Chapter 5: 5 – the Dark Mansion

Thanks to the lockpicks that man had retrieved from the prison, I had no trouble entering the mansion. I pushed the heavy glass balcony doors open and found myself in a large and tidy bedroom. Thankfully today the sky was clear enough to allow me to navigate with the starlight alone. 

I left the Baron’s bedroom, and silently crept up the corridor towards his study. This was where the letters were supposed to be according to that man, but I was not about to bet all the money I didn’t have on it. It was actually quite common for nobles to keep their most valuable possessions in places nobody would look, like behind a portrait in one of the hallways, or under a tile in a rarely used bathroom. Contrary to appearances, this was not my first, or second, time illegally visiting someone else’s house. Thieving is what I did best, and it was how I had provided for Augustin and myself back when we lived together. Of course, I wasn’t about to reveal that to the man with deep pockets who’d gotten me out of jail. 

I heard footsteps and quickly hid in the shadows behind some ornate drawer. A guard slowly walked passed me, thankfully without ever glancing in my direction. He carried a flickering candle and seemed to be too tired to pay any sort of attention to his surrounding.

As he turned a corner, I continued my own journey. 

It didn’t take me more than a few more minutes to reach the Baron’s office. The place was as clean as everything I had seen so far. I methodically searched through all the drawers, bookshelves, and even behind the cushions on the armchairs around the desk. I did not find the letters, but I found a small box full of even smaller gems. I pondered about whether or not to steal it. After all, that man had been rather vague with his instruction. In the end, I decided to take two gems. They were small enough for me to hide on my person if that man were to search me, and their rich owner was unlikely to notice such a small disappearance. 

The next course of action was to check the paintings and potted plants which lined most of the hallways. 

I first snuck into the kitchen to get a candle. Not all hallways were facing bay windows, and the letters were more likely to be hidden in a place not visible from the outside. 

For what felt like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than two hours, I checked every single painting frame for any uneven thicknesses or other irregularities.

I almost yelped in joy when I finally found a frame with a series of small buttons on the side. It was a combination lock, where you had to press the buttons in a certain order. These locks all had a trick to them, and very quickly the painting popped away from the wall. 

Behind it, a thick rectangular envelope was pressed against the wall. It almost slid down to the floor, once the painting holding it in place was removed, but I caught it just in time. The envelope had a blank seal on it; the type used to hold it closed rather than as a signature. 

I wondered if I should open it. If this was what that man was looking for, then my job was done. But if it wasn't, I might have to make a second trip here to put it back, and I wasn't sure that man would allow or even tolerate that. 

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In the end, I decided to take the risk ofnopening it. Because when I really thought about it, there was nothing that man could do to me that hadn't been done in prison. To my greatest joy, the envelope contained a thick packet of letters, the top few of which had been stamped with the correct seal.

I quietly pushed the painting back into position, but just as I was about to head back, I heard footsteps and voices coming in my direction. 

"You sure …"

"...look … you … candle wax!"

"The floor was … before me!"

A male and a female voice argued.

I dashed down the corridor and leapt down one of the many service staircases. I landed silently, but a sharp pain in my side reminded me that I shouldn't be doing these acrobatics so soon after recovery.

I carried on along the corridor until I could no longer hear the voices. Then, I made a run for the Baron’s bedroom.

As I jumped from the balcony after locking the doors behind me, I was reminded once again of my broken ribs. This time when I landed I barely held back from crying out.

As I painstakingly climbed over the massive brick wall surrounding the property, taking extra care to not bend the big envelope, I came to the realization that I won't be able to jump down from this height and walk away unscathed. I needed to find a tree or something that could soften the fall.

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