“What a nice reunion.” Nanny Rittenhouse hissed.
“Who are you?” Edward said through his tears.
“Don’t you know me?” Agnes smiled. “I’m Agnes Rittenhouse. I worked as nanny to your neighbors in Marionneaux.”
“The Rittenhouses, yes, of course. You’re their English cousin. I remember. You came here with Ulrika or something like that. However did you get him back?”
“I shouldn’t expect you to take notice of someone so much beneath you, Sir. Let’s just say that I saw an opportunity and I took it.” Agnes grinned.
“The other child…” Edward began.
“Never mind about him.” Agnes shook her head.
“As you wish.” Edward whooped. “Whatever you say. I owe you everything! My wife will be beside herself with joy to have the boy returned to us. We’d given up hope when that wretched girl took him. However can I repay you?”
“You say you owe me everything,” Agnes began. “I shan’t require everything, Sir. Just a simple favor.”
Meanwhile, though the scene around his body was chaos as Adrienne and Cecil sped out into the night to search for their son and for Julian’s nephew, and Robert and Marjani tended to Meridian, Julian was unaware of the agony which plagued his friends. Instead, he sat quietly with Mr. Punch in the vision of his former nursery—about to face a world he’d tried desperately to avoid for decades.
“Mr. Punch, you’ve come to my rescue yet again.” Julian said softly—alone with his other self in a world of his own creation.
“Think nothin’ of it, Master.” Punch shrugged. “Ain’t that what you got me for?”
“Still, it’s worth noting that without you, I’d be lost.”
“Don’t know ‘bout that.” Punch shook his head.
“It was horrible,” Julian shivered.
“Ain’t as horrible as it was the first time—when you actually had to live through it. Here, this is what I learned. Them things what hurt us in the past—they’re only memories. They hurt, sure, to think ‘bout. But, they ain’t never gonna hurt you the same as when they actually happened.”
“You’re very wise.”
“If I am, it’s cuz you’re wise, Sir, though you may not know it.”
“I find it interesting that you address me with such respect even though we’re part of the same whole,” Julian raised his eyebrows. “Truly, it is I who should defer to you as you’ve been the part of myself who has never shown anything but courage.”
“Not so, Master.” Punch shook his head. “I done lots o’ things what ain’t the least courageous. I don’t know nothin’ of bravery, I don’t. All I know is survival.”
“That’s more than I ever learned.”
“Ain’t it?” Punch grinned. “If you didn’t learn it, then, where’d I get the notion?”
Julian chuckled.
“Here, it’s like this. You speak French, so I speak French. If I’m brave, then, so are you.”
“I hadn’t considered that.” Julian sighed.
“Only cuz you never let yourself.” Punch said. “Now, we gotta hurry. See, we gotta get back. Robert and our chums, they gotta be worried ‘bout us.”
“Yes, of course.” Julian nodded. “Why don’t you go back for us both.”
“Not just yet, Master.” Punch smiled. “We gotta finish what you started before we go back.”
“No.” Julian shook his head.
“Sorry to argue, Your Grace,”’ Punch rose. “But, you were ready to face what I been hidin’ from ya. You even went and imagined His Majesty, the Prince Consort to guide you there. To me that means you’re needin’ to see it. Ain’t gonna be a good time to do it. Might as well do it now.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Coo!” Punch grunted.
“What?”
“Come on, then.” Punch pulled Julian to his feet. “Now ain’t the time to change your mind!”
“You said yourself that memories can’t hurt me.” Julian argued.
“But, they ain’t gonna do ya no good neither.” Punch laughed. “Listen, if you had a wound, would ya leave it to fester or would ya clean it and put a bandage on it?”
“I…” Julian stammered.
“Either way, it’ll heal. Sure. But, won’t it heal quicker if you do somethin’ ‘bout it?”
Julian sighed.
Punch snapped his fingers. Julian gasped as he looked around. Gone was the scene of the nursery. It had been replaced with the familiar sight of the folly at Fallbridge Hall and the image of Julian as a child with his Mr. Punch puppet.
“Not all memories are bad ones.” Punch smiled. “Let’s start with this one.”
Did you miss Chapters 1-357? If so, you can read them here.
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