Chapter 271
“Aye, the first to come upon that bloody scene was I.” Mr. Donnan rasped as his trembling, hairy hand raised a teacup to his lips. He sat at Mrs. Pepper’s table in the kitchens. Robert, Punch and Lennie stood across from the man.
“What did you see—exactly?” Mr. Punch asked, speaking in Julian’s voice.
“It ain’t a thing to repeat to a fine gentleman such as yourself. Nor…”
“You must tell us, Johnny.” Mr. Punch shook his head.
“Not in front of the girl.” He pointed to Lennie. “I won’t have me own daughter hear of such things.”
“Your…” Lennie turned read in the face. “Sir, you are no father to me! You gave me away. The only father I knew was your late wife’s brother. And, lest you think I’m merely some squeamish woman, let me remind you that I watched my the woman I thought was my mother die—consumed from the inside out and witnessed the death of Mr. Barrett, the man I believed to be my father. I am no stranger to death and blood and rot. I grew up on it. There’s nothing you could possibly say which would make me faint of heart. Furthermore, you needn’t feel a sense of paternal affection for me—not now. It’s too late for that. It doesn’t suit you, Sir! I saw what you did to Finlay! Your treatment drove him now. So, don’t sit here in my brother’s kitchens and try to convince me that you’ve grown soft-hearted and fatherly now. You are my brother’s servant, Mr. Donnan and you will do as he asks of you.”
Johnny Donnan grinned. “Aye, you’ve got my fire in ya.”
“I’ve none of you in me. Nor the Duchess of Fallbridge. I am a creation of my own! Now, Mr. Donnan, you will speak.” Lennie said firmly.
Punch and Robert exchanged fast, amused glances.
“I must ask you to continue, Mr. Donnan.” Punch added.
“We went to the house as you asked of us, Jonas and I.” Mr. Donnan replied, defeated. “We’d gone to convince Orpha Polk to leave behind this life and go away.” He reached into his pocket and removed the sack of coins which the Duke had sent with him. “We still have every last shilling Your Grace told us to give to the madwoman. I was to speak for both Jonas and me-self, to plead with Eudora to, for the honor of her dead brother, to make that terrible Polk woman change her name again and leave London. Aye, Your Grace, just as you said.”
“Continue,” Robert nodded.
“I knocked on the door of Eudora’s house, expectin’ the hear the sound of children underfoot and the loud voices what Jonas described to me before he went mostly mute.” Mr. Donnan took another sip of tea, “But, may, there were no voices. No childish squeals nor even footsteps. I opened the door and went in. I went before Jonas, and there I saw…aye, but it were a terrible thing…the poor, sad bloody body of Eudora, cut through the belly, and the one called Hortence—the same. Both of ‘em dead and gone on the floor, and scattered about ‘em the carcasses of many rats, dry of their life.”
Punch and Robert frowned while Lennie maintained her determined eye contact with her natural father.
“Where was Orpha?” Punch asked.
“No sign of ‘er. Left behind only a baby’s soiled linens. More than I ever saw in me life.” Johnny replied.
Mr. Punch sighed.
“Did she kill them children, too?” Johnny Donnan asked.
“Since when have you ever cared about a child’s life?” Lennie snapped.
“I’ve changed, my girl.” Johnny replied softly.
“No one changes that much.” Lennie muttered.
“The children are safe,” Robert spoke up.
“Aye, I’m glad of that.” Mr. Donnan shook his head. “Would I could have kept Mr. Stover from seein’ that wretched sight. He followed me in, and, upon seein’ his daughter, let out a shriek. I thought for a moment, maybe, he’d even talk, but he didn’t. He ran into the streets and slipped away before I could catch ‘im.”
“Have you any idea where he might have gone?” Punch asked.
“Nay. I’ve looked everywhere I could think. He’s nowhere to be found.”
“And, neither is Orpha.” Punch scowled.
“I dreadful grieved that I could not serve ya better, Your Grace.” Mr. Donnan said.
“It can’t be helped.” Mr. Punch answered. “Finish your tea and, then, you may leave. I hope you can find your friend.”
“Where am I to go?” Mr. Donnan asked. “Should I return to the Grange?”
“Certainly not.” Robert said sharply.
“No.” Punch shook his head. “No.”
“I see.” Mr. Donnan nodded. He pushed the bag of coins across the table.
“You may keep that.” Punch held up his hand.
“Surely not!” Lennie shouted.
“If it means that he can start a new life somewhere far away from us, he certainly may.” Punch replied evenly. He looked to Mr. Donnan. “I want you to understand that you’re not to contact Miss Molliner again. Nor, even, should you look for her. Take that and start anew and try to remember this…this moment of clarity that you seem to have achieved. Do not revert to your past cruelty, but try to do some good with yourself in whatever way you can.”
“That’s very generous of you, Your Grace.” Johnny Donnan grabbed the bag of coins and replaced it in his pocket.
“Yes, it is.” Lennie snorted. “You don’t deserve my brother’s kindness. Yet, he is universally kind. You’d do well to recall that as you venture out on your own.”
“I hope you can find Mr. Stover. It seems you two are true friends.” Punch added.
“Aye. Poor man. He’s a thief, yes, and would steal the coins off a dead man’s eyes, but in his heart, is love. He loved his children. And, now, he’s seen to of ‘em dead and gone at the hands of Orpha Polk. All o’ em gone.”
“We were told that Eudora’s children were sent away with an aunt…” Robert began.
“Ah, the plump wench from the George and Dragon. She ain’t Jonas’. She’s the eldest lass o’ Eudora’s mother.”
“I see.” Robert nodded.
“I cannot bear being in the same room with this person any longer.” Lennie shook her head. “Excuse me.”
“We’ll accompany you, Lennie.” Punch said, taking his sister’s arm.
“Good luck to you, Mr. Donnan.” Robert nodded as he followed Punch and Lennie upstairs. “When you’ve finished your tea, Speaight will show you out.”
Speaight, who had been standing just out of sight in his pantry, stepped into view of the kitchen table.
“Aye.” Mr. Donnan rose. “I’m finished.
“Yes, you are, Mr. Donnan,” Speaight smiled.
Exiting the area door, Mr. Donnan climbed the stairs to the street. He thought about going around to the mews where he could walk…to wherever he was going to walk, he didn’t know…less conspicuously. However, ahead of him, the sight of a tall, ginger woman descending from a carriage caught his eye.
She spoke loudly, that giant, titian woman, and in an accent which was strange to Mr. Donnan. Once she’d climbed from the carriage, she offered her hand to another woman, a smaller woman dressed in a veiled bonnet. Together they climbed the front stairs of one of the neighboring white-columned houses where they met a man in a dark suit of clothes.
The three of them went into the house.
Something about the two women seemed peculiar to Mr. Donnan, and he felt a stirring in his heart even though he could not see the face of the one and the other was entirely foreign to him.
Somehow, however, he knew that he should follow them. And, so, he did.
Did you miss Chapters 1-270 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square? If so, you can read them here. Come back tomorrow for Chapter 272 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square.
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