Chapter 24:
As Fortunate as
I
Charles and
Gerard both rushed toward their imperiled master. Charles grabbed Mr. Punch’s attacker by the
waist while Gerard forcefully gripped the man’s arms, loosening the hold that
the intruder had on the Duke’s neck.
Mr. Punch
gasped, stumbling backward. He looked
wildly around the room, panting and groaning, and considered, for a moment,
hiding behind the papier mache screen in the corner of the room. He also considered grabbing the nearby oil
lamp and smashing it over this angry fellow’s head.
“Don’t hurt him,
please!” Ellen pleaded, running into the
room. “He doesn’t know what he’s
doing.” She ran to the pale, ginger
fellow—his face flushed with confusion.
“Please, let him go.”
“Not a chance,
Miss,” Gerard growled.
“He’s my
brother,” Ellen pleaded.
“Don’t care if
he’s Prince Albert himself, Miss.”
Gerard snapped. “No one hurts the
Duke!”
The man
struggled and growled, trying to get away from Charles and Gerard, but the two
men held on tightly. He growled and
frothed horribly.
“Roger, please,
calm down!” Ellen begged.
“Roger?” Punch sputtered. “He called himself, Victor, he did.” Punch didn’t bother trying to imitate Julian. He couldn’t have cared less if the man who’d
just attacked him heard his own manner of speaking.
“I know,
Sir.” Ellen said quickly. “He’s not…he’s…” She began to cry. “He’s not well, Sir. You should understand.”
“That’s enough
from you!” Punch shouted angrily, feeling the sting of what Ellen had just implied. He suddenly felt quite bad about his tone,
but he was too upset to apologize for it.
“Miss Barrett,”
Punch continued. “You’d best go outside
and shout for the beadle!”
“No, Sir. Please.
Let me just talk with him.”
“He tried to
kill the master!” Gerard spat. “Go get a constable, woman!”
“Please,
gentlemen, let me just speak with him.
He’ll listen to me.”
“Will he, then?”
Punch grumbled, rubbing his tender throat.
He snorted and walked to the bell-push next to the mantel. Pushing the bell, he spun around and frowned
at Miss Barrett “I don’t think this
bloke’s gonna listen to no one, I don’t!
If you won’t go for the beadle, I’ll get someone what will.”
“Your Grace,
he’s ill!” Ellen hurried toward
him. She put her hands on his arm.
“Don’t touch
me!” Punch shouted. Ellen quickly removed her hands.
“Sir, he’s my
brother.”
“Well,
then. Not a very good brother, is he?”
Punch narrowed his eyes. “Came into me
own house to choke me, he did. And, do
you know what he said ‘bout you—his own sister? Called you a disreputable woman. Said you was a bad, fallen woman. Don’t sound like the sort of brother what a
woman should be protectin’!”
Speaight hurried
into the room, responding to the bell.
He gasped when he saw the man being restrained by the red-face Charles
and Gerard.
“Go for the
beadle, Speaight!” Punch ordered. “And, be quick ‘bout it. This man tried to kill me.”
Speaight looked
confused. He’d never heard that voice
come from his master before. Punch
didn’t care.
“Go!” Punch shouted.
“Please, Mr.
Speaight. Let’s not involve the
authorities,” Ellen begged. “It’s a
misunderstanding. This man is my
brother.”
“Miss?” Speaight squinted.
“Miss Barrett,”
Punch scowled, his voice still rough.
He, again, rubbed his throat which grew increasing red as welts in the
shape of Roger’s fingers rose on his smooth, white flesh. “You stood here in this room and said that
your brother was quite dull. This ain’t
a man what’s dull, it ain’t.”
Speaight tilted
his head to one side, studying his master.
Punch noticed
the butler’s odd expression and realized what he’d been doing. “I’m very upset, Speaight. Forgive me.” Punch added in a manner more
like the one to which Speaight was accustomed.
“Sir,” Ellen
began again. “I did tell you my brother
is dull. But, I was referring to my
eldest brother. I have three. Roger is the baby of the family. He’s always been very protective of me.”
“So much so that
he comes to me with slander against you?”
“Sir,
please.” Ellen sobbed.
Robert staggered
into the room—his eyes squinty and exhausted.
He wore his dressing gown. “What
is going on here?” Robert gasped. “I heard the commotion. What’s happened?”
Ellen hurried
toward the doctor. “Sir, this man is my
brother. He’s made a mistake, but he’s
ill. He doesn’t know what he’s
doing. He’s…he’s different. You must know exactly what I mean.” She
leveled her eyes at Robert. “He thinks
he’s someone else. Often. I thought he was being taken care of, but he
seems to have…gotten free.”
Robert looked at
Mr. Punch.
“Choked me. The man choked me.” Punch said plainly.
