Chapter 146:
Now that I hear it
“Let her go, Georgie.” Mrs. Pepper said quickly.
“Mum!” Georgie yelped.
“Do what the man says,” Mrs. Pepper pleaded. “He’ll cut ya dead, he will.”
“You can count on it.” Finlay growled.
“Georgie!” Ethel screamed. “Let her go!”
George released his grasp on Ellen who flung herself away from him.
“You filthy idiot!” Ellen shouted. “You’ll pay for this!”
George rushed to his mother’s side.
“That was unusually good thinking on your part, George.” Finlay winked, still holding his knife forward.
“I’m still goin’ to the masters!” Georgie replied. “You can’t stop me from doin’ that.”
“Can’t we?” Ellen snarled. “Do you think Finlay would hesitate from cutting all of your throats right now.”
“Can’t get us all.” Ethel snapped.
“Hear me, lass,” Finlay narrowed his eyes. “I will come into your room tonight and kill ya in your bed.”
“Not if I kill you first.” Ethel barked.
“We’ve wasted enough time on these cretins.” Ellen Barrett hissed. “Come, Finlay, we’ve other matters which require us.”
“Ellen…” Finlay coughed. “They’ll go right to that lunatic upstairs.”
“Let them.” Ellen smiled. She looked to Georgie, and, then to Ethel. “You’d best be careful Scullery Maid, young Pepper here is a little rough on a lady.”
“You’re wicked, Miss!” Mrs. Pepper snapped.
Ellen shrugged. Taking Finlay’s hand, she led him toward the door to the Servants’ Hall.
“Are we just gonna let ‘em go?” Jenny whispered.
Finlay turned and aimed his knife at Jenny. “Doesn’t look like you’ve a choice, lassie.”
With that, Ellen and Finlay ran through the servants’ hall to the garden exit.
“Mum, what do we do?”
“We go right to the masters.” Mrs. Pepper nodded. “All of us.”
The trip up the service stairs was brief, yet, it seemed to those four, poor individuals to take forever. Each step seemed higher than usual and they all wondered how they’d make it.
Finally, they reached the passage to the Duke’s room. Mrs. Pepper cleared her throat, and knocked.
There was no response.
“Your Grace? It’s Mrs. Pepper. I’ve got Ethel, Jenny and George with me. I must speak with you.”
After a few seconds, Mrs. Pepper could hear the sound of the door’s lock. She was surprised when Gamilla answered the door.
Glancing inside the room, Mrs. Pepper gasped upon seeing the bloody bed which held Gerard.
“What’s happened?” Mrs. Pepper asked, moving her body forward to block the view from the younger people.
Gamilla, looking exhausted, shook her head. “You’d best speak to Dr. Halifax.”
“Where is he?” Mrs. Pepper asked.
“He’s with the Duke. But, see…the Duke.” Gamilla pointed with her thumb to the adjoining room. “You may find him…not himself, Mrs. Pepper.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Pepper raised her eyebrows.
“Can it wait?” Gamilla mumbled.
“I’m afraid not.” Mrs. Pepper shook her head.
“Then, go on. Knock on the nursery door and say who ya is. Dr. Halifax will answer.”
Mrs. Pepper nodded as Gamilla shut the door, and, then did as instructed.
Dr. Halifax also looked weary and frazzled.
“Yes, Mrs. Pepper?” He said softly.
“Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve got to speak to you and His Grace.”
“His Grace is resting.” Dr. Halifax said softly.
“It’s all right, Chum.” Punch called from inside the room. “Let ‘em in.”
Robert nodded and opened the door, ushering in the four visitors.
Georgie, Ethel and Jenny joined hands upon seeing that Charles was also in the nursery and that he had blood on his shirt front.
“Charlie, are ya hurt?” Georgie asked.
“No, Georgie.” Charles shook his head.
“Gerard was injured.” Robert explained.
“I saw ‘im in the next room, Sir.” Mrs. Pepper replied. “What’s happened to the poor man?”
“He was attacked.” Robert replied.
“Bu Finlay no doubt.” Ethel chirped.
“Why do ya say that, Ethel?” Punch asked, no bothering to disguise his own voice with Julian’s. He’d cycled through enough personalities that evening and didn’t much care to pose as another.
Ethel didn’t seem shocked by this, perhaps because she had so much on her mind. “He just done so to Georgie.”
Robert’s eyes widened and he stepped forward to George. “Where are you cut?”
“Didn’t cut me, Sir.”
“But, he tried.” Mrs. Pepper spoke up.
“Why?” Robert asked.
“We caught Miss Barrett tryin’ to kill our Ethel.”
“Bugger!” Punch shouted.
“I knew she was…” Robert muttered. He turned to Mr. Punch. “So, she has been behind all of this. She and Finlay!” And to think, we let her stay with our child.”
“She’s a wicked woman, Sir.” Mrs. Pepper nodded. “What’s more, she’s tellin’ lies.”
“About what?” Robert asked.
“Claims she’s the Duke’s sister.” Mrs. Pepper continued. “Says she’s the child of ol’ Johnny Donnan and the late Duchess of Fallbridge.”
Mr. Punch’s face fell.
Robert studied his companion. “Perhaps you should sit, my dear.”
“I don’t think it’s a lie,” Punch squawked. “Now that I hear it…”
“Sir?” Mrs. Pepper said softly.
“I don’t think it’s a lie.” Punch repeated.
Did you miss Chapters 1-145 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square? If so, you can read them here. Come back on Monday for Chapter 147.
