Page 75 of Falling for a Forsaken Marquess
“Will yourself into another country, Miss Humphries?” William asked. “Whatever do you mean?”
“The ability to travel that goes against the normal laws of physics,” Agnes explained.
“Think about it, My Lord. How else do angels travel from one place to another? Consider even the magical creatures who can be in one place and then appear in another within seconds. While I am thankful for the intricacies of the human anatomy, I must admit that I would make a few changes to facilitate faster travelling.”
Agnes looked around as the marquess sat thoughtfully chewing on both her words and his meal. He might think her odd, but Agnes was unapologetically so. She had often tried to conform herself to whatever company she was in, but it was a tiresome activity that drained her by the end of the day.
Hopefully, William had accepted her idiosyncrasies and thought it charming rather than off-putting. The other guests at the table were all in one discussion or another, but a few were also looking around the table in interest.
Agnes didn’t blame them because there was a lot to observe and listen to, and if she weren’t so deep in conversation with William, she would also be watching everyone and making mental notes on each person.
“But what if a man were able to create something that would allow faster travelling?” William suddenly asked.
“A contraption that would allow us to fly in the air?” said Agnes.
“Or on land,” he added. “The world keeps changing, you see. There is no limit to what can be created.”
“Well,” said Agnes, considering the possibilities. “That seems like a wonderful prospect, My Lord. It would take days or even hours rather than taking years to get from A to B! How fascinating it would be to live in such an age! Oh, I would give anything to live like the ancients.”
“You would want to live for centuries?”
“Certainly!” she exclaimed. “Methuselah lived over nine hundred years.”
“Who on earth is Methuselah?” asked William.
“Enoch’s son in the Holy Bible. Enoch was transported to heaven, so he has never tasted death, but Methuselah lived nearly a thousand years. Can you imagine what he witnessed during all that time?”
“I certainly can, Miss Humphries,” said Jacob, leaning forward to look into her face.
Agnes frowned, surprised to find the man was sitting beside her. He had been on the other side of her neighbour, but he must have swapped places and was now next to her.
“I have often said that I would like to live at least five hundred years,” Jacob continued. “Any more than that might become monotonous.”
“Five hundred years is good enough,” Agnes agreed and turned to William to get his opinion, but he was looking pointedly away. Bewildered, Agnes called to him. “How many years would be enough for you, My Lord?”
William took his time to look her way, and even when he did, he seemed to have closed himself off.
“I think the usual number of years is enough for me, Miss Humphries,” he replied. “I do not need to more to experience life.”
“My brother does not think far into the future, Miss Humphries,” Jacob commented. “I am the visionary in this family. I take it you are the same?”
“Perhaps, but I prefer to think of myself as having an alternative imagination,” she told him.
Jacob grinned, pushing his plate forward as he shifted his chair a little closer to her. Agnes wanted to move away and didn’t mind getting closer to William, but that would seem rude, so she stayed where she was.
“An alternative imagination?” he asked, staring so intensely into her eyes that she shifted to ease her discomfort. “Do explain what that is. It sounds intriguing.”
“It’s quite simple, My Lord,” said Agnes.
“Everyone has an imagination that allows us to put images to words. My imagination transcends the usual because I believe in more than what the eye can see. I believe there is a physical and spiritual world, and the latter is more prominent than people think. Children are aware of the spiritual world, so many supernatural and magical creatures appear to them.
As they grow older, they lose this ability because children are conditioned to focus on the world they can see. Does this make sense?”
Jacob nodded slowly. “I believe I do. Does this mean you have retained your childhood innocence?”
“Somewhat, although some things can never return once lost,” Agnes revealed.
Jacob seemed excessively interested in whatever Agnes had to say, but she assumed it was part of his charm. The table was soon cleared and platters upon platters of desserts were placed on the table once the cloth was changed.
