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They tempered their steps as they were sneaking out of the corridor and into the display hall. Just as they were about to pass the entrance to the main hall, the guard stepped out.

Beatrice froze, panicked.

Act natural, he doesn’t know a thing!

“I hope you’re feeling better?” he asked.

Beatrice could only smile and nod, seemingly losing her wits.

“She is still out of sorts. We are going to leave now,” Adam said, patting her hand.

“Let me escort you to the exit,” the guard offered.

“Thank you,” Adam said, while Beatrice proceeded to smile silently.

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!

What if the watch fell off her thigh? What if someone alerted the guard of the theft as they were walking to the exit?

This was all Beatrice’s idea. At the time, it had seemed like a grand adventure she would remember for a lifetime. And perhaps she would, but not for the pleasant moments.

Her palms, breasts, and other areas all perspired from fright.

The guard opened the door that led to the winding staircase and waved for them to proceed.

“Thank you,” Beatrice whispered.

Adam deftly pulled out a coin from his pocket and handed it to the guard. “Thank you for taking care of my wife while I was away,” he said with a wink, leading Beatrice into the passageway.

My wife.

Beatrice’s heart pumped so loudly that she could not hear her thoughts.

She knew this was a ploy. What else could he say? Thank you for taking care of my mistress?

They hadn’t concocted their stories for this outing and calling her his wife was probably the most logical lie he could come up with.

But Beatrice could not deny that it sounded… right.

His wife.

“Go on.” Adam nudged her toward the staircase and followed behind. He picked up her train to make it easier for her to climb the stairs. “The guard is bound to see the missing watch sooner rather than later.”

That reminder lit a fire within Beatrice, and she picked up her pace. And as often happened in situations where speed was of the essence, everything seemed to last for hours. These stairs they had descended in ten seconds or less? Now it seemed like she was climbing the Tower Bridge.

The dark, empty hallway leading to the exit?

It felt as though they were traversing an endless field.

And then there were guards by the door who asked Adam to turn out his pockets. Thank God Beatrice was the one who had the watch.

They asked for her reticule as well, and she handed it to them with her shaking fingers.

Beatrice’s breaths grew shallow, her body perspiring, and she felt the watch slipping off her leg.

“Madam, do you feel well?” one of the guards asked. She must have looked terribly suspicious.

Beatrice placed the back of her hand against her sweaty forehead. “I-I need fresh air. I don’t f-feel well. That’s why we are leaving early.”