Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square, Chapter 371

Chapter 371
As Happy



"Girls,"  Mrs. Pepper smiled as she knocked on the open door of the nursery suite.

"Oh, come in, Mrs. Pepper,"  Gamilla chimed happily.

"Gamilla..."  Mrs. Pepper gasped.  "Ya look...oh, my dear, ya just look so stunning.  Like an angel."  She dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief.

"Thank you, Mrs. Pepper."  Gamilla looked down modestly.

"She does look beautiful."  Lennie declared proudly.  "I hope I'm just a fraction as beautiful on my wedding day."

"Oh, you'll be more so, Your Ladyship."  Gamilla beamed.

"No, dear Gamilla.  No matter what, your pretty face will always made you all the more beautiful."

"Miss Lennie."  Gamilla blushed.

Ethel came up behind Mrs. Pepper and peeked into the doorway.  "May I look?"

"Of course,"  Lennie waved the girl in.

"Cor!'  Ethel exclaimed.  "Like a princess, you are!  Just like a royal princess straight out of a paintin' in a museum."

"You're all too kind."  Gamilla shook her head.

"Gerard won't be able to keep his mouth closed,"  Violet nodded.  "He's going to stand at the altar, staring at you with his mouth open."

Gamilla giggled.  "I hope so!"

"Your Ladyship, if you don't mind, girls, I'd like to have a moment with Gamilla.  In private." Mrs. Pepper said shyly.

"Not at all."  Lennie smiled.  "Violet can help me finish dressing, and, Ethel you're nowhere near ready."

"Oh, blimey!"  Ethel exclaimed.

"Not to worry, Ethel.  Maudie's got your things all laid out and she'll help you dress.  I saw His Grace on my way up and he asked if you'd being Master Colin to the drawing room so he and His Lordship can watch him while you dress."  Mrs. Pepper said.

"Ain't that fine?"  Ethel said humbly.  "The masters thinkin' 'bout me like that."

"My brother and His Lordship think of everyone and everything."  Lennie smiled proudly.  "Come, now, let's leave Mrs. Pepper with the bride."

The others filed out, Lennie shutting the door behind them, as Gamilla gestured for Mrs. Pepper to sit in the chair next to her dressing table.

"I remember the day I married my late Mr. Pepper."  The cook spoke up.  "Oh, I was nervous.  I didn't even have any ordeal like you just had, dearie.  The one thing what kept me from laughin' and cryin' all at once was havin' me mum with me.  Now, Gamilla, I know your mum is up in heaven where mine is now, so I thought maybe, for today, I could act as your mum.  If you'd let me."

"I'd be most honored, Mrs. Pepper."  Gamilla grinned.  "I just been missin' my ma.  All my family really."

Mrs. Pepper nodded.  

"As happy as I am,"  Gamilla continued, "I can't help but miss 'em a little.  My ma, my daddy, my sister.  But, I know they're watchin' over me.  And, here I got you to hold my hand, and Miss Lennie to be like my sister and His Grace to escort me to the altar in my daddy's place."

"Are ya nervous, dearie?"

"No."  Gamilla answered.  "Not 'specially.  I feel like maybe I should be, but I ain't."

"That's good."  Mrs. Pepper nodded.  "In my life, I seen three times o' gettin' married.  The first was like me--a child, really, gettin' married to a man she hardly knew.  That's excitin', but sometimes it don't work out.  I was lucky.  The second is a woman who cries the whole time she's gettin' ready, knowin' she's marryin' the wrong man and tryin' to make the world think her tears are from happiness.  The third, is like you.  It's a woman who's marryin' her dearest friend.  Those are the happiest of marriages."

"Oh, he is my dearest friend.  I may say that the girls and Miss Lennie are my dearest friends, and, he may say Charles is his, but in our hearts, it's really each other."

"It's because you're one mind.  You just needed to find each other to be whole."  Mrs. Pepper smiled.  "And, here, I came in thinkin' I was gonna give ya some big motherly talk about marriage.  You don't need me."

"Yes, I do!"  Gamilla said.  "I do...very much.  I need ya to sit with me, Mrs. Pepper.  I need to talk.  I need to talk of all my glad plans and happy dreams."

"And, I need to hear them, dearie.  I really do...very much."  Mrs. Pepper dabbed her eyes again.


Did you miss Chapters 1-370 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square?  If so, you can read them here.  Come back tomorrow for Chapter 372.  

Punch’s Cousin, Chapter 371

Punch chattered as he panicked. “Can’t spend a few clock ticks with me master, lookin’ over memories what’s been botherin’ him for thirty years without some of them beasties doin’ somethin’ awful to me body!” He spun around in the darkness inside of their shared body. “No wonder me master is so scared of everything. Looks to me like he got good reason to be scared, he does. People are just terrible.”


