A Thief for a Bride

Thief for a Bride (chapter ten - The Theft)

"Hide!" Paul hissed before shutting the window. Genevieve looked around the room and found she was actually in a bedroom. Since hiding under the bed seemed the only logical place to hide at the time that is precisely what she did. She had just managed to pull her legs under when the bedroom door opened. Genevieve peeked out from under the blankets that hung to the floor and saw a maid walking around the room. She placed clean clothes back in the closet, started a fire in the fireplace and made sure things were nice and tidy. Genevieve stayed under the bed for a few minutes after the maid left the room to make certain she didn't come back. She slid out from under the bed and went back to the window and was glad when Paul and the Raven were still there.

"That was close," she said as they climbed into the room.

"Trust me, we've had worse," Paul told her.

"Worse how?" Genevieve asked.

Paul smiled.

"Try being chased by an entire army of guards and still managing to get away with, I might add, everything you've taken. But we can reminisce later. Right now we need to get that painting and leave before someone finds us." Genevieve looked at the Raven.

"Where is it?" she asked.

The Raven pointed to a painting over the fireplace. Genevieve's eyes widened as she stared at it. It was huge! How did the Raven think they were going to get back to the hideout, let alone out of the room without anyone seeing them?

"If we can get it out of the mansion the rest will be a piece of cake," Paul said. "No, it won't!" Genevieve looked at him and realized when she found him glaring at the Raven that he had been translating for him. "This painting has to weigh a ton. We would need at least one more person to help us." As if on cue, there was a knock at the window that made them all tense. Genevieve turned a relaxed when she saw it was only Crispin but then grew curious as to why he was here. She pulled off her mask and opened the window for him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him as he climbed in the room.

"You told me to meet you by the statue but you were walking away when I got there so I followed you here," Crispin said with a smile but he looked stunned as his attention turned to the other men. "You're in league with the Raven?"

"Somewhat," Genevieve said. She looked at the two men and motioned towards Crispin. "This is my brother, Crispin. He'll be more than enough help with this painting if you let him stay." The Raven seemed to ponder the situation and nodded without any reluctance in his eyes.

"We're stealing a painting?" Crispin said and paled slightly as he looked at the fireplace. "That painting?"

"Yes, this painting," Paul said with a slight smile. "Don't look so worried, boy. We are professionals." Crispin didn't look convinced but Genevieve knew he trusted her enough to go along with it. Paul and the Raven were able to get the picture off the wall before Genevieve and Crispin helped them move it to the window.

"So are we just going to toss it out and hope for the best?" Crispin asked and the Raven sent him a bewildered look as Paul and Genevieve smiled. "Or not...So what are we going to do?"

The Raven climbed out the window with Paul and motioned for the other two to hand them the end of the painting. It took quite a bit of effort for them to get the painting out of the window and down to the two men without dropping it. The Raven and Paul took hold of it and slowly lowered to the ground before resting it against the wall. Genevieve had Crispin climb out the window first and had intended to climb out right after when the bedroom door suddenly opened. She spun around to see a man who looked like the butler staring at her in disbelief. Genevieve inwardly leapt for joy that she had remembered to put her mask back on.