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

Last week in Punch’s Cousin, our fictional friends suffered a devastating loss. While performing a ritual to ensure that Julian was protected from the Yellow Fever, Naasir used his remaining energy and passed away. Marjani reminded everyone that Naasir would have been pleased to have fulfilled his destiny. Though he didn’t—as he thought—die in a literal fire, he did die saving the Duke from a terrible fever.


Naasir appeared to Julian and Mr. Punch internally and bid the two souls farewell, leaving behind a phantom key which he knew would serve Julian well. Mr. Punch, however, feared the presence of the key, cryptically implying that it could unlock a door that Julian wasn’t yet ready to open.

Meanwhile, Barbara Allen, newly installed at Marie Laveau’s house, was surprised to be given an assignment dressing the hair of a wealthy New Orleans spinster. Marie revealed that the spinster’s brother has an undeniable connection to Iolanthe Evangeline—namely being the father of her child. How will Marie use Barbara to get her revenge against Iolanthe Evangeline? We’’ll find out in the coming week.

Iolanthe, however, has other problems. During her negotiations with Ulrika Rittenhouse, the red-headed vixen discovered the hiding place of the Molliner Blue Diamond. Ulrika crept into Iolanthe’s brothel during the night and stole the diamond. Now, Iolanthe is furious. Will her vendetta against Ulrika spill over onto Mr. Punch and the people he loves? Of course it will.

This week’s chapters of Punch’s Cousin promise to be surprising and exciting. As always, my continued thanks to all of you who have been reading. There’s a lot to look forward to coming up!