Author's Note: In the original The String of Pearls, Johanna Oakley was a spectacle maker's daughter, and she fell in love with Mark Ingestrie the day before he set off on a trip to India. He promised to send a token two years later, and that token was a string of pearls. For what I hope are obvious reasons, I substituted Johanna with Lucy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sweeney Todd, nor do I own some of the plot details -- those belong to Stephen Sondheim (I believe), James Malcolm Ryder, and DreamWorks.
Warnings: extreme fluff, mentions of slash (m/m)
Summary: Benjamin finds a string of pearls in Lucy's room. "He would sacrifice anything... anyone for Lucy." Reference to original The String of Pearls.
The String of Pearls
It was All Hallows Eve, and despite the late hour and the darkening sky, the air was thick with excitement. Outside, the sounds of music and laughter were heard even from Fore Street, where a dark-haired young man was pacing in front of the steps leading to a house, where, as he knew, his lover was taking time to prepare herself for that evening's festivities.
Benjamin Barker loved Lucy Oakley, he truly did -- but love didn't imply unending patience.
He finally entered the familiar house and called up the stairs, "Lucy, your mother did say we were expected an hour ago, didn't she?"
His fair-haired beauty appeared at the head of the staircase and smiled down at him with her hands up in her bun, making sure every strand was in place -- as they always were. He felt himself calm at the sight of her; nothing else really mattered, did it? No, because she was standing there with that beautiful smile of hers, and those warm, laughing eyes --
"Benjamin, you make it seem like we're going to a ball and not a street fair."
And that voice! How could any human being wield such a tremendous instrument as soft as it was breathtaking?
He grinned up at her sheepishly. "I don't want to upset your parents," he explained.
She shook her head and offered her hand to him. "You know they adore you almost as much as I do," she assured him as he made his way up the steps.
One step before he reached her, he pressed the hand delicately to his lips, then to this cheek while she asked with uncertainty, "Do I look alright, then?"
He raised an eyebrow in surprise and stepped onto the landing beside her, pulling her by the waist to him with her hand still in his.
"Like an angel, as always, love," he breathed into her ear, placing a kiss on one of her high cheekbones.
And she did: her dress was snow white and draped over her small form, and the blush in her cheeks seemed to make the rest of her glow with Benjamin's praise.
She took a step back from him, their hands interlocked. "Come help me find those earring my father gave me last week. I seem to have misplaced them."
Benjamin let her lead him to her room, watching the way her dress flowed at her ankles just so. Dear God, everything about her was beautiful!
For a woman of her class, Lucy had quite a collection of treasures, from mirrors to combs to other beautiful trinkets. Most of these were gifts -- her family was quite extensive, and many gifted their favorite niece with their remaining memorabilia.
So Benjamin wasn't entirely surprised when she asked him to check in the jewelry box under her bed. He was surprised to find inside it not the simple white, flower-shaped earrings, but a long string of more than twenty large, naturally shaped pearls. They felt too heavy in his hold and too significant, as if his hands shouldn't be allowed on them… much like it had felt to hold her hand the first time.
He wouldn't have cared a few months ago. At that time, he had only his parents and his business, and the occasional customers and the scarce income.
But you see, between that much simpler time and now, he had entered into a much more scandalous affair than any of these posh men and women could have imagined -- He had involved himself with one who was older than him, of a higher class, and… a man.
It was Turpin's lingering presence in the back of his mind that made Benjamin wonder if, maybe, she had another lover of her own.
And it was Turpin's own adoration for the gemstones that enabled Benjamin to identify this string of pearls as one of extremely high value.
… That, and Turpin's penchant for dressing Benjamin up in such treasures at a whim.
When Lucy heard that Benjamin had stopped rummaging, she turned to him from her bureau. "Have you found them?"
He held up the pearls. "How did you get these, love? They're exquisite," he said breathlessly.
Unless Benjamin was mistaken -- which he surely couldn't be because this was Lucy, and he had studied her so often and so well that he knew what it was -- his pure, virtuous angel looked guilty.
He stood up from his kneeling position on the floor. "Did your father give them to you?" he asked cautiously.
She shook her head, her eyes wide and locked on his.
"Did you mother… ?"
She shook her head again and diverted her gaze.
"… Did an aunt -- ?"
"His name was Mark Ingestrie," she finally blurted. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, as if she had uttered something improper.
