In 1852, comfortably hidden at his ancestral home, Fallbridge Hall, Julian, Lord Fallbridge rarely ventures out of his chambers. His father, Sir Colin Molliner is abroad in search of rare jewels. Julian’s mother, The Duchess of Fallbridge, is best avoided at all costs. Julian returned to Fallbridge Hall after living in Belgrave Square in London where he worked as a successful jeweler. A brutal attack in Covent Garden sent the already agoraphobic man into a total state of panic, and, thus, he returned to the family home.
Among Julian’s prized possessions—kept in a locked curio cabinet in his study—is a figure of Mr. Punch. Julian’s father had purchased the puppet for Julian when he was a small boy. Sometimes the puppet makes Julian feel uneasy and he gets the sense that sometimes the figure might be moving or speaking. He tries to ignore these sensations.
Julian’s valet, Arthur, tells His Lordship that his mother, the Duchess, wishes to see him at once. Nervously, Julian visits his mother on the lower floor of the great hall. The Duchess of Fallbridge makes her distaste for her son apparent, but tells him that his sister, Lady Barbara, has fled England just before she was to marry a wealthy suitor. The Duchess insists that Julian retrieve his sister immediately.
As Julian investigates what might have happened to his sister (with the mandatory assistance of the unctuous Arthur), he contemplates the thought of having to travel with dread. In the folly where Julian and his sister once played, Arthur “finds” a slip of paper left behind by Lady Barbara with the name and address of one Iolanthe Evangeline in New Orleans, Louisiana—The United States. Arthur finds a brass bell which Lord Julian recognizes as being from the hat of his Mr. Punch. Julian returns the hall and finds that his puppet is missing. He is haunted by the words, “I am lost in the sugar cane.” With great fear, Lord Fallbridge makes arrangements to go to the United States.
Accompanied by Arthur, Julian boards The Hyperion en route to Louisiana. On the ship, Julian begins to be further troubled by a problem he’s always had—extended periods of lost time during which he’s unsure what he’s done. The problem has gotten worse. Julian finds that during one of these blank moments that he agreed to meet with a man on the ship—Robert Halifax. Julian is distrustful of Robert and his eagerness to be of assistance. Robert finds Julian’s behavior puzzling—especially when he speaks in a rough manner and acts very much unlike a refined gentleman. During one of these moments, Robert is introduced to Mr. Punch. Mr. Punch is Julian’s other personality. Dissociative Identity Disorder was not recognized or understood at the time, but Robert accepts that Julian is not well and does a good job managing Mr. Punch.
Mr. Punch (who insists that his surname is Molliner, like Julian’s) is quite angry. He’s upset that his puppet body has been taken and his head “cleaved in two.” At first, Mr. Punch reacts just as his puppet counterpart might—with rashness, cunning and violence. Robert explains to Mr. Punch that they’d met before. When Julian had been attacked in Covent Garden, Robert was the physician who attended to him. Though it had been Julian’s body, it was Mr. Punch who was present at the time. Punch made appearances when Julian was overwhelmed. It seems, they’d been working in unison this way for thirty years. Punch describes to Robert how young Julian would confide in the puppet as they played, and that, over time, he became such an integral part of Julian’s mind, he formed himself as an independent entity. Punch was the keeper of secrets and refused to reveal some painful memory from Julian’s past—the very thing that caused him to be so fearful all of the time. Mr. Punch was further upset to find that Julian’s former nanny—Agnes Rittenhouse—was also aboard the ship.
Julian was further troubled to learn from Robert that his sister, Lady Barbara, had born a child out of wedlock and that Robert was the doctor who delivered the baby. Robert explained that the woman—Iolanthe Evangeline—that Barbara had left England to see was a famous brothel-owner and rumored murderer and magician known as “The Elegant Ogress.” Robert’s sister-in-law, Adrienne had been lured into Iolanthe’s web in a similar way until she was rescued by his brother, Cecil. They lived in a town near the levee called Marionneaux.
The journey was further complicated when Julian received word that his father, Sir Colin Molliner, had been murdered in France—seemingly the act of thieves who’s stolen the precious gems that he carried. Julian realized that when his Mr. Punch figure went missing so did a priceless blue diamond known both as “The Molliner Blue” and “The Fallbridge Blue.” The diamond had been hidden inside the puppet’s head. Mr. Punch was certain that Barbara had taken the stone.
Arthur began to act strangely, spending time with a nefarious man who called himself, “The Professor.” Clearly Arthur and this man—as well as the nanny—were in league against Julian. Arthur tried twice to poison Lord Fallbridge. The second time he succeeded in poisoning both Julian and Robert.
Mr. Punch awakened in time to save “his master” and Robert, and, then, furiously, searched for Arthur. Mr. Punch cornered Arthur on the deck of the ship. Just as he was about to throw the man overboard, Mr. Punch was interrupted by an African man who seemed to be aware of Julian’s special condition. The man, Naasir, told Mr. Punch that if he had to kill Arthur, he should close his eyes so that Julian would have no memory of it. Mr. Punch did as asked and was pleased to hear Arthur scream as he splashed into the sea.
Naasir explained that the legends of his people told of “The Great Man of the Rocks” who was two men in one. Naasir said that he wished to fulfill his destiny by helping “The Great Man” defeat forces of evil. He gave Mr. Punch a voodoo powder. Robert didn’t trust Naasir and felt very protective of Julian/Punch. However, Julian agreed to hire Naasir as his new valet since Arthur could not be found.
Robert reluctantly explained to Julian of his other personality. Shocked at first, Julian accepted the explanation and realized that the knowledge answered many questions about his life. Mr. Punch, Julian and Robert continued to grow closer as the ship reached New Orleans.
Upon docking at their destination, Robert was quite weakened from having been poisoned and showed signs of becoming ill. The doctor, however, insisted that he was fine. On the docks, Julian felt certain he’d seen his sister, but was distracted upon running into a woman in an elegant gown who he later discovered was the woman he was seeking—Iolanthe Evangeline also known as “The Elegant Ogress.”
Without Robert, Julian/Punch and Naasir went to Iolanthe’s brothel in search of Lady Barbara. There, Mr. Punch attacked Iolanthe who became irate and also had a strange reaction to Naasir whom she claimed had powers that were a danger to her. Iolanthe attempted to burn Naasir at an altar while she taunted Mr. Punch—unaware that he wasn’t technically Lord Julian. Luckily, Robert rescued the two men before they could come to real harm. He promised Iolanthe that they would leave New Orleans. That night, they traveled to Marionneaux to stay with Robert’s brother Cecil—a sculptor, his wife Adrienne and their infant child, Fuller.
The introduction to the Halifax family softened Mr. Punch as he bonded with the baby and Adrienne, and, later his new dog, Toby. Mr. Punch accepted his humanity and allowed himself to feel. Julian made very few appearances during this time and Robert feared that Mr. Punch had taken Julian’s body over completely. Robert continued to become increasingly ill. They became aware that Lady Barbara had actually been on the ship with them and that she (with the help of Iolanthe) had sold her baby to a family living in Marionneaux—The Cages. In order to get more information, they visited a neighboring plantation—The Rittenhouse Estate. During tea at the Rittenhouse estate, Robert collapsed and was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was told he could not be moved. Mr. Punch insisted on staying with Robert for as long as it took for him to recover despite the presence of Julian’s former nanny, Agnes, in the house. A servant from the nearby plantation of Manuel Fontanals—Marjani Carruthers—was hired to nurse Robert back to health. Marjani proved to be a good friend and ally—also aware of the stories Naasir knew and accepting Mr. Punch right away.
While at the Rittenhouse Estate, they learned that Lady Barbara is also there—in disguise—working as a maid. She has renamed herself “Barbara Allen” after the cruel woman of the famous English folksong. Why she’s there remains a mystery, however, she’s in league with the eldest Rittenhouse child, red-headed Ulrika who has strange intentions of her own. Barbara admits to stealing the diamond and says hateful things to both her brother and Robert. While in Robert’s room, Mr. Punch sees Barbara through a second story window. She is below, with the presumed-dead Arthur! In anger, Mr. Punch smashes the window. Naasir explains that he set Arthur free on the ship and that he couldn’t allow Mr. Punch to take a human life. Mr. Punch begins to understand. Naasir, Marjani, Robert and Naasir plot to expose Barbara, Arthur and Iolanthe. Naasir suggests Marjani help him sneak a voodoo powder into the drinks of the group of bad seeds. Mr. Punch assists them. They catch Arthur and Barbara in the stables with Ulrika Rittenhouse and “The Professor” who, it turns out, worked for Iolanthe Evangeline and had come to Marionneaux to do her bidding. Also in the stable is Iolanthe Evangeline who’d been shot by Cecil as he attempted to protect his wife and child from the ogress.
Naasir slips the powder to the group and Iolanthe and the professor begin to speak the truth—telling of the sale of Barbara’s child and the missing diamond. However, a fire is started by an overturned lamp. Mr. Punch rescues Iolanthe after Arthur flees. Ulrika runs off to find her mother and the professor and Barbara refuse to leave the blazing building. Barbara is frantically looking for the missing diamond which was to have been hidden in the stable. The professor wishes to die, realizing the horrible crimes he’s committed. As the burning building crashes down on them, Julian’s body is trapped in the flames.
Naasir managed to rescue Punch/Julian from the fire. Julian awakens after being unconscious for several days. Robert explains that the professor has been killed, that Iolanthe escaped and that Barbara and Arthur are missing. Meanwhile, Adrienne, in her attempt to extricate Barbara’s son from the household of Edward Cage—Cecil’s employer—who bought Barbara’s child, only angers the man who threatens her life and her husband’s livelihood.
Robert suggests that they corner Iolanthe and her wicked team at Edward Cage’s annual New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball at the Waxworks. Marjani learns that her daughter and son-in-law have contracted the deadly Yellow Fever and she faces the reality that they will die and she will have to raise their small daughter, Columbia, on her own.
Together, they celebrate Christmas, growing closer and exchanging meaningful gifts. Meanwhile, Ulrika begins a torrid affair with Arthur—who is revealed to be Barbara Allen’s husband. Barbara tries desperately to get back to Iolanthe as promised, but is thwarted by Arthur when she learns that Ulrika has the diamond and also has a document stating that upon Barbara’s death, she will inherit Barbara’s estate. Ulrika wants to make it appear that Julian has taken his own life so that there will be no impediments to getting what she wants. She enlists Agnes to help her, and also begins performing mysterious “Mesmerism” on Barbara and Arthur.
The happy Christmas at the Halifax house is cut short with the arrivals of both Agnes Rittenhouse and Iolanthe Evangeline. Iolanthe shoots at Cecil and manages to start another fire in the house. Robert threatens to push Agnes out of the window unless she tells him what happened to Julian as a child. Both women manage to escape. Iolanthe flees to the cabin where Marjani is nursing her family and tries to kill Marjani’s daughter. Meanwhile, Ulrika’s plan is gaining momentum.
As we continue into Chapters 101 and beyond, Julian/Punch, Robert, Cecil, Adrienne and Naasir will return to New Orleans for the ball. The Cages and the Rittenhouse family will be coming along with them. Two powerful women—Iolanthe and Ulrika—both bent on destroying innocent lives will bring some people together in their schemes and tear others apart.
For a summary of the next one hundred chapter, click here.
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