“What?” Robert
barked. He studied the man being
restrained by Charles and Gerard. “Get
him out of here at once!”
“Yes, Sir.” Charles nodded firmly. With his arms still around Roger’s waist,
Charles pulled the man from the room as Gerard pushed.
“Take him to my
study.” Robert said quickly. “And, hold
him there. Don’t let him loose.”
Charles looked
confused. “Sir?”
“Just take him
there, please.” Robert waved his
hand. “Hold him.”
Robert ran to Punch
and examined his companion’s throat.
“Has he hurt you, my dear?”
“Sure, he has.”
Punch moaned. He looked to
Speaight. “Speaight, I don’t know what
to tell you right now. Please, would you
wait in the passage?”
“Yes, of course,
Your Grace.” Speaight answered nervously.
With Speaight
gone, Punch was able to speak more freely.
“Chum, it were awful. This man
came into me own house with lies ‘bout Miss Barrett and when I tried to defend
her, he choked me. She says he’s her
brother only this ain’t the way a brother speaks of his sister. Tellin’ lies.
I know me own sister is no treat, she ain’t. But, I’d never go to a stranger to speak ill
of her. And, I certainly wouldn’t tell
no lies.”
“They’re not
lies, Your Grace.” Ellen said
softly. “What he told you was true.”
Punch
snorted. “I hate to hear that, I
do.” He shook his head. “Only, it’s no
excuse to attack your employer.”
“I’ve been
trying to tell you, Your Grace.” Ellen continued. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
“Please, Miss
Barrett.” Robert snapped, still examining Mr. Punch’s throat. “Hold your tongue for just one moment, would
you?”
Ellen’s face
flushed and she fell silent.
After awhile,
Robert sighed. “You’ll have a nasty
bruise, my dear.” He put his arms around
Mr. Punch and hugged him tightly.
“Oh, don’t
worry, Chum,” Punch said softly, feeling safer in Robert’s embrace. “I had worse, I had.”
“Why didn’t you
wake me?” Robert asked. “If we had a
visitor, why didn’t you wake me? I could
have protected you!” He still held onto his
companion.
“You was so
tired, Chum.” Punch explained quietly.
“I thought I could handle it, I did.
We had two visitors, we did. The
first one—Lady Constance—she were a nasty lot, but I got through it. But, this one…”
“Especially with
that horrible letter we received the other day.” Robert released Punch from his embrace. “We can’t take any chances.”
Mr. Punch
nodded. “I just wanted you to be
rested.”
“I know.” Robert smiled. “But, I’ve got to look after you.”
Punch nodded
again. “Sure.”
Robert put his
arm supportively around Punch’s shoulders and turned to face Ellen. “As for you, Miss Barrett—what is this
about?”
“Roger…” Ellen shook her head, tears welling up in her
eyes again. “My youngest brother.”
“Go on.”
“He’s always
been unwell. All his life. He’s always had these fits where he’s not
been himself. He can be so gentle and
kind and loving. But, sometimes, Sirs,
he thinks he’s someone else. Several
other people, it seems. I suppose he
thought he was the Baron Lensdown.”
“He told me he
was. Least he tol’ me he was Victor
Geddes, Miss.” Mr. Punch said, finally
calmer with Robert near him.
“This is not the
first time.” Ellen cried. “What Roger told you about me was the
truth. I did love my last employer, the
baron. He promised me that he would one
day marry me. However, I soon found that
it was a lie. When I left the baron’s
employ, I went to see Roger and I made a mistake in telling him. He became so enraged.” She choked for a moment. “He suddenly began to act as if he was Victor—the
baron. I managed to calm him down,
but…” She sobbed loudly. “I thought that he’d gotten past it.”
Mr. Punch shook
his head. “Now, Miss Barrett, ain’t no
use in tears. Please, sit. We’ll talk ‘bout it.”
“I’ll pack my
things, Sirs.” Ellen hiccupped as she
sat. “Today was my afternoon out
anyway. I’ll pack and leave your house
immediately. Just, please, don’t call
for the beadle. I’ll take my brother
with me and I’ll take him to the place where he’s been kept.”
“What sort of
place is this?” Robert asked.
“A private suite
of rooms. I’ve hired them. That’s where my wages go. There’s a man who looks after Roger. I’ve been paying him. I suppose Roger has grown too difficult for
him to monitor. I just wanted to avoid
sending him to an…”
“I know.” Robert interrupted her. “That’s like a death sentence. My own mother…” He paused.
“You say that he’s been like this for a long time?”
“All his life,
Sir.” Ellen nodded.
Mr. Punch and
Robert exchanged glances. Finally, Mr.
Punch sighed. “We might as well say it,
Chum. Sounds as if Roger is like me, it
does. Only he don’t got the luxury of
wealth what I got and havin’ a chum to keep him well.”
