“Of course, I’m home, Mrs. Halifax. Where else would I be? If I’d gone to the museé, don’t you think I’d have taken your husband with me?” Edward Cage answered stiffly.
“I’m sure you would have.” Adrienne forced herself to smile.
“What are the two of you doing in my hallway?” Edward continued. “I don’t recall inviting you.”
“We had news of your blessed event,” Cecil answered quickly. “Adrienne and I thought we’d bring a small gift to welcome your new son to the world.”
“Who’s telling tales about my family?” Edward Cage narrowed his eyes.
“No one, Mr. Cage,” Adrienne replied. “We overheard young Rowan Rittenhouse telling his mother that he and Ulrika had visited the child. We were overjoyed at the news.”
“I see.” Mr. Cage nodded. “So, you just had to come see for yourself.”
“To give you our sincere congratulations.” Adrienne nodded.
“And to ‘take action.’” Mr. Cage hissed. “Isn’t that what you were saying when I came in? What sort of action do you need to take?”
“Ah, that.” Adrienne nodded. “Perhaps you’ve heard that my husband’s brother has taken ill? He’s recuperating at the Rittenhouses’ because Dr. DeCuir felt it unwise to move him. I was simply expressing my concern to Cecil that we should take action soon to bring him back to our house. We don’t want to continue to impose on Mrs. Rittenhouse. With all of her other responsibilities, we could hardly put upon her to have a sick man in her home.” Adrienne lied coolly.
“I heard about your brother.” Edward said to Cecil. “Met him, too. The other day with his companion. That’s an odd fellow, isn’t it?”
“Lord Fallbridge is a bit eccentric, but he’s extremely kind and charming.” Cecil smiled politely.
“I found him to be a bit wild.” Edward snapped. “But, it isn’t any of my affair. I know when to keep to my own business and stay out of things which don’t concern me. I could tell that your brother was ill, but I didn’t meddle or stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. I think that’s something that all of us should remember to do.”
“You’re so right,” Adrienne nodded.
“So, you’ll understand when I ask you to leave my home? Cecil, you should know better than to come over here uninvited. I’ll overlook it this time, but don’t let it happen again.” Mr. Cage grinned.
“Yes,” Cecil nodded.
“We’re sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Cage. We’ll be happy to leave as soon as we’ve seen your new baby.” Adrienne said quickly.
“Adrienne…” Cecil began.
“Well, then, you’re not hearing me, Madame.” Edward frowned. “I can’t imagine that you’ve not seen a baby before. Coming from where you do, I suspect you’ve seen a good many things.”
Adrienne blushed and looked away.
“Edward, that’s uncalled for.” Cecil said forcefully.
“What are you going to do?” Edward snapped. “Challenge me to a duel?” He laughed. “Now, I’ll thank you to take your whore and get out of my house.”
Adrienne shook with rage. “Mr. Cage, you are not polite.”
“And, you’re unclean.” Edward spat. “I won’t have you coming near that pure soul upstairs. I aim to keep him innocent. I don’t mind if one of my employees wants to marry a whore, but it’s another thing to let one touch my child.”
“Your child?” Adrienne shouted. “Yours? Is it Cage blood that runs through his veins?”
“Who else’s?” Edward growled.
“We all know that that child is not yours and your wife’s.” Adrienne snapped.
“Adrienne, please.” Cecil took his wife by the arm. “Let’s leave.”
“No.” Edward Cage bellowed. “Your missus and I need to have a little chat.”
At that very moment, Mr. Punch was sitting cross-legged on the bed next to Robert. Punch puffed out his cheeks—more precisely, he puffed out Julian’s cheeks—and hummed wildly.
“Here!” Punch whooped. “Listen, I’m making noise with me head!”
Robert laughed. “That you are.”
Punch blew air through Julian’s lips and listened to the wet, flapping noise. He giggled. “Sounds funny, don’t it?”
Robert looked lovingly at Mr. Punch. “Yes.”
Punch leaned against the wall and sighed. “So, are you well yet?”
“Not quite yet, Punch.” Robert coughed.
“Soon?” Mr. Punch asked.
“Soon.” Robert nodded.