“Let her go, Georgie.” Mrs. Pepper said quickly.
“Mum!” Georgie yelped.
“Do what the man says,” Mrs. Pepper pleaded. “He’ll cut ya dead, he will.”
“You can count on it.” Finlay growled.
“Georgie!” Ethel screamed. “Let her go!”
George released his grasp on Ellen who flung herself away from him.
“You filthy idiot!” Ellen shouted. “You’ll pay for this!”
George rushed to his mother’s side.
“That was unusually good thinking on your part, George.” Finlay winked, still holding his knife forward.
“I’m still goin’ to the masters!” Georgie replied. “You can’t stop me from doin’ that.”
“Can’t we?” Ellen snarled. “Do you think Finlay would hesitate from cutting all of your throats right now.”
“Can’t get us all.” Ethel snapped.
“Hear me, lass,” Finlay narrowed his eyes. “I will come into your room tonight and kill ya in your bed.”
“Not if I kill you first.” Ethel barked.
“We’ve wasted enough time on these cretins.” Ellen Barrett hissed. “Come, Finlay, we’ve other matters which require us.”
“Ellen…” Finlay coughed. “They’ll go right to that lunatic upstairs.”
“Let them.” Ellen smiled. She looked to Georgie, and, then to Ethel. “You’d best be careful Scullery Maid, young Pepper here is a little rough on a lady.”
“You’re wicked, Miss!” Mrs. Pepper snapped.
Ellen shrugged. Taking Finlay’s hand, she led him toward the door to the Servants’ Hall.
“Are we just gonna let ‘em go?” Jenny whispered.
Finlay turned and aimed his knife at Jenny. “Doesn’t look like you’ve a choice, lassie.”
With that, Ellen and Finlay ran through the servants’ hall to the garden exit.
“Mum, what do we do?”
“We go right to the masters.” Mrs. Pepper nodded. “All of us.”
The trip up the service stairs was brief, yet, it seemed to those four, poor individuals to take forever. Each step seemed higher than usual and they all wondered how they’d make it.
Finally, they reached the passage to the Duke’s room. Mrs. Pepper cleared her throat, and knocked.
There was no response.
“Your Grace? It’s Mrs. Pepper. I’ve got Ethel, Jenny and George with me. I must speak with you.”
After a few seconds, Mrs. Pepper could hear the sound of the door’s lock. She was surprised when Gamilla answered the door.
Glancing inside the room, Mrs. Pepper gasped upon seeing the bloody bed which held Gerard.
“What’s happened?” Mrs. Pepper asked, moving her body forward to block the view from the younger people.
Gamilla, looking exhausted, shook her head. “You’d best speak to Dr. Halifax.”
“Where is he?” Mrs. Pepper asked.
“He’s with the Duke. But, see…the Duke.” Gamilla pointed with her thumb to the adjoining room. “You may find him…not himself, Mrs. Pepper.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Pepper raised her eyebrows.
“Can it wait?” Gamilla mumbled.
“I’m afraid not.” Mrs. Pepper shook her head.
“Then, go on. Knock on the nursery door and say who ya is. Dr. Halifax will answer.”
Mrs. Pepper nodded as Gamilla shut the door, and, then did as instructed.
Dr. Halifax also looked weary and frazzled.
“Yes, Mrs. Pepper?” He said softly.
“Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve got to speak to you and His Grace.”
“His Grace is resting.” Dr. Halifax said softly.
“It’s all right, Chum.” Punch called from inside the room. “Let ‘em in.”
Robert nodded and opened the door, ushering in the four visitors.
Georgie, Ethel and Jenny joined hands upon seeing that Charles was also in the nursery and that he had blood on his shirt front.
“Charlie, are ya hurt?” Georgie asked.
“No, Georgie.” Charles shook his head.
“Gerard was injured.” Robert explained.
“I saw ‘im in the next room, Sir.” Mrs. Pepper replied. “What’s happened to the poor man?”
“He was attacked.” Robert replied.
“Bu Finlay no doubt.” Ethel chirped.
“Why do ya say that, Ethel?” Punch asked, no bothering to disguise his own voice with Julian’s. He’d cycled through enough personalities that evening and didn’t much care to pose as another.
Ethel didn’t seem shocked by this, perhaps because she had so much on her mind. “He just done so to Georgie.”
Robert’s eyes widened and he stepped forward to George. “Where are you cut?”
“Didn’t cut me, Sir.”
“But, he tried.” Mrs. Pepper spoke up.
“Why?” Robert asked.
“We caught Miss Barrett tryin’ to kill our Ethel.”
“Bugger!” Punch shouted.
“I knew she was…” Robert muttered. He turned to Mr. Punch. “So, she has been behind all of this. She and Finlay!” And to think, we let her stay with our child.”
“She’s a wicked woman, Sir.” Mrs. Pepper nodded. “What’s more, she’s tellin’ lies.”
“About what?” Robert asked.
“Claims she’s the Duke’s sister.” Mrs. Pepper continued. “Says she’s the child of ol’ Johnny Donnan and the late Duchess of Fallbridge.”
Mr. Punch’s face fell.
Robert studied his companion. “Perhaps you should sit, my dear.”
“I don’t think it’s a lie,” Punch squawked. “Now that I hear it…”
“Sir?” Mrs. Pepper said softly.
“I don’t think it’s a lie.” Punch repeated.
Did you miss Chapters 1-145 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square? If so, you can read them here. Come back on Monday for Chapter 147.
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