“No?” Mr. Punch raised Julian’s eyebrows.
“There will be no trade.” Robert said firmly.
“Chum…” Mr. Punch began.
“No!” Robert repeated, his voice becoming hoarse with emotion. “No.”
“I can get away from her. See, I got a wiliness what Naasir don’t. She’ll take me, she will—that ogress. She’d be happy to have me ‘stead of Naasir. You and Cecil can take him away—take him to safety, and I’ll find a way out before she can do somethin’ to me.”
“Out of the question.” Robert said, his hands still grasping Julian’s shoulders.
“Chum, don’t you see?” Mr. Punch asked.
“Do you remember what I told you on the ship?” Robert said slowly.
“You said a lot of things on the ship,” Mr. Punch smiled. “Some of them I wasn’t ‘round for, some of ‘em, I was. Can’t ‘xpect me to remember all of ‘em.”
“When we met?” Robert responded patiently. “When we met again on the ship?”
“Said that you understood me.” Mr. Punch answered, his smile fading. “Said you knew me.”
“What am I to you, Mr. Punch?” Robert asked, his eyes growing moist.
“You’re me chum.” Mr. Punch whispered.
“I’m your champion.” Robert said, swallowing hard. “Now, listen to me, dear Punch. For whatever reason—and, I don’t wholly understand it myself—I’ve decided that above all else, your safety is my priority. I’ve sworn to you—I’ve sworn my loyalty. I’m here to protect you, and I hope to…I hope…oh, I don’t know. I hope we’re around each other for many years to come—all three of us, Julian, you and me. And, all of the things that go with it—Toby and your puppet and our family.”
“In me master’s house in Belgravia…walkin’ to Covent Garden to see the other Mr. Punchs and eatin’ Turkish Delight from a paper cone.” Mr. Punch mumbled.
A group of rowdy men bumped into them as they passed by.
“Watch yourselves!” Cecil spat.
The men laughed as they stumbled past.
“All of that, Mr. Punch.” Robert said sternly. “Now, do you seriously think that I’m going to let you offer yourself to Iolanthe Evangeline in exchange for Naasir?”
“But, we gotta think of Naasir, too, we do.” Mr. Punch argued. “Hasn’t he been a champion to both of us? Hasn’t he protected us—all of us? Adrienne and Cecil and Fuller and you and me and me master? Even Marjani. He saved me from killin’ Arthur. He pulled me from that fire—riskin’ his own soul and knowin’ that one day he’ll die in a fire. He did that for us. He’s been loyal, too. Don’t we owe him the same?”
“We do.” Robert nodded, releasing his grip on Mr. Punch. “And, we’ll see to it that he’s safe and that he returns with us—but, not at the cost of your own safety!”
“My brother is correct.” Cecil interrupted. “You’ve got an obligation, Mr. Punch. We promised Adrienne and Fuller that all three of us would return to her—with Naasir. Can you imagine how heartbroken she’d be if you didn’t come back?”
“But, I will come back.” Mr. Punch said quickly.
“And, what of Fuller?” Cecil continued. “How would we explain to him that his Uncles Punch and Julian were not to return?”
“Think of Julian,” Robert added, “You’ve spent the last thirty years protecting him. Would you sacrifice that now? You’re the keeper of his body.”
“He’d want me to be brave.” Mr. Punch frowned.
“And brave you are—and brave you shall continue to be, but with us. Not alone.” Robert sighed. “You have an obligation to all of us.” He repeated. “And, especially to me.”
“It’s difficult, it is,” Mr. Punch said, Julian’s shoulders sagging in defeat. “How do ya make choices?”
“You’ve got to remember all of the consequences.” Robert said.
“It’s something that all of us have a hard time remembering.” Cecil said softly. “Recall, if you will when you and Robert stopped me from seeking out Iolanthe last night. I wasn’t thinking clearly. If I’d gone off on my own with a false sense of justice, I’d have only made things worse. By offering yourself to Iolanthe, you’d only be doing the same thing.”
“I understand what you’re sayin’.” Punch nodded. “But, I…there’s so much what I don’t understand. Why do folk like Iolanthe and me master’s sister and the Duchess and Agnes Rittenhouse…why do they gotta take from everyone? Why do they gotta make everyone suffer?”
“They have their reasons.” Robert said. “They’re not good reasons, but they justify their actions. It’s our choice to stay on our own course.”
