Page 29 of Falling for a Forsaken Marquess
“I beg your pardon!” the gentleman stammered.
“You, sir, are a foolish man!” Agnes spat out. “Do you think just because he is poor that it is acceptable to abuse him?”
Agnes looked down as the boy stirred in her arms, his big blue eyes slowly opening for just a moment before they fluttered closed again. She rubbed his arms and patted his cheek, trying to wake him up. Fanny eventually caught up with her, nearly collapsing beside Agnes.
“I have never seen a lady run that fast, miss,” the maid panted. “How is the boy?”
“I do not know,” said Agnes, worry making her voice a tad hoarse. “He opened his eyes briefly to look at me, but he is unconscious once again.”
“This woman is mad,” she heard the gentleman say. “See how she dirties herself for this good for nothing. I say good riddance!”
Agnes looked up and glared at the man. “Why, you piece of loathsome scum! Where is your heart? I have half a mind to chop that phaeton to pieces and set it alight to cook you and feed you to the nearest pigs!”
The man’s face swelled up and turned a dark hue as he tried to speak, but only incoherent words left his mouth. Satisfied that she had shut him up, Agnes stroked the boy’s dark hair and wondered how she would transport him to the nearest physician. A crowd was gathering around her, but no one offered to help.
“Can anyone assist me?” she asked, looking into their faces.
Most of them turned away and avoided eye contact, while some continued to look on with sick fascination as though they were at the theatre.
“What is wrong with these people?” she asked Fanny. “I think you will have to run for help, Fanny. Do you know where the closest physician is?”
“Do you mean to say that you will spend money on a thief?” the gentleman asked.
“How do you know he is a thief?” Agnes asked. “Did you see him stealing? Have you witnessed him commit a crime?”
“All children like him become thieves from a young age,” the man stated. “Why would you help a criminal? Are you a sympathiser?”
“Are you a monster?” Agnes asked. “Only monsters can commit such a heinous act and try to blame their actions on a helpless child. What were you thinking by driving around town like that? Will your father be able to give this child’s life back to his poor mother if something should happen? Can you return a life?”
The gentleman paled. “You’re mad! You’re touched in your upperworks and need to be examined. Where is your husband?”
“Why is it when a woman stands her ground for something she believes in, a man must undermine her and assume she is crazy?” Agnes asked, her voice low but loud enough for him to hear.
“Do not say any more, miss,” Fanny pleaded. “His father is well-known in town.”
“Should that bother me?” Agnes asked. “We come into this world the same, and we leave it the same. I have no regard for pompous fools and all those who think it acceptable to harm others who are not like them.”
“Oh, miss,” Fanny groaned, her eyes watching the crowd.
The gentleman eventually walked away in disgust while muttering something about how stupid she was and how she would pay for her insolence. Agnes would have enough time to worry about that later, but her concern was for the boy right now.
“Can anyone help us?” she asked the crowd again. “Does no one have a carriage? At least assist me with lifting him off this dirty road.”
No one budged. Crying out in frustration, Agnes was about to tell Fanny to look for a physician when the crowd parted, and a familiar man walked through. Frowning, Agnes realised with a start it was Lord Hampton.
“My carriage is nearby, Miss Humphries,” he simply said. “Let me take the child.”
He didn’t ask any questions or berate her for helping the child; he simply offered his help.
“Oh, thank you, My Lord!” Agnes cried, her body growing limp with relief. “I think he has injured his head and is likely bruised all over.”
Lord Hampton nodded, bending down to effortlessly lift the boy into his arms. Agnes immediately got to her feet, not bothering to inspect her dress. She already knew it was probably ruined as it was white muslin, but she did not care at that moment.
“Will you take him to a physician?” she asked, following after him.
“Of course,” he replied. “The boy is injured, after all. It would make no sense to leave him in this state.”
Agnes thanked him again, glad the child would be attended to. Lord Hampton was the last person she expected to assist as he came across as cold and unfeeling, but there was evidently more to him than what the eye could see.
