“Sure,” Punch nodded. “Like what you said ‘afore’ when we was talkin’ on the way. You said that I’d be a poor Mr. Punch if I didn’t let meself get into some Pulcinello antics now and again.”
“Really,” Ulrika moaned. “What is he talking about?”
“Quiet!” Cecil snapped, jumping at Ulrika.
“Best do as the man says,” Giovanni whispered in her ear.
“And you?” Ulrika turned around quickly. “Aren’t you going to protect me?”
“I’m no hero,” Giovanni winked.
“You’re a coward is what you are. Take away your army of killers and you are spineless.” Ulrika snarled.
“Here,” Punch interrupted. “Let’s do save the lovers’ spat for another time, then. Why don’t we all just agree that you’re both rotten?”
Robert chuckled from behind his brother and his friend.
Punch looked over his shoulder. “Chum, take Cecil here and Adrienne to the carriage so they can give their fine baby…me nephew…” He turned quickly to glare at Ulrika and Giovanni as he added the last part, before continuing, “…the attention what he deserves from his ma and pa. Marjani here and I will finish up with Miss Rittenhouse and Mr. Italian Man.”
“Iantosca…” Giovanni spoke up.
“I don’t much care.” Punch mumbled.
“I’m not leaving you two alone with them. You know what a beast this woman is…” Robert began.
“Me and Marjani’ll be just fine.” Punch smiled.
“We will, Sir,” Marjani agreed. Though she was not sure of all the details, Marjani had a sense of what Mr. Punch intended to do.
“I’ll be right here—watching,” Robert sighed.
“Good. I ‘preciate it!” Punch winked.
He spun around and narrowed his eyes at Ulrika and Giovanni as Marjani joined him at his side.
“Now,” Mr. Punch whooped, “let’s look at what we got here. We got a woman what ain’t no lady and a gent what ain’t no man. See, that’s on your side. On my side, we got a lady what’s a woman and a man who ain’t no gent.”
“More of your nonsense, really?” Ulrika sighed.
“You took that baby ‘way from his mama what loves him.” Mr. Punch sighed. “And, you, Mr. Italian Man…we got a history, too. Don’t we?”
“If you’re referring to the foolishness about me killing your father…”
Punch’s eyes widened.
“I didn’t do it because I wanted to. Your mother ordered me to do it and paid me handsomely for it. Besides,” Giovanni said softly, his accent almost too thick for Punch to understand the words, “I didn’t do it myself. I had…”
“That’s enough,” Punch snapped, rubbing his eyes.
“If you want to blame anyone, blame your mother, Your Grace.”
“I do blame her.” Punch replied, his fingers still on his eyelids. He quickly pulled his hands to his sides and clenched them into fists. “But, she’s rottin’ on a shelf—dead. She maybe suffered a bit at the end. But, bein’ killed as she was, it was kind of a blessin’ for her, wasn’t it? She didn’t have to live out her life knowin’ she killed the man what gave her a son and a daughter. Sure, maybe Barbara turned out bad, and maybe we—me master and I—ain’t what she wanted.” Punch paused. His head ached. Rubbing his temples, he continued quietly. “What I seen since I been here is a whole lot of folk makin’ a few people pay a big price. Sure, I ain’t blameless. No one is. But, I look at the two of you—knowin’ you both done such horrible things, well, it makes me see red, it does. For so long, I been beaten. But, see, that ain’t what a Mr. Punch does. Mr. Punch is the one what triumphs. I beat the devil! And, here I got two devils afore me and it makes me real angry, it does.
“I suppose,” Ulrika said quickly, “you’ve got every reason to be angry. But, remember…this very night, when Marie Laveau had us all captive…I put my life in danger by helping your woman there escape.”
“One good thing don’t wash away the blood what’s caked all over your body.” Mr. Punch snarled. “You call me ‘lunatic.’ I think it’s time I live up to the name what you called me. What you think, Marjani?”
“I think so, Sir.” Marjani cackled.
Did you miss Chapters 1-414? If so, you can read them here.
3 comments:
Gripping chapter! Mr. Punch is ,in his own special way, very wise.
Go get 'em Mr Punch!!!
That's the way to do it!
Post a Comment