Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square, Chapter 310

Chapter 310
Made Stronger



“Please!” Orpha bellowed as she staggered out of the room in which they kept Marduk. “All of this noise is disturbing the baby.”

Fern continued to scream.

“She’s rejoicing.” Ulrika nodded.

“Oh,” Orpha smiled. “So, it has come to pass, the girl has returned to us. I knew she would.”

“It’s just as you predicted.” Ulrika nodded.

“Who did this?” Fern screeched. “Who did this to my father?”

“He wasn’t just your father, dear.” Ulrika grinned. “He was Marduk’s father, too. And, Miss Polk’s love. And, her brother.”

“I don’t understand.” Fern yelled. “You killed him! You’re monsters!”

“Really,” Ulrika shrugged. “You don’t need to flatter us.”

“She seems upset.” Orpha narrowed her eyes.

“No.” Ulrika shook her head. She looked at Fern. “You’re not upset. Are you?”

“Yes! My father…”

“It’s not as if you ever met the man before. Or have you?” Ulrika asked.

“No! But…”

“Then, you’ve no cause to be bereft.” Orpha snapped.

“That’s right.” Ulrika nodded. “If anyone should be upset, it’s Miss Polk. After all, he was the father of her son…as well as her brother.”

“I…I…” Fern stammered.

“And, Fern, you don’t see Miss Polk carrying on. Do you?” Ulrika scolded the girl. “She actually knew the man. All her life! But, she knew that he had to die.”

“Why?”

“So that Marduk could live.” Ulrika frowned. “Really, you are a stupid, little girl. Surrounded by all this beauty and yet you’re carrying on as if something was done to you. Your father had to die so Marduk could thrive. It’s all written down. It’s been planned for ages. This is a very important moment in history. The records of ‘The Fifty’ clearly state that when the Messiah is ready to take his strongest form, he must first feed on the flesh of his father. We’ve done it. Now, Marduk can grow into the majestic ruler that he’s destined to be! Really, you wouldn’t begrudge your brother such a thing. Would you? Especially since you’re to be his consort one day…”

“What?” Fern gasped.

“The girl is a fool!” Orpha scowled, rubbing her stump.

“Let’s not conclude that yet, my dear. She is, after all, just a child, really. Furthermore, she’s been stuck with those simpering mandrakes. Her sensibilities have been muddied.” Ulrika knelt next to Fern. “Now, really, which part didn’t you understand?”

“All of it.” Fern screamed.

“Fern, dear.” Ulrika sighed. “Your daddy has been killed. He was Marduk’s daddy, too. So, Marduk is your brother.”

“That baby with two heads?”

“Yes, dear.” Ulrika nodded. “And, you’re to be his bride once he has grown suitably.”

“No.”

“Yes, dear. It’s too wonderful. Don’t you think? Now, do you see that lady over there? Do you know who she is?”

“The lady whose hand was chopped off.”

“Yes, dear. But, she’s also your auntie. She was your daddy’s sister, and, she and your daddy made Marduk.”

Fern let out another piercing scream. “I want to go home.”

“You are home.” Orpha growled.

“This was my home, but it’s not anymore!”

“Yes, dear.” Ulrika answered, growing impatient. “It is.”

“I want to go back to the Duke’s!”

“You were just wailing about not wanting to be there. You were running away from the Duke’s man.” Ulrika spat. “You wanted to be here. You knew it was time for you to return! That’s why you’ve come back! And, here you will stay.”

“If you weren’t meant to marry my son, I’d kill you right now.” Orpha stepped forward.

“Now, do be quiet.” Ulrika added. “And, come and see the baby. They do like you so. Remember how they’d gaze at you with his four eyes. Oh! And, you can see your daddy’s face for the first time. Marduk is paying with the baron’s head.”

Fern trembled, her eyes fluttering. With a gasp, she fainted to the floor.

“Oh dear.” Ulrika sniffed. “How inconvenient. We’re going to have to toughen her up, I’m afraid.”

“Leave her to me,” Orpha grinned. “I’ll see that she’s made stronger.”





Did you miss Chapters 1-309 If so, you can read them here. Come back tomorrow for Chapter 311 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square.

