The Unknown Thief

Part 3

Chapter 3

Jogging down the stairs, Nathaniel could feel excitement radiating off him.  Today was the day that he would try and find the mysterious woman who had met the night before.  He had spent all night trying to figure the best way to find her when it had hit him; the gypsies.  They always knew wild tales, and he had a feeling that this woman with the large brown eyes had many stories.

“Harry!” he called out as his foot hit the floor in the foyer.

“What is it, sir?” the old man asked with a bored expression.

Nathaniel looked at his butler and sighed.  “Why must you look at me that way?  I am a grown man; I can do whatever I please.”

Harry kept perfectly still and kept eye contact with him.  “I did not say anything, sir.”

“You do not have to Harry.  She was beautiful.  Can you fault me for wanting to find her?” he said in a wistful tone.

“You find women of all calibers beautiful, sir.”

Pulling his boot on, he sent Harry a small smirk.  “That they are, my friend.  I’m telling you, she was different.”

“Like Miss Osborne?” Harry asked with the same bland voice.

“That,” Nathaniel started, “was a mistake.  How was I to know that the chit had illusions of marriage?”

The silence that met his question was answer enough.  So, his right hand man did not approve.  It was nothing new.  There were many things Nathaniel had done that his butler frowned upon.

Straightening, he ran a hand through his blond hair. “Well, I am taking my leave.”

Harry stared at him impassively until Nathaniel began fidgeting with unease.  The butler had punished him as a lad, and Nathaniel was never able to forget that fact.  He may be a grown man who now ran this manor, but his old butler still knew how to make him nervous.

Taking a step back, he smiled at Harry.  “I will be back in time for the party.”

Harry nodded.  “That would be wise, my Lord.  Not arriving at their party would cause you much harm.”

“You do not think they would kill me do you?” Nathaniel joked while inching towards the door.

“If you would like to test The Family’s wrath, then do so.  I shall not be caught up in your mischiefs any longer.  Now, leave before the gypsies disappear.”

“Thank you, Harry.” Nathaniel said while pulling the door open and leaving his house.  He did not get far, though, as his foot contacted with a circular object.  Falling back, his head banged against the now closed door.  He just lied there until the manor door opened.

Harry looked down on him with a raised eyebrow.  “You rang, sir?”

“Some idiot put something in front of my door,” he mumbled while pushing to his feet.

“Would you like me to see what it is?”

“Yes, Harry.  Will you please see what the damned object is so I may be on my way?”

Nathaniel stood and brushed the dirt off his pants.  Whoever put the deathtrap in his doorway owed him a new pair, if the hole in his knee was anything to go by.

“Sir, what is this doing here?” Harry asked with a slight panic in his voice.

Turning towards his butler, Nathaniel’s eyes widened in surprise when he realized what the man held.  “It is the painting.”