“I’ll take him
with me within the hour,” Ellen nodded.
“I shan’t return. You won’t be
bothered with us again.”
“Don’t be so
rash, Miss Barrett.” Robert shook his
head.
“You’ve enough
with which to cope, gentlemen.” Ellen
replied. “You don’t need my family’s
pain to add more burden to it. And, you
certainly don’t want a scandalous governess for your child.”
“I don’t think
you’re scandalous,” Mr. Punch smiled softly though his throat still pained him
terribly. “I think maybe you fell in
love with someone what hurt ya. Can’t
all be as fortunate as I been. Sometimes
folks fall in love with someone who ain’t true to ‘em.” He recalled his own man, Charles, who had
once been in love with the Duke’s sister, Barbara—a disreputable woman if there
ever was one. Charles had been deluded
by Barbara and though the man’s intentions were honorable, Barbara had broken
his heart and trampled his hopes. “It
happens,” Mr. Punch continued. “Not
everyone’s got the luck what me and Robert got.”
“No, Sir.” Ellen shook her head.
“We don’t want
you to leave.” Robert agreed. “Do we, dear Punch?”
“No.”
“But, sir…” Ellen began.
“As long as you
wish to remain here…” Punch added.
“Of course, I
do, Your Grace. I love being here. However, something must be done with
Roger. We can’t send for the constable,
Sirs. They would not understand. They’d treat him harshly. They’d not realize that he couldn’t help it.”
“I realize, Miss
Barrett.” Mr. Punch said. “I don’t know what’s troubled your brother,
but I know what it means to be different.
Sounds as if your brother and I got many things in common, only, like I
said, he just weren’t as fortunate as I.
I don’t know what’d become of me if Dr. Halifax hadn’t helped me and
protected me. Folk don’t understand me
neither, they don’t. Here, I done some
things like this me-self, I have. Pushed
a man off a ship once. Struck folk over
the head. I’ve done things what I didn’t
know no better ‘bout. But, me chum, he
made me understand what I were doin’.
Maybe he and I—together—can help your brother. Maybe we can help him have the sort of quiet,
gentle life what I got.”
“You’d consider
that, even after what he’s just done to you?”
Robert and Punch
smiled at her.
“Miss Barrett,”
Punch shook his head. “Ain’t the first
time what someone choked me. But, I hope
it’s the last. Now that I see
what’s…well, what the issue is, I got to help him. We both do.
I’d never thought ‘bout other folk bein’ like me. I only worry ‘bout me chum and Colin and the
folk in this house, but if there’s other blokes—and ladies, too—what’s like me,
ain’t it our responsibility to help ‘em.
Wouldn’t be right if they suffered cause folk don’t know that they’re
different.”
“I concur,”
Robert nodded. “We won’t call the
beadle, Miss Barrett. But, will you
allow me to examine Roger. Will you let
me talk to him? I’d also like to
accompany him back to the place where he lives so that I might speak with the man
who takes care of him.”
“I’d like to go,
too.” Punch smiled.
“You’d do this
for us?”
“Course we
would.” Punch grinned.
Tears again
sprang to Ellen’s eyes. “I don’t know
what to say.”
“Well, you ain’t
got to say nothin’ to us. Go on upstairs
to the doctor’s study and speak with your brother. Try to let him know he’s safe.”
“I will,
Sir.” She nodded, rising from her
chair. “Oh! What of Mr. Speaight?”
“I’ll speak with
him,” Robert answered. “I’ll tell him
that we’ll take care of the situation.
But, please, ask Charles and Gerard to stay with you while you speak
with your brother. If you would, tell
them that once I’ve dressed, I’ll join you all.”
“Oh, thank
you. Both of you, Sirs. I’m so grateful.”
“On with ya, then…”
Punch nodded.
With that, Ellen
hurried from the room.
Alone with
Punch, Robert embraced his companion again.
“I really am
fine, Chum.” Punch whispered.
“See that you
stay that way.”
“I never
thought, truly I didn’t, ‘bout there bein’ any others like me.”
“I have,” Robert
sighed.
“Oh?” Mr. Punch
asked.
“I’d like to
speak with you about that later, dear Punch.”
“Sure,” Punch
nodded. “But, first, let’s help this poor man as best we can.”
Robert looked
into Punch’s eyes. “How is it possible
that I admire you more each day?”
“Dunno.” Punch shrugged. “Guess we both feel the same.”
“You are
correct, dear Punch, we are fortunate.”
“All the more
reason to give this fella a chance, Chum.”
Punch sighed. “Maybe he can have
the same freedom one day.”
“We’ll see to
it, dear Punch.” Robert nodded. “I swear it.”
Did you miss
Chapters 1-23? If so, you can read them
in the Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square Chapter Archive. Come back tomorrow for Chapter 25.
