Agnes MacBean

"You know, a mite o' money goes a mickle bit in this city. Think o' the power o' good you can do with the purse you bring!"

―Agnes encouraging the Frye twins to invest in the city, 1868.^[src]

Agnes MacBean (born 1815) was the Scottish owner of a private train she affectionately referred to as "Bertha".

She was employed against her will by Rexford Kaylock, the leader of the Blighters in Whitechapel, until 1868, when the Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye took control of the borough. Agnes subsequently offered her services to the Frye twins, with her train becoming their base of operations.

Biography

Early life

Agnes was born in Garnkirk, Scotland, the firstborn child of a homemaker and an ironworker. As the eldest of six, she quickly grew to be both candid and confident, ordering her younger siblings around and giving her parents a run for their money.^[1]

In 1831, Agnes's father, Mungo MacBean, was sent to work in the rail yards of the new Garnkirk and Glasgow lines that were being constructed. In an attempt to be more like him, Agnes learned what she could about trains and how they worked, hoping to follow in her father's footsteps one day.^[1]

Three years later, Mungo's health suddenly declined, providing Agnes with the opportunity to go into the profession herself. She took her father's place in the locomotive, for the benefit of her family, but also assumed his identity, in an effort to speed up the transition. Around 1836, Agnes' employers discovered she was a woman and, as punishment, transferred her to Starrick Industries in London, where she came to work for Rexford Kaylock.^[1]

Working for the Assassins

Agnes: "You pay better than scraps?"

Jacob: "I'm sure we can at least manage that."

Agnes: "Then may I present to you Agnes and Bertha. Lady and locomotive, at your service."

—Agnes agreeing to work for the Frye twins, 1868.^[src]

ACS Gang War (Whitechapel) 15 — Agnes officially introducing herself and the train to the Frye twins

For a long time, Kaylock's control over the borough went uncontested, with Agnes' train serving as his mobile headquarters, to her frustration. In 1868, ownership of the train passed to Jacob and Evie Frye, who had beaten Kaylock in a gang war and liberated Whitechapel of his influence. After bargaining for better working conditions for herself and her peers, Agnes agreed to work for the Frye twins from then on. Over time, she made numerous improvements to the train, which served as the home and headquarters of her employers.^[2]

As the Frye twins' gang grew in prominence, Agnes began being followed by a young man during her errands. Having noticed this mysterious stalker, she asked Evie for help. The two women decided they would lure the young man back to the train, where they would interrogate him and find out what he wanted.^[2]

As agreed, Agnes pretended to be blissfully unaware of her stalker while she rounded up deliveries, with Evie keeping watch from afar. While going about her routine, she ran into some associates who warned her that a gang was after her, though she did not take them seriously. Unfortunately, her stalker inadvertently alerted the Blighters that Agnes was an associate of the Rooks. Acting quickly, Evie dispatched the attackers before any harm could come to Agnes.^[2]

ACS Stalk the Stalker 8 — Agnes and Evie interrogating Nigel

None the wiser, Agnes returned to her train with the stalker in tow. Pulling the young man inside, she and Evie interrogated him. The stalker identified himself as Nigel Bumble and revealed he had been following Agnes because he wanted to join the Rooks. Agnes humored him, taking him on as a cleaner of the train, but the young man was ecstatic nonetheless.^[2]

Aware of most of the happenings surrounding the Rooks, Agnes occasionally relayed information to the Frye twins, as was the case when Nigel was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service. She also came to the aid of a wounded Bob, the train driver's incompetent apprentice, after Jacob had delivered him to her.^[2]

Trivia

The name Agnes derives from the Greek word hagnos (αγνος), meaning "pure" or "holy". Macbean is a Scottish surname that has the Anglicized form of the name Beathan, itself derived from the Gaelic beatha, "life", as its origin.