Chapter Text
In such a fashion as we were only too well accustomed, I found myself one night in the company of that formidable darling known as A. J. Raffles, who had employed my help in another of his thieving escapades. It does not matter where we were or why we got in; this was not a night of note for any reason such as that. In point of fact, we had cracked into a house whose tenants were away on holiday; they lived on a country lane a few miles outside of town, with an impressive area of forested land surrounding it. The risk attributed to our burglary on this night was practically non-existent. I daresay I would have been surprised that old Raffles had fixed to have a go at the place, what with its simplicity in breaking into, only that we were terribly hard-up at the time.
Raffles made quick work of the sitting-room windows on the ground floor, which were only too easy to pry up as they were not even locked. We chuckled over this obvious oversight on the owners’ behalf as we clambered into the chambers and began to explore.
“I say, Bunny,” Raffles exclaimed as the gas was turned up and the parlor was flooded in white rays, “the Worthington family could have at least provided a dog or something for our entertainment. This is downright droll. I would almost feel bad for them if they hadn't made such a show of denouncing the cricket team."
The lounge was decorated primarily with plants, which caused the room to smell quite rich and fresh with oxygen. I savored a deep breath and turned to my companion.
"Ahhh...Raffles, it is so delightfully scented in this room, don't you smell how vigorously these potted beauties thrive?" I leant my nose down to smell one of the bushes which was even in bloom and implored him to do the same. "My, my…. It's marvelous."
He glided over to me and obliged his nose to the same flower I had stopped to sniff. "Lovely, Bunny. It's simply lovely in here." Raffles slipped his hands around my waist, gazing at me with a tender smile in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips.
It was a night only three or four months prior that we had leant fully into our lives outside of the law; in our cups, with inhibitions dampened and hearts wide with affection, we stumbled into a sodomous bed together and have nary looked back since. To the astute reader it is unsurprising how deeply I loved A. J. Raffles; indeed, I know I have stated as much plainly in my stories already. My greatest triumph was to learn he loved me the very same.
As he pulled away I rested a palm on his chest. “Come now, we have work to do,” I chided, nevertheless aware that we were much safer than normal to behave so brazenly, considering the miniscule chances of our discovery.
“Very well.” Raffles kissed the tip of my nose and smiled as he slipped away.
We quickly appraised the valuables in the sitting room; a clock on the mantelpiece inlaid with mother-of-pearl and a silver paperweight shaped like a pheasant, with ruby eyes.
“Doesn’t it remind you of Mr. Peppercorn?” I enquired, holding up the avian ornament to show A. J. as we shut the lights off and moved into the next arena for our felonies. “Remember? Your old stuffed bird?”
“Ahh, of course, my favorite toy. You were such a reliable friend to look after him when we were at school, have I ever told you that? I could not have trusted another soul with his maintenance.”
He was referring, of course, to the bald remnant of a stuffed bird which had been my own daily care when it and I belonged to Raffles. The bird was lost to time, for I had seen nothing of it since we quit school, but now I belonged to Raffles more fully than I had during our youth.
We proceeded upstairs to the bedrooms, giddy with confidence. Our footfalls on the steps elicited creaks that we found all too easy to forgive and forget. I trundled after Raffles into the first of the mansion’s bedrooms, evidently the chambers of the family’s daughter. The flip of the lightswitch brought into view an elegant room, decorated in cream and lavender tones.
“Miss Winifred Baxter, I hope you forgive the discourtesy of entering your room uninvited~!” chirped my companion as we flitted to her dresser, on which rested a splendid mahogany jewelry case. With gloved hands, Raffles slid open the first drawer and began to shuffle through it.
“Phenomenal - look at this diamond necklace, Bunny! With a matching pair of earrings!” He held up the specimens for my examination, and they were certainly of noteworthy beauty, with the gems arranged in a pattern like vines, easy to imagine snaking down the chest of any distinguished lady. I pleased myself to think how they might favor my chest in the same way, once we had made home with our prizes.
