Page 33 of Falling for a Forsaken Marquess
For all his sternness, Stevens had a soft heart. “I had an eventful morning,” William explained. “I only meant to sleep for an hour or so, but my body chose differently.”
“You evidently needed some sleep, My Lord, or you would not have slept so deeply. Your mother has asked you to join them for dinner this evening. You should have enough time to wash your face and change your attire.”
William closed his eyes with a groan. “Another dinner? I think I should stay out longer and only return home after dinner.”
“Perhaps, My Lord,” Stevens replied with a smile. “Shall I inform her that you will be attending?”
“Yes. Thank you, Stevens. I suppose I should get going, or I shall be late.”
William left the library, surprised by the stiffness in his body. His Heraclean feats had undoubtedly returned to mock and remind him of how he had tried to impress Agnes. It had been ridiculous of him, but every man was allowed foolish behaviour now and then.
Chuckling to himself, William washed his face with cold water and put on fresh attire before brushing through his hair and heading downstairs. He entered the dining room and greeted his parents, glad to see Jacob was nowhere to be seen.
“Will Jacob not be joining us for dinner?” he asked hopefully.
“I do not know, dear,” his mother replied. “He has not yet returned. I cannot think what he does the whole day.”
William had some ideas about his brother’s daily routine, namely gambling and sitting with the very friends he had warned the younger man to stay away from. He began to relax a bit as it seemed that Jacob would not make it for the meal, but William got his hopes up to soon. They were in the middle of the first course when the man came striding into the room, motioning for the footman to serve him.
“My apologies for being late,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “I was with a few friends and lost track of time.”
“As long as you are here, dear,” the duchess told him. “Did you have a good day?”
“It was a capital day, Mother,” Jacob replied. “The most extraordinary thing happened.”
The duchess raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Indeed!” the younger man exclaimed. “I was in a coffee shop this morning when I saw Miss Humphries and her maid taking a walk.”
William frowned and looked up from his turtle soup. He had a feeling his brother was about to tell their parents about Agnes and how she had helped the boy. If that were so, he wondered what excuse Jacob would give for not assisting Agnes as the coffee shop had been closer to her than the hatmaker’s shop.
“What about that was extraordinary?” the duke asked. “A woman taking a walk is normal.”
“Yes, but it is what happened during her walk that made it extraordinary,” Jacob explained. “A fool recklessly driving a phaeton up and down the street nearly ran over a poor child.”
The duchess gasped. “Goodness! How is the child?”
“The boy narrowly missed being trampled on by jumping back at the very last minute,” Jacob continued. “However, he lost his footing and fell backwards, knocking his head. The poor lad was rendered unconscious. Imagine my surprise when I saw Miss Humphries running towards him as though he were her child and cradling him in her lap for all to see!”
Both the duke and duchess stopped eating. “Agnes is the one who helped the boy?” the duke asked.
“She certainly did, Father,” Jacob confirmed. “No one else would do it, you see. She looked rather angelic, wearing a white dress and holding a child in her arms. I suppose one could say that she was that boy’s guardian angel.”
“My,” said the duchess, sounding both surprised and impressed. “That is certainly admirable of her, if not a little foolish. Why did she not give the child to the maid?”
William had wondered the same thing at first, but it was soon evident that Agnes was not concerned about what others thought about her. She had only the child in mind when she had gathered him into her arms.
“I do not think the thought entered her mind, Mother,” Jacob told her. “Miss Humphries simply wanted to help the child. You should have heard the words that came out of her mouth when she scolded the driver. Horrid man, really. I think I might know him.”
The duchess’ eyes grew round and large. “Agnes spoke harshly to someone?”
“It was deserved,” Jacob assured. “This man called her mad for helping what he considered a thief. Miss Humphries wouldn’t hear of it and supported the boy. I do not think the man has ever had someone talk to him like that in his life.”
“What happened next?” the duke asked, just as interested in the story as his wife.
“Well, I suppose William can tell you all about that,” said Jacob, turning to him. “You are the hero that came to her rescue. I would have helped her as well, but I did not have a carriage to transport the child to a physician.”
William’s parents turned to him. “You were there as well?” his mother asked.
