“Just what is your quarrel with us?” Adrienne hissed at Ulrika as she shivered on the deck of the ship—shielding her son from the cold wind by holding him close to her body.
“Really, I don’t have a specific quarrel with either one of you.” Ulrika shrugged. “Not directly.” She smiled. “To be sure, I don’t like either of you. You’re troublesome—your sort.”
“Our sort?” Cecil frowned.
“Well, yes. Really, your kind—you go about trying to make everything better and getting into places you don’t belong because you want to do ‘what’s correct.’ You really should learn to keep to your own affairs. But, no. You’ve had to get in my way.”
“You fault us for getting involved in matters which don’t concern us?” Cecil growled. “Look at you! What does any of this have to do with you?”
“Quite a lot.” Ulrika sighed. “I had a very clear and simple arrangement with Miss Allen. My cousin, Agnes, was to bring with her a young English woman to be my maid. But, Miss Allen didn’t keep her word.”
“She never intended to stay your maid. She had already promised her services to Iolanthe Evangeline!” Adrienne spat. “If you’ve learned anything, Ulrika, surely it’s that Iolanthe is not one to be trifled with. You were fooled! Barbara only used you to gain access to this country. She had other plans with Iolanthe from the start—including the sale of her child. You became involved on your own!”
“No.” Ulrika snarled. “I did not.”
“Yes, you did.” Cecil roared. “You discovered who Barbara was and connived to get her inheritance. Furthermore, you stole the diamond from her, making matters worse with Iolanthe. And, then—just for your own amusement—you insinuated yourself into all manner of dramas which have nothing to do with you!”
“I did what I needed to do.” Ulrika retored.
“I have grown so weary of all of this!” Adrienne shouted. “You and Iolanthe and Marie—all of you who are so convinced of your rightness in all things, and yet, you never see that through your stubbornness, you’re only making everyone suffer—even yourself. Still, you’ll never accept the fact that you’re just as culpable, and the rest of us must pay the price for your own pride, foolishness and greed.”
“Suddenly, the whore is a philosopher?” Ulrika grinned.
“Don’t speak to my wife that way!” Cecil growled. “Now, listen, you’ve bothered us long enough. Just as we’re about to escape all of this…this…evil, you wander onto this ship to make us suffer all the more. I won’t have it! So, you’ve gotten us out of our cabin and onto the deck. What is it that you want? Why are we out here?”
Ulrika smiled. “You will see.”
“You don’t even know, do you?” Cecil snapped.
“What?” Ulrika narrowed her eyes.
“You don’t know.” Cecil laughed. “You’re following someone else’s orders. This is all sport to you! Some sort of game!”
“Of course, I know!” Ulrika argued, but as she did, her eyes fluttered as she realized that she did not, in fact, know why she’s brought the Halifaxes to the deck. She had so enjoyed terrifying them and asserting her control that she had forgotten why she was even doing it.
“This will continue no longer.” Cecil said firmly. He reached for his wife, putting his arm around her waist. “Come with me, my dear. Let’s go where it’s warm.”
“No!” Ulrika stepped forward.
Cecil shook his head. “I’m not afraid of you, Ulrika. We’re too close to our salvation. There’s nothing you can do. I don’t even blame you. Frankly, you’re just cruel. You’re cruel because you enjoy it. You can’t help yourself. But, for as cruel as you are, you’re powerless. You can’t harm us. I won’t let you threaten my family anymore. I’ve been in error. I’ve listened to you—all of you who would have us believe that you have some sort of power over us. But, you have none. None.”
“You question my power?” Ulrika shouted.
“Not only yours.” Cecil grinned—pointing to a noisy scene behind Ulrika.
Ulrika spun around to see Giovanni—still struggling in vain against Peter who carried him on deck.
“Now, you better stop wrigglin’,” Peter joked. “Or even though I was tol’ not to, I might jus’ drop you in the sea.”
“Giovanni!” Ulrika shouted. Her lover looked up, catching sight of her and quickly looking away in shame.
“It seems that your lot has lost your effectiveness.” Adrienne chuckled.
“Really?” Ulrika snarled. She rushed forward and tried to grab Fuller from Adrienne’s arms.
Instinctively, Adrienne kicked her right leg forward—her foot landing violently against Ulrika’s shins.
Ulrika squealed. Furiously, she charged at Adrienne, almost knocking her over, and pinning her against the ship’s rail.
Cecil spun around, grabbing Ulrika by the waist.
“I’ll push her over the side!” Ulrika howled. “Both her and your child!”
Did you miss Chapters 1-459? If so, you can read them here. Come back on Monday, February 13, 2012 for Chapter 461 of Punch’s Cousin.
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