“Say, you’re gonna have to help me, you are. This ball we’re gonna have to go to—it’s fancy dress, yes? What do folk wear?”
“Some sort of costume that’s unusual. You can be anything at a masquerade.” Robert answered.
“Can I be me-self? I’m already more than one thing. No sense adding to it.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Robert smiled.
“Didn’t have no idea.” Mr. Punch shrugged. “What’d I say?”
“I was just thinking that perhaps you should dress as Mr. Punch.” Robert grinned.
“Already dressed as Mr. Punch.” Punch squinted.
“No, you’re Mr. Punch dressed as Lord Fallbridge. Every day is a masquerade for you. So, why not make the fancy dress ball an occasion to dress as yourself?”
“You mean like me puppet-self?” Punch grinned. “Like with me pointed hat and red suit?”
“Yes.” Robert winked.
“Coo.” Punch replied thoughtfully. “Only how would it look with Julian’s smooth face and little nose?”
“You could wear a visor—a mask. I’m sure Cecil could make one for you.” Robert answered.
“You mean with me right chin and nose and such?” Mr. Punch wondered. “Huh.” He grunted. “Only I kinda prefer Julian’s people-face to me own.”
Robert chuckled. He, too, preferred Julian’s face to that of Mr. Punch’s. But, he dared not say so. “It would only be for one night.”
“Might be nice to look like me-self for a change.” Mr. Punch nodded. “Could be fun, it could.” He squinted again. “Here, if I’m me-self, what’ll you be?”
“The doctor, of course.” Robert smiled.
“You mean the doctor what tends to Judy? The puppet doctor from the pantomime?”
“Yes.”
“Well!” Mr. Punch whooped. “Didn’t think I’d like the idea, but now I’m startin’ to think it’ll be a lark!”
Robert coughed violently.
“Listen, Chum. We’d better calm ourselves down. Don’t need you getting’ worse again.”
“I’ll be fine.” Robert nodded, clearing his throat.
“That’s what you said right before you spit up blood and fell to the floor. You ain’t the most precise when it comes to sayin’ what’s fine and what ain’t.” Mr. Punch grumbled.
Robert sighed. “You have a point.”
“Course I do!” Mr. Punch leapt off the bed. “Close in here, it is. All dark and stuffy.” He walked over to the windows and opened the drapes. “Still, I ‘spose we oughtn’t open the winda and let the cold get at ya. Can let the light in though. That’ll help a tad.”
Mr. Punch gazed out the window. “Coo, look at all that land. Reminds me a bit of Fallbridge Hall. You know, me master would take me out with him when he were a boy. We’d go to a stone castle near the brook, we would. Julian called it ‘a folly.’ Don’t know what that means. But, we’d play there. And sing. That was when I was a puppet—full on. I was also in Julian, then, too, but I had me other…”
“What is it, Punch?” Robert asked.
Punch tapped on the window with Julian’s finger.
“Punch?”
Julian’s face blanched as Mr. Punch stammered and spit.
“Mr. Punch?” Robert tried to get out of the bed.
Punch began pounding the window with Julian’s fist.
“Don’t do that.” Robert said, pulling himself out of the bed. “Please.”
Mr. Punch banged harder on the glass. “Here!” He howled. Julian’s whole body shook. “No!”
With one sharp blow, Punch broke one of the panes of glass and withdrew Julian’s bloodied hand which dripped on the carpets. His body rocked with fury.
“God,” Robert said as he stumbled to find something to wrap around Julian’s hand.
Punch continued to howl, still staring out the window.
“What’s gotten into you?” Robert asked as he wrapped a flannel around Julian’s hand. “What is it, Mr. Punch?”
“Look…” Punch stammered.
Robert looked out the window. There, in the distance was a man and a woman, leaning against a huge oak tree—kissing. Robert immediately recognized the woman as Barbara. He couldn’t believe his eyes as he identified the man.
“Arthur!” Punch cried. “It’s Arthur!”
Did you miss Chapters 1-71? If so, you can read them here. Come back on Monday, October 18, for Chapter 73 of Punch’s Cousin.
2 comments:
Never a dull moment! Love this story.
Thank you, Darcy! I appreciate that.
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