Punch’s Cousin, Chapter 310

“Feet are quite amusing things,” Mr. Punch chattered as he walked the misty streets of the French Quarter with Charles. “They got a smell to ‘em what makes ya laugh.”

“I suppose so,” Charles muttered.

“Yet, they’re awful useful, too.” Punch continued. “Look at that.” Punch pointed to his feet—or, more accurately, Julian’s feet. “Holdin’ up all me weight and moving on their own, one and then the other, taking me across the ground.”

“Yes, Sir.” Charles said softly.

“See, I ain’t used to feet. To be sure, I had feet, if you want to think of ‘em as such. I had legs, too, but they weren’t really legs. Just sort of hung there, they did. Didn’t work on their own. Most interesting, these feet.”

“You know, Your Grace,” Charles said sharply. “You weren’t really ever a puppet. You’ve always been a man. You’re just an idea that the Duke is having.”

“What?” Punch stopped short, looking with a shattered expression at Charles.

“I’m sorry, Sir.” Charles sighed.

“I was most certainly a puppet.” Punch spat. “I was a puppet. I was a puppet of wood and cloth what me master played with as a boy. I was--most certainly! You weren’t there! Sure, I may be a thought now—an idea, as you say. Now! But, where do you think that idea came from? A puppet—that’s where! Now, I’ll forgive you sayin’ what you just did because you don’t know what it’s like to be two—or more—people at once and you can’t know what that feels like. But, I’d hope that you’d have ‘nough respect to not say somethin’ so cruel as that to me. If not respect for me, then at least for the Duke of Fallbridge what gives you money to serve him!”

“I didn’t mean any harm, Your Grace.”

“I wonder.” Punch scowled. “No, I don’t ‘spose you did. I understand you’re upset ‘bout Barbara. You love her—for whatever reason I’ll never understand, but you do.”

“Yes, Sir.” Charles nodded.

“Just don’t go sayin’ nothin’ like that ‘gain, or I’ll hit you with me stick.” Punch growled. “Oh!” His attention was drawn away from his hurt feelings as he pointed to the ground. “Look there! The tracks pick up ‘gain. See there? The same crimson heel mark what we saw in the courtyard outside the cathedral!”

Charles knelt down and studied the mark on the banquette. “Yes, it appears to be.”

“Here, where are we, then?” Punch looked around.

Charles told them there location.

“What’s near here?” Punch asked.

“Sir, this, if I’m not mistaken is very near to Iolanthe Evangeline’s—uh…place of business.”

“’Course it is.” Punch frowned. “Well, then, we’d best get there. Hadn’t we?”

Meanwhile, back at their house on Royal Street as Cecil, Adrienne, Toby and the two babies slept, Marjani and Robert watched as Arthur breathed raspily—each breath clattering with the fluid in his lungs.

“He’s gonna go soon, isn’t he, Sir?” Gerry asked from the stack of hay upon which he sat.

“Yes.” Robert answered without looking at Gerard.

Marjani, feeling more sympathetic for Arthur’s friend, walked over to him and asked. “You ever seen a man die?”

“I have,” Gerard nodded.

“So, you know not be ‘fraid of it.” Marjani smiled.

“I ain’t scared of death, Miss.” Gerard answered respectively. “What I’m afraid of is where I’ll go now. Arthur made me many promises, he did. Ain’t none of ‘em gonna come true now.”

“They weren’t going to come true anyway.” Robert grunted, turning around finally.

“Tell me,” Marjani said softly, “what sort of promises did this man make to you?”

“Too many.” Gerry shrugged. “He had many plans, too.”

“What sort of plans?” Robert asked.

“Not very nice ones, Sir.” Gerard responded.

“Don’t you think it’s time that you told us all about them?” Robert asked.

“Well, Sir, I reckon I should. Only, when you hear ‘em, you ain’t gonna want to help me no more.”

“Gerard, Mr. Pun…I mean, His Grace promised we would help you, and help you we shall. So, you should feel free to unburden yourself to us now. It’s the only way we can truly assist you.”

“Very well, Sir.” Gerard began. “You ain’t gonna like it.”



Did you miss Chapters 1-309? If so, you can read them here.