Last week, we saw some surprising events take place in
Punch’s Cousin. To begin with, Charles revealed that his brother, Giovanni Iantosca wasn’t simply an unpleasant sculptor, but rather the head of a vicious gang of criminals who would hire themselves out for murder. Charles explained that Giovanni often colluded with wealthy individuals to permanently get rid of problems. One such customer was Julian’s late mother, The Duchess of Fallbridge. As Julian and Robert talked to Charles, they were interrupted by the news that Barbara Allen was downstairs and that she had abducted her child from Edward Cage. The announcement shocked Julian so much that he retreated into himself, allowing Mr. Punch to resurface.
Barbara Allen—she’s just one series of bad decisions after another. Her renewed maternal instincts fall into the category of “too little, too late.” After seeing her son for the first time since she allowed Iolanthe Evangeline to sell him to Edward and Corliss Cage, Barbara was overcome and snatched the baby from the kitchen of the Cages’ Royal Street mansion. After encountering Marjani and Adrienne, Barbara begged them for help. Of course, big-hearted Adrienne agreed despite Marjani’s fears. Adrienne worried how Cecil would react to her involvement. Cecil, though quite dismayed at first, was surprisingly supportive and, with Robert’s help, concocted a plan to get Barbara back to England with the child she had renamed “Colin” after her late father. Charles, whose feelings for Barbara seem to be increasing, volunteered to accompany Barbara and Colin on their voyage.
Meanwhile, Mr. Punch bonded with his nephew. Sitting in the nursery with Fuller, Colin, Columbia (and his dog and puppet), Punch vowed to protect his nephew and to ensure that he would receive his rightful inheritance.
When the others came to the nursery to tell Mr. Punch of their plan, he quickly refused stating that the child was his and that there was no way that they were traveling to England without him. At that very moment, Edward Cage and Ulrika were beating on the door after Edward realized where his stolen son had gone. Will Mr. Punch’s touching attachment to the baby actually mean that the child is returned to the Cages? Will this complication put a rift between Punch and his companions? What does this mean for Barbara? And, furthermore, how will Iolanthe react when she learns of Barbara’s crime from Ulrika? We’re going to see a lot of explosive action in the coming week of
Punch’s Cousin.
Monday marks the two hundredth chapter of
Punch’s Cousin. On Monday, I’ll also provide a thorough recap of the first two hundred chapters. My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been reading
Punch’s Cousin since the beginning. We’ve got some exciting surprises in store!
Set in an English country house, the story concerns the home’s dowager owner, Leonora Fiske (Isobel Elsom) and her housekeeper Ellen Creed (Lupino). Their life is quiet and reserved. But, that’s soon to change when Ellen learns that her two eccentric sisters are being booted from their London home by their landlord who finds their strange behavior increasingly alarming. Ellen begs Miss Fiske to allow her sisters to “visit,” and the woman reluctantly agrees. Soon, Miss Fiske finds the behavior of her guests—Emily (Lanchester) and Louisa (Edith Barrett)--to be unbearable. Emily is aggressive and rebellious while Louisa acts like a child (a really bad, deranged child). They fill the house with dead birds and brush and behave in other unseemly ways. Miss Fiske wants them out! But, Ellen knows that if she evicts her sisters they’re sure to end up in the madhouse. Ellen quickly realizes that she must protect her family at any cost. The result is a rather startling plan which could mean the undoing of all three sisters.
