Chapter 138:
Kasperl
While Robert worked to save Gerard—assisted by Gamilla—Charles sat patiently watching the unconscious body of the Duke of Fallbridge and the Duke’s slumbering son. Time seemed to stand still, but, then, there was a quick and unexpected movement.
Charles, upon seeing the Duke’s eyes flutter, gently rose from his chair and placed Colin in his cradle.
Hurrying to the Duke’s side, Charles knelt down by the sofa upon which he’d placed his employer and whispered. “Your Grace? Can you hear me?”
Suddenly, the Duke’s eyes sprung open like those of an over-wound automaton. He bolted upright into a stiff sitting position.
Immediately, Charles knew that Mr. Punch had not returned. Looking into the familiar face, Charles rose to his feet and bowed his head slightly. “To whom am I speaking?” Charles asked.
“I am called Kasperl.” The words slipped unctuously out, coated with a slight German (or perhaps Austrian—Charles couldn’t decide which) accent.
“Kasperl?” Charles nodded. “Where is Mr. Punch?”
“Gone.” Kasperl replied curtly.
“And His Grace, the Duke?”
“The same.”
“Ah.” Charles answered.
“Before you begin with your ridiculous sycophancy,” Kasperl cringed—his voice slithering from the Duke’s lips, “Let me inform you that I have no interest in Punch’s little pantomime.”
“Oh?” Charles tilted his head to the left.
“This charade with which you humor him. I will not be called ‘Your Grace.’ I have no desire to be burdened with such pretense. Nor, young man, do I have a desire to mislead those around me. I am not the Duke of Fallbridge. Don’t refer to me as such.”
“Who are you, then?”
“I’ve told you, boy, that I am called Kasperl.” He sniffed.
“What does that mean exactly?” Charles asked.
“I have no time for such things.” Kasperl frowned. He pointed to Colin’s cradle. “What is that?”
“That is your son.”
“Not my son.” Kasperl shook his head. “I’ve nothing to do with it. Nor do I wish to. Where’s the doctor? He should be informed of my arrival.”
“The doctor is engaged presently.”
“Fetch him.”
“I cannot.” Charles shook his head.
“Very well,” Kasperl growled. “I do not need him. You will do.”
“For what exactly, Your Gr…” Charles paused.
“You have caught yourself. Good. You’ll do well.” Kasperl nodded. “Fetch me a change of clothing.”
“What’s wrong with your present clothes?”
“They’re not mine.”
“We have none of your clothes here.” Charles smiled.
“Ahhhh…” Kasperl scowled. “That would be true. I will wait.”
“For what?”
“You border on insolence.” Kasperl snapped. “Where is your famed loyalty?”
Charles shrugged. “If you’re not the Duke, then I do not work for you. If you’re not Mr. Punch, we are not friends. I have no connection to you. I have no reason to be loyal.”
“I command you!” Kasperl barked.
“No.” Charles shook his head. “You do not.”
“You must do as I say. You must take commands from whoever lives in this body.”
“But,” Charles replied cleverly, “you have no interest in what you called Mr. Punch’s ‘pantomime.’”
“No, I do not.” Kasperl sighed. “I do not care about his child nor about his romance with the handsome doctor nor his foolish, misguided attachments. This body is nothing to me but a tool so that I might exact my plan.”
“Which is?”
“To destroy it, of course.” Kasperl replied plainly.
This, rightfully, alarmed Charles. “It is not yours to destroy.”
“It’s as much mine as it is Punch’s.”
“Mr. Punch, as I understand, has earned his ownership of the body—a right he was also granted by His Grace, the true and original owner of those bones and that flesh. The two, I believe, are as tied to one another as Mr. Punch is to the doctor. They have an understanding. You have no right to interfere.”
“And, you have no right to question me.” Kasperl spat. “You are nothing but a servant.”
“In this household, I serve His Grace, yes, but....”
“You serve Mr. Punch,” Kasperl interrupted.
“I’ve learned that they are one in the same.” Charles growled. “You say that there’s some deception at hand. However, there is not. We refer to Mr. Punch as we would the Duke because he is of just such a station himself. There’s no deception. It’s respect for his standing. You, however, are new to me, and I can already decide that you are not worthy of my respect.”
“How dare you…”
“You’d do well to spare yourself the upset.” Charles frowned. “Why don’t you just retreat to from wherever you came? No one wants you here.”
“I shall, before finishing my task, first destroy you.”
“No.” Charles smiled defiantly. “Return Mr. Punch to us.”
“I cannot.”
“You can and will.” Charles stepped closer.
“If you come nearer to me,” Kasperl snarled, “I will kill this body. I will kill it. You will see. More than anything else that I can do while here—that is what most appeals to me.”
“I don’t think so.” Charles shook his head.
“You challenge me?” Kasperl laughed.
“No.” Charles sighed. “You’re no challenge.”
Charles, then, raised his fist. “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
With that, he struck the Duke’s gentle face with such a strong and swift blow that the man flailed backward—falling to the floor, unconscious.
Did you miss Chapters 1-137? If so, you can read them here. Come back tomorrow for Chapter 139 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square.
While Robert worked to save Gerard—assisted by Gamilla—Charles sat patiently watching the unconscious body of the Duke of Fallbridge and the Duke’s slumbering son. Time seemed to stand still, but, then, there was a quick and unexpected movement.
