Cecil knelt down next to his wife—still seated at the dining room table—and took the purple feather from her lap. He held the feather up to the candlelight of the chandelier and glowered at it.
“That’s precisely what I mean, Mr. Punch.” Cecil sighed.
“She’s here, that one?” Punch said wildly. “She’s been in this room? In this house where my chums and me nephew are?”
“Brother,” Robert interrupted, “How can you be sure?”
“This is Iolanthe Evangeline’s calling card.” Cecil said, twirling the feather between his fingers by its stiff tip. “She leaves a feather behind when she wants to make her presence known.”
“This is all my fault.” Robert shook his head. “I shouldn’t have come directly here. She knew I was coming to Marionneaux with Julian and Naasir…”
“And me.” Punch added.
“And, you, dear Punch.” Robert nodded. “I led her right to your door.”
“Robert, Robert,” Adrienne sighed, composing herself. “She has been here before. She already knew the path to our door.”
“Could it be that she sent one of her henchmen to try to scare us?” Robert asked. “Perhaps she’s not been in this house.”
“If she has, I’ll kill her.” Punch roared. “I’ll find her and I’ll pull her painted head right from her sick-smellin’ body. Nobody’s gonna scare me lady chum and nobody’s gonna do nothin’ to hurt me family.” Mr. Punch tilted Julian’s head to one side. “Family? So that’s what the word means. Never knew afore.”
Robert smiled and put his arm around Julian’s shoulders. “Yes, Mr. Punch. That’s what the word means. However, we’ll solve nothing by killing people.”
“Solve a lot, I’d say.” Punch grunted. “Got a problem, hit it with a club. That’s the way to do it.”
“Not in our world. Outside the confines of a tent set up in Covent Garden, the rules are slightly different.” Robert said softly.
“I do appreciate the sentiment, Mr. Punch.” Adrienne said, the smile returning to her lips. “However, I don’t wish you to harm anyone. It wouldn’t do to have Fuller’s new uncle, well uncles really, in a prison for committing murder—even the murder of a monster.”
“Nah,” Punch shook his head, “It’d be easy. She’s all made up of wax and paint. Kind of a puppet herself if you think ‘bout it.”
Robert took his arm from Julian’s shoulders. “Well,” he muttered.
“What’s that?” Punch asked.
“Mr. Punch, you’re quite an intelligent chap.” Robert said slowly.
“Always thought so of meself, I did.” Punch nodded. “What makes you think so, too?”
“Perhaps Iolanthe Evangeline is a puppet.”
“No, Chum.” Punch shook Julian’s head. “I didn’t mean it like that. She ain’t really a puppet. Got legs and no strings. She’s a people. I was bein’ poetic like what me master is always doin’. See, I pay attention when he’s out doin’ whatever ‘tis he does.”
Robert squeezed Julian’s arm. “I’m being poetic, too, ‘Chum.’ What does one think of when one considers a puppet?”
“You came to the best party for that one,” Punch grinned. “I think a lots a things. Known a good many puppets, I should say. I know lots ‘bout what makes a puppet what ‘tis.”
“Very well. What’s the one thing that makes a puppet what it is?” Robert asked.
“More than one thing. Can’t just be one. Wooden hands that can’t grasp nothin’. Head made a stuff that ain’t soft. Hollow body what a man can put his hand in.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Robert continued.
“That ogress woman ain’t hollow. She’s got all that stuff inside her what the rest of ya got. Remember, I was gonna spill her guts.” He turned to Adrienne, “If you’ll pardon me sayin’ it, Lady Chum.”
Adrienne nodded weakly. “Quite all right.”
“Again, I’m being ‘poetic’ as you say. A puppet is controlled by someone else.” Robert said.
“I ain’t!” Punch frowned. “I ain’t controlled by nobody but meself.”
“You’re not a puppet anymore. You’re…” Robert struggled, coughing.
“I know. Still not quite sure what I am. I see what you’re sayin’. You think maybe some other party’s what’s makin’ this terrible woman do the things what she does.”
“Exactly.” Robert nodded.
“No.” Adrienne shook her head. “Iolanthe is her own driving force. No one dictates to her.”
“Don’t know ‘bout that, Lady Chum, if you’ll pardon me objectin’. Only I saw that she had fear in her when we was in her place. She’s got somethin’ else what makes her tick, she does. Sure, maybe it’s greed in part. Goin’ on ‘bout business and money, she was. But, maybe it’s fear, too . She was terrible frightened that Naasir was something more than just a man…like me…” Punch’s eyes widened.
“What is it?” Robert asked.
“Where’s the man?” Punch said wildly. “Where’s Naasir bein’ kept?”
“Out back with the others.” Cecil rose to his feet.
“Where?” Punch paced around the room, grabbing a hunk of bread from the sideboard and shoving it in Julian’s mouth. He grew increasingly frantic.
“Follow me.” Cecil said.
“Darling, you don’t think…” Adrienne rose.
“I don’t know, Dearest,” Cecil said gently. “Robert, do stay here with Adrienne. Mr. Punch and I will go to the cabins.”
Cecil and Mr. Punch hurried to the cabins at the rear of the property where the household staff lived.
“We made a place for him in here.” Cecil pointed to a cozy little structure with bright calico curtains in the window.
Cecil knocked on the door.
“Naasir!” Punch cried.
The door opened. A dark-skinned man staggered out, rubbing his head in bewilderment.
“Gros Chidi,” Cecil said, “Where is Lord Fallbridge’s man?”
“Dunno, Sir.” The man moaned. “Some fellas come in and done took him away. I tried for to stop them, but they done hit in the face.”
“No! No!” Punch screamed
“What did these men look like?” Cecil asked.
“White men. Maybe Creole. Didn’t talk none. One of ‘em had a wooly black beard.” Chidi answered.
Mr. Punch thumped Julian’s fist loudly against the wall.
“How badly are you hurt?” Cecil asked.
“I’ll be fine, Sir.” Chidi nodded.
“Still, I want you to go to the house and ask Gamila to fetch Dr. Halifax to the kitchen to have a look at you. Tell her, also, that she should stay with Mrs. Halifax in the drawing room until I return.”
“Yes, Sir, Mr. Halifax.” Chidi nodded, walking toward the house.
“Here!” Punch demanded, “Now, what are we gonna do, Brother Chum.”
“I don’t know.” Cecil sighed loudly.
“Can’t let some blokes take Naasir ‘way.” Punch cried feverishly. “Can’t let ‘em. You know what that ogress was gonna do? She was gonna burn Naasir. That’s right! Burn ‘im. Can’t let her burn ‘im!”
“But, we have to protect the family, too, Mr. Punch.”
“Naasir is part of the family!” Punch shouted. “Just cuz he don’t look like the rest of us don’t mean he ain’t! In here,” He pounded Julian’s chest, “I don’t look like you and Robert. I got a hunchback and a nose that touches me mouth! Don’t mean I’m any less of a thing than anyone else. Just means I’m different. Naasir’s different, too, but he’s still me chum. He helped me and now I gotta help him.”
Cecil lowered his head. “And, so you shall, Mr. Punch. We all shall.”
Did you miss Chapters 1-50? If so, you can read them here.
4 comments:
Just brilliant.
Working together this family has the courage to beat the Devil. But do Nassir, Punch, Robert, Julian, Cecil, and Adrienne have everything they'll need to win? This is a page turner!
Thank you, Dashwood!
Our friends have some big challenges ahead of then, Darcy, but they have big hearts to match. If all else fails, Mr. Punch seems to have a plan albeit a rather misguided one. Perhaps one day this will be a page turner with real pages. Thank you for coming back!
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