The gentleman thief

This is a short story I was playing with a while back after inspiration struck simultaneously from a writing class and a historical documentary.

A baby lay amidst the burning remains of a town ravaged by the Leuven Siege, void of any other living being. Through soot-matted tears, the abandoned child saw misty figures approaching, their loud voices and coarse footsteps unwelcome in the debris.

The boy was ardently named Lupin by the mercenaries that had happened upon him as they scavenged in the trail left by the wars sweeping across Europe. The leader had named him, comparing his tiny size to the exotic plants from the Americas. While he grew, Lupin learned a great number of tricks from his violent family; he learnt to lie, cheat, steal, to charm the ladies and flee the law. Being inherently intelligent, he escalated schemes to increase his thrill, always ready to boast how skilled he was in the art of deceit. Yet, Lupin realised he was tired of the same tricks and frustrated at the unambitious nature of his fellows. After his eighteenth birthday, he decided to abandon his family of renegades, looking for bigger prizes and adventure, moving around the continent, swindling the rich to sell to the richer while claiming the hearts of everyone he deceived.

By chance, after months of hauls in Milan and Geneva, Lupin found himself in the city of Paris, dripping in potential targets and beautiful women. While travelling he had heard many wondrous stories of the capital, yet he marvelled at the fashion, jewels, and carriages of the nobility that seemed such easy prey. Finding a quiet spot alongside the Seine, Lupin waited for the night to grow dim. A carriage of dark colour, the perfect mark, rolled over the cobbles towards him; at the right moment, Lupin leapt from his hiding place into the breast of the lead horse.

‘Oh, mon Dieu!’ Exclaimed the coachman as he squinted into the darkness.

Upon spying Lupin on the flagstone, he rushed to the carriage window to explain the incident to his mistress. Following a brief conversation, the coachman dragged Lupin to the window, where he was inspected by a glamorous Parisian Madam with large white diamonds falling from her ears and neck. In awe of the rugged and handsome man before her, she invited Lupin to accompany her to her villa, and with demure hesitance, he accepted.

The ride was bumpy, and the Madam offered her fur to keep him warm against the chilly night. Lupin smiled and crossed to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her body, playing with her hair, glancing at her oriental heels peeking out from beneath her gown. She called to the coachman to keep driving. At first, they whispered and giggled, but soon the draw of each other hidden from the world within the enclosed carriage was irresistible.

As the Madam slept in his arms, Lupin opened the door of the moving carriage and slipped into the night, taking with him the fur, diamonds, and shoes. All that remained was a feeling of warmth and a whisper of ‘Au revoir’.