Charles, upon seeing the Duke’s eyes flutter, gently rose from his chair and placed Colin in his cradle.
Hurrying to the Duke’s side, Charles knelt down by the sofa upon which he’d placed his employer and whispered. “Your Grace? Can you hear me?”
Suddenly, the Duke’s eyes sprung open like those of an over-wound automaton. He bolted upright into a stiff sitting position.
Immediately, Charles knew that Mr. Punch had not returned. Looking into the familiar face, Charles rose to his feet and bowed his head slightly. “To whom am I speaking?” Charles asked.
“I am called Kasperl.” The words slipped unctuously out, coated with a slight German (or perhaps Austrian—Charles couldn’t decide which) accent.
“Kasperl?” Charles nodded. “Where is Mr. Punch?”
“Gone.” Kasperl replied curtly.
“And His Grace, the Duke?”
“The same.”
“Ah.” Charles answered.
“Before you begin with your ridiculous sycophancy,” Kasperl cringed—his voice slithering from the Duke’s lips, “Let me inform you that I have no interest in Punch’s little pantomime.”
“Oh?” Charles tilted his head to the left.
“This charade with which you humor him. I will not be called ‘Your Grace.’ I have no desire to be burdened with such pretense. Nor, young man, do I have a desire to mislead those around me. I am not the Duke of Fallbridge. Don’t refer to me as such.”
“Who are you, then?”
“I’ve told you, boy, that I am called Kasperl.” He sniffed.
“What does that mean exactly?” Charles asked.
“I have no time for such things.” Kasperl frowned. He pointed to Colin’s cradle. “What is that?”
“That is your son.”
“Not my son.” Kasperl shook his head. “I’ve nothing to do with it. Nor do I wish to. Where’s the doctor? He should be informed of my arrival.”
“The doctor is engaged presently.”
“Fetch him.”
“I cannot.” Charles shook his head.
“Very well,” Kasperl growled. “I do not need him. You will do.”
“For what exactly, Your Gr…” Charles paused.
“You have caught yourself. Good. You’ll do well.” Kasperl nodded. “Fetch me a change of clothing.”
“What’s wrong with your present clothes?”
“They’re not mine.”
“We have none of your clothes here.” Charles smiled.
“Ahhhh…” Kasperl scowled. “That would be true. I will wait.”
“For what?”
“You border on insolence.” Kasperl snapped. “Where is your famed loyalty?”
Charles shrugged. “If you’re not the Duke, then I do not work for you. If you’re not Mr. Punch, we are not friends. I have no connection to you. I have no reason to be loyal.”
“I command you!” Kasperl barked.
“No.” Charles shook his head. “You do not.”
“You must do as I say. You must take commands from whoever lives in this body.”
“But,” Charles replied cleverly, “you have no interest in what you called Mr. Punch’s ‘pantomime.’”
“No, I do not.” Kasperl sighed. “I do not care about his child nor about his romance with the handsome doctor nor his foolish, misguided attachments. This body is nothing to me but a tool so that I might exact my plan.”
“Which is?”
“To destroy it, of course.” Kasperl replied plainly.
This, rightfully, alarmed Charles. “It is not yours to destroy.”
“It’s as much mine as it is Punch’s.”
“Mr. Punch, as I understand, has earned his ownership of the body—a right he was also granted by His Grace, the true and original owner of those bones and that flesh. The two, I believe, are as tied to one another as Mr. Punch is to the doctor. They have an understanding. You have no right to interfere.”
“And, you have no right to question me.” Kasperl spat. “You are nothing but a servant.”
“In this household, I serve His Grace, yes, but....”
“You serve Mr. Punch,” Kasperl interrupted.
“I’ve learned that they are one in the same.” Charles growled. “You say that there’s some deception at hand. However, there is not. We refer to Mr. Punch as we would the Duke because he is of just such a station himself. There’s no deception. It’s respect for his standing. You, however, are new to me, and I can already decide that you are not worthy of my respect.”
“How dare you…”
“You’d do well to spare yourself the upset.” Charles frowned. “Why don’t you just retreat to from wherever you came? No one wants you here.”
“I shall, before finishing my task, first destroy you.”
“No.” Charles smiled defiantly. “Return Mr. Punch to us.”
“I cannot.”
“You can and will.” Charles stepped closer.
“If you come nearer to me,” Kasperl snarled, “I will kill this body. I will kill it. You will see. More than anything else that I can do while here—that is what most appeals to me.”
“I don’t think so.” Charles shook his head.
“You challenge me?” Kasperl laughed.
“No.” Charles sighed. “You’re no challenge.”
Charles, then, raised his fist. “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
With that, he struck the Duke’s gentle face with such a strong and swift blow that the man flailed backward—falling to the floor, unconscious.
Did you miss Chapters 1-137? If so, you can read them here. Come back tomorrow for Chapter 139 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square.
4 comments:
Wow! What a chapter. This is brilliant. Mr. Punch is so loved and respected by his chums that Charles is willing to take the chance of harming his body slightly to protect his body and soul.
Let's hope this drastic action does something positive. Thanks, Darcy!
I don't want Kasperl around. Charles did the only thing he could think of. Scary chapter!
Charles took a rather Addams Family approach to psychology.
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