A telltale blue sparkle caught my eye the next drawer down, and I lifted from the tray an exquisite sapphire bracelet, delicate in its pattern of tiny silver and lazuline beetles. “Wow…” I breathed, holding it up to savor its glitter against my palm.
“Sapphires, your favorite,” Raffles commented with a raised brow and a smirk. “Lucky catch.”
I pocketed the jewelry, and in the next instant my blood ran as cold as the most frigid Siberian winter night, for coming from down the hall was the distinct sound of footsteps. There seemed to be two pairs of them, and some sort of conversation, but the voices were indiscernible. Raffles gripped my forearm with ferocious strength and tugged me down behind the bed, right before the new company appeared in the doorway. My breath rattled in my cage of a chest, and horrified tears pricked at the side of my vision, for we had been so, so careless!
“Oi, Johnny, what’s the lights on in ‘ere for?”
The floorboards squealed as these intruders swaggered up to the dresser. Raffles’ hold on my arm began to make my fingers prick from lack of circulation, and he started to drag me beneath the bed but we were a moment too late.
“Archie. Here they are.”
Raffles and I were yanked to our feet and made to stand at the foot of the bed with our hands above our heads. Our assailants were two slender fellows, one with bright ginger hair and narrow green eyes, and the other a shorter man with brown hair and dark brown eyes. He had a discoloured patch on his forehead. The redhead gripped a pistol, alternating pointing it between Raffles and myself.
“Why, it’s just like our first time, isn’t it A. J.?”
The one who had spoken was the shorter man, and my heart leapt to raw, blue fire as I beheld the ravenous twinkle in his eye while he looked at my partner.
"John. It is a delightful surprise to see you again." Raffles boldly stepped forward to offer his hand; the man with the gun made a quick movement, but was dismissed with a wave of his confederate's fingertips.
"Lay it down, Archie, we're in the presence of gentlemen." John clasped Raffles' hand warmly, grinning at him with suave mischief. Though I was grateful to no longer be at gunpoint, I must admit that I was far from at ease. I had never heard A. J. speak of any friends of his named John before, and it seemed he knew this one quite intimately.
"What then, have we both targeted the same residence at the same time? You will forgive my saying so, John, but I thought you were rather above such low hanging fruit as this, what with the family gone and no security in place." Raffles still held his infernal hand in their handshake, even bringing his other palm to cup his knuckles.
"The same can be said of you, naturally! I had chosen this house thinking it would be far below your customary standard!"
They laughed heartily together. Whereas I generally loved to see a smile on my beloved Raffles' face, its context for this moment blinded me with inconceivable jealousy and confusion.
"Bunny, come my boy," said A. J. at last, patting his hands onto my shoulders and ushering me over to the enemy team, "please, allow me to introduce you to John Clay, an associate cracksman of astute skill. We worked together for some little time before you reacquainted yourself to me on the Ides.”
I shook his hand in a listless fashion which is not my custom; Mr. Clay made me deeply uncomfortable, both for having caught and threatened us, and for his obvious familiarity with Raffles. “How do you do.”
“And this is my dearest friend and partner, Bunny Manders,” A. J. announced, my only reprieve through this detested introduction. It soothed me to know he considered me so affectionately, at least.
The ball bounced to the other court. “Ah, and here is my partner, Archie. Archie, this is A. J. Raffles, and, apparently, Bunny Manders. Raffles and I have quite the history together.”
The monster winked!
Archie, for what it was worth, seemed as confused and disgruntled as myself. I shook his hand and couldn’t help a sympathetic little grin.
“Why, this calls for wine! I’m sure we could find some downstairs, come, let us rejoice together! If you are quite finished with your share of the burgling, that is,” suggested Raffles as he wrapped an arm around the shoulder of his old friend. Archie and I were left behind in Ms. Winifred Baxter’s bedroom.
“Issit weird fo’ you too?” He asked, scowling at me.
“Incredibly so.” I conceded. Before the pause could pregnate with awkwardness, I stepped to follow the other men downstairs.