies her actions by saying that these are the same tactics her father uses: “So if he can do it […] why can’t I?” (109).

When they arrive back at the Cais’ house, Juliette and Kathleen discover that several servants have contracted the madness. They try to stop the servants from harming themselves but cannot prevent their deaths. Juliette recalls Roma’s theory that the madness might be contagious and calls men to clean up the corpses while wearing gloves.

Lord and Lady Cai come downstairs to see what is happening. They survey the bloody scene but are surprisingly calm. Juliette tells them there is a rumor that the madness might be contagious. However, her parents are more interested in discussing the threat of the Communist party. Lady Cai tells Juliette that Paul Dexter has invited Juliette to a ball at the French Concession. The ball is thrown to “celebrate the native powers of Shanghai,” a euphemism for the Scarlet Gang (115). Lord Cai wants Juliette to go so she can promise the French that the Scarlet Gang will fight the Communists if there is a need. Juliette reluctantly agrees.

Tyler eavesdrops on their conversation. When Juliette demands to know what he is doing, he tells her in French, “When you stop being useful, I’ll be here to replace you” (117). Juliette asks Kathleen, who knows which Communist Party members are spies for the Scarlet Gang, to track down the home address of the Communist Party’s leader, Zhang Gutai.

Meanwhile, Roma, Lourens, Marshall, and Benedikt discuss the insects that Marshall and Benedikt found in the scalps of the madness’s victims. Lourens speculates that the insects act like lice, jumping from one host’s head to another. He offers to find a cure for the disease, but he needs the others to find a living patient for him to experiment on.

When Roma returns home, his father demands that he find the leader of the Communists, whom he blames for the madness. He thinks the madness is a plot to kill off the gangs since they oppose Communist rule. He gives Roma an address and tells him to stop the Communists.

Kathleen goes to a cotton mill where one of her contacts in the Communist Party, Da Nao, works. The woman she asks to find Da Nao scrutinizes her, making Kathleen feel self-conscious. She recalls how her father ridiculed her for wearing dresses since he viewed her as a boy. He initially rejected her transgender identity and refused to call her by her chosen name, Celia. However, when her sister, the real Kathleen, died of the flu, he told her to assume Kathleen’s name and identity so that he could save face by keeping it a secret that she is a transgender woman. The only other people who know her secret are Rosalind and Juliette.

Kathleen asks Da Nao to find Zhang Gutai’s home address. He agrees to do so at the next Communist Party meeting. Leaving the mill, Kathleen spots something moving in the river.

After working at a nightclub, Rosalind walks home at night by the river, feeling uneasy. The monster causing the madness emerges from the water and stares at her, causing her to run away in fear. While escaping, she accidentally crosses into the White Flower’s territory, where she is confronted by a White Flower gang member working on a ship. She tries to explain what happened, but before she can finish her sentence, she notices a black splash of water on her leg. She realizes this came from the monster and flees into an alley. The monster materializes from the river and attacks the men on the ship, infecting them with the madness and causing them to kill themselves. Rosalind waits until the men’s screams stop and then goes to see what happened. She spots a horde of insects moving towards the river.

Juliette goes to the Communist Party’s office to investigate Zhang Gutai’s connection to the madness. Wearing a traditional Chinese qipao to blend in, she walks into the building without being recognized. Juliette goes to the basement, which used to be a prison during World War I. She spies on the office workers and spots a folder with Zhang Gutai’s name on it. Inside the folder, she finds dozens of drawings of a monster. These drawings resemble the creature from the river, with its “wide, reptilian eyes” and “five claws” (133). She pockets one of the drawings.

When a man demands to know what she is doing, Juliette reveals that she is Lord Cai’s daughter and is there for official business, pretending to be lost. The man directs her to a waiting room. Roma is already there, also waiting for an audience with Zhang Gutai. Roma orders her to leave, and the two argue. Juliette notices Roma looks fatigued and expresses concern for him.

Roma meets with Zhang Gutai first but does not get any answers to his questions. Then Juliette meets with the Communist leader. He denies that he has anything to do with the madness. As Juliette leaves the room, Roma grabs her wrist, and they share a moment of sexual tension. Then Roma steals Juliette’s invitation to the masquerade, which was in her pocket.

When Juliette returns home, one of the Scarlet Gang members mistakes her for a servant because she is wearing a qipao instead of her usual Western clothing. Juliette snaps at the man who mistook her for a servant and orders him to interview bankers at the Bund to find out if they’ve seen anything strange. Kathleen offers to do the task instead.

Rosalind confides in Juliette that she saw something horrifying—insects crawling back into the water and a monster with “[s]ilver eyes. And a curved spine. And sharp ridges. And scales and claws” (148). Juliette shows the drawing she stole to Rosalind who confirms that it is the same creature.