Reminder: "Punch's Cousin" Will Return on Monday

Last week’s chapters of Punch’s Cousin brought much excitement as Mr. Punch, Robert and Cecil tried to free Naasir from Iolanthe Evangeline. Iolanthe had sent her unfortunate-looking maid, Mala, to lure Naasir to her lair. Naasir, of course, thinking that his destiny was to die at Iolanthe’s hands, went without question. Iolanthe had already drained the Duchess of Fallbridge of her blood in order to use the precious fluid in some sort of Voodoo sacrifice which she felt would restore her son’s health. All Iolanthe needed was a powerful soul to burn, and she knew that Naasir was the answer.


Taunting Barbara Allen into assisting her, Iolanthe left Barbara to bind Naasir’s hands and to prepare him for being burned. Barbara, showing a rare moment of compassion, tried to free Naasir, but the man would not listen. Meanwhile, Mr. Punch and his companions hurried to Iolanthe’s Bawdy House. They were interrupted along the way by Ulrika Rittenhouse and Arthur. Ulrika desperately wanted to keep “Julian” and Barbara apart being as she had her own wicked plans. They were unsuccessful. As the effects of the drugs Ulrika had given him began to wear off, Arthur revolted against Ulrika, telling her that he was going to be in control from that point forward.

Punch and his friends arrived too late and found that Naasir had been burned. They managed to carry the man out before he was killed, but Naasir was badly injured. Robert wanted to take Naasir back to their borrowed house on Royal Street to tend to the man’s terrible injuries with Marjani’s help. Mr. Punch, however, wanted to stay behind—alone—to try to free The Duchess of Fallbridge. Reluctantly, Robert and Cecil left with Naasir while Mr. Punch went back into Iolanthe’s evil house.

In his efforts to rescue the Duchess, Mr. Punch reacted by instinct when Mala snuck up behind him. He struck the maid with a lamp, knocking her unconscious and feared he’d killed her. Surprisingly, Barbara Allen arrived to try to help liberate her mother. She once again refused Mr. Punch’s urging to come with them. As Mr. Punch carried the Duchess from the room, he was stopped by a wildly angry Iolanthe.

This week, we’ll find out what happens next. We’ll also discover the true motives of Adrienne’s former coworker, Nellie, who appeared last week. Naasir and Marjani grow closer as she tries to help him recover and Marjani is faced with a complicated dilemma when Naasir makes a surprising request from her.

Punch’s Cousin will take a brief Hiatus on December 24, 25 and 26. During that time, if you’ve missed any chapters, you might want to browse the Chapter Archive. There, you’ll find each chapter as well as a brief summary of the first one hundred chapters.