Stopping in his tracks, Punch took a deep breath and pictured their body’s arms. “Go on, arms!” He shouted. “Start movin’.”

Suddenly, in the parlor of their borrowed Royal Street mansion, Julian’s arms began to thrash wildly. His eyes popped open.

“Quiet now, Duke.” Iolanthe hissed as she continued to choke him. “Let go of your awful life.”

“He don’t need lettin’ go!” Gamilla screamed. “Let him be!”

“Here!” Punch rasped through Julian’s throat as he realized what was happening. “Let me go!”

Iolanthe fell backward onto the floor and sniffed. “You try to do something nice…” She muttered as she examined her raw, injured hands.

“Nice?” Punch coughed and sputtered as he made their body sit up. “By killin’ me master’s body.”

“Well, look at you!” Iolanthe barked. “You’ve been unconscious and the first thing you say is something peculiar like that. I was just trying to put you out of your misery!”

“I ain’t miserable!” Punch coughed. “Here, what’s your problem, anyway? This ain’t the first time we caught ya tryin’ to kill someone in order to ‘put them out of their misery!’ What’s wrong with you?”

“Gratitude.” Iolanthe grunted.

Punch looked at Gamilla and shrugged. “You know what I think it is, Gamilla?”

“What’s that, Sir?”

“I think this one here is so bothered that she got that child what’s not right in the head and she feels so guilty ‘bout it that she thinks she’s doin’ somethin’ good when she tries to kill someone—so they won’t suffer. All cuz she can’t keep her own son from not sufferin’.”

“Sounds pretty smart to me, Sir.” Gamilla smiled.

“Don’t speak of my son.” Iolanthe hissed.

“Coo! What’s wrong with your hands?”

“Marie,” Iolanthe spat. “She hurt me! Punishment for helping you escape.”

“Where’s me chum?” Punch asked Gamilla. “He can help this woman.”

“Why bother?” Iolanthe grumbled.

“Listen, Ogress, I hate you. Ain’t no mistakin’ that. But, it ain’t right to let no one suffer, it isn’t. Even if I hate you, it don’t mean I think you should be hurt. Now, where’s the doctor?”

“He gone out.” Gamilla said softly.

“Where to?”

Gamilla hesitated—unsure if she should tell Mr. Punch that the babies had been taken.

“Somethin’ bad happened?” Punch asked.

“Yes, Sir.” Gamilla nodded.

“Go on, then.” Punch threw up his hands. “Tell me!”

“That Rittenhouse woman…” Gamilla began.

“The ginger?”

“No, Sir.”

“The old one?” Punch narrowed his eyes.

“Yes.” Gamilla nodded. “She took Masters Fuller and Colin.”

“What?” Punch rose to his feet, staggering slightly.

“She did?” Iolanthe’s eyes widened.

“This don’t concern you, Ogress.” Punch snapped.

“I should say it does.” Iolanthe grinned.

“When?”

“While you was on the floor, Sir.” Gamilla answered softly. “’Bout an hour ago. Mr. and Missus Halifax done gone to look for ‘em. Gerry, too, Sir. Left me here for to look after ya.”

“Bloody Hell!” Punch shouted. He turned to Iolanthe. “And, you don’t know nothin’ ‘bout this, I ‘spose?”

“Actually, no.” Iolanthe shrugged. “If you recall, I was with you at the Place Congo until Marie burned me.”

“Bullox!” Punch spat. “Bloody bullox hell!” He snorted. “Well, I gotta help them! Where’d they go. Hold on…you said that Cecil and Adrienne went to look for ‘em. Where’s me chum and Marjani?”

“Mr. Cage’s.”

“Why?” Iolanthe interrupted.

“Shut yer gob, Ogress!” Punch growled.

Iolanthe chuckled.

“Mrs. Cage, see, she got the Yellow Fever. The doctor and Marjani done gone to help her.”

“Corliss Cage has the Yellow Jack?” Iolanthe grinned.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut yer gob?” Punch sighed.

“You did. That doesn’t mean I’ll do what you say.” Iolanthe smirked.

“I hate you.” Punch grumbled. “Well, then, I gotta go to them first, I think. Them Cages are still up the street?”

“They are.” Gamilla nodded.

“I’ll come with you.” Iolanthe offered.

“No.” Punch squinted, then he paused. “Only I can’t leave you here either with Gamilla.”

“True. I may steal her.” Iolanthe winked at the girl who blushed and shivered.

Punch shook his head. “Well, come on, then.”





Did you miss Chapters 1-370? If so, you can read them here.