Mr. Punch took a deep breath. “Fine, then. We’ll do this together, we will. But, we gotta hurry.”
“Let’s go, then.” Robert said. He paused and looked at Mr. Punch. “Thank you. You are brave, Mr. Punch. You’re the bravest man in many ways. And, before you argue—you are a man. You’re no longer a puppet-man. You are, simply, a man.”
Mr. Punch nodded.
“Come, we’re almost there, I think.” Cecil said. “We must hurry.”
“Almost there,” Punch mumbled. “Always almost there.”
At that very moment, Iolanthe laughed wildly as she pulled Barbara Allen down the stairs into the dark room where she’d had Naasir held captive.
“You’re hurting me!” Barbara cried.
“Not so it would leave marks. A girl with bruises ain’t gonna be very popular with my guests.” Iolanthe smirked.
She unlocked the door and threw Barbara in the room. Naasir rose from his knees and stared at the spectacle before him, squinting as the light from the torches in the hallway entered the room.
“Good evening, beautiful one.” Naasir said gently.
Barbara didn’t answer.
Iolanthe grabbed a long rope which was coiled around a hook on the wall and tossed it at Barbara. It hit her with a hard sting and she yelped.
“Tie him up.” Iolanthe ordered.
“Tie…?” Barbara whimpered.
“Bind him!” Iolanthe shouted.
Barbara looked at Naasir who nodded.
“The boys will be here in a moment with my son. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen him?”
For a moment, Barbara remembered her own son—the baby she’d bound in a sack and carried secretly onto the ship. The child which she had carried inside her, only to bring into the world to treat like rubbish.
“Stop standing there like a statue!” Iolanthe screamed.
Barbara picked up the rope and walked slowly toward Naasir.
Iolanthe laughed. “When I first saw you, Priest, I thought you were a threat to me. Little did I know at the time that you would be my salvation. How foolish I was to let you intimidate me. How could I have doubted my own power?”
Barbara wound the rope around Naasir’s hands. He did not struggle.
“When I return, I expect him to be properly bound.” Iolanthe said, walking toward the door. “Then, we shall begin.” She paused and smiled at Barbara. “I must thank you, Miss Allen. Your interference in Marionneaux actually turned out to be a blessing to me. Had my initial orders been carried out, we would not be here now, and I would not have this chance to correct the hideousness which I myself created.”
“I don’t understand,” Barbara sobbed.
“I don’t care.” Iolanthe grinned. “And, I don’t want you thinkin’ that I do.” With that, she slammed the door shut behind her as she left.
Barbara dropped the rope. “She aims to kill you,” Barbara said quickly. “She didn’t lock the door. Now’s your chance.” She unwound the rope from Naasir’s hands.
“She’ll destroy you.” Naasir said. “Do as she says. I know my destiny.”
“Idiot!” Barbara spat, “We create our own destinies.” She moaned. “Listen to me, I’ve done awful things. Terrible things. But, now is my chance. I’ll help you and you can help me. We’ll both leave here. All you need to do is help me get my mother. She’s upstairs. Iolanthe has drained her life, but we can carry her out. You can go back to my brother, and I’ll find Arthur and we’ll leave here—we’ll go…somewhere else, I don’t know. Just help me!”
“It’s too late,” Naasir shook his head.
“It isn’t!” Barbara cried. “Don’t you understand? I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I’ve been wrong. I wish to repent.”
“It’s too late,” Naasir repeated. “I cannot help you. I will not. My loyalty is to the Great Man of the Rocks. I do this for him. He has a far greater battle to fight than this. Do you really think, beautiful one, that I would aid in freeing his enemies.”
“I’m not his enemy!” Barbara said. “I’m his sister. And, that woman upstairs—for all of her cruelty—is his mother!”
“Bind my hands, Barbara Allen.” Naasir smiled. “Embrace the punishment you so rightly deserve.”
Did you miss Chapters 1-118? If so, you can read them here. Come back on Monday, December 13 for Chapter 120 of Punch’s Cousin.
2 comments:
What an astounding transformation in Punch as Robert points out.
I hope that with or without Nassir that Barbara has to continue to wrestle with her conscience and find ways to help herself out of the Ogress's clutches.
Hi Dashwood. Yes, Mr. Punch has come a long way. He's more human than most of the long-time humans he encounters. As for Barbara, if she is to repent, she'd got a long road ahead of her. Thanks for reading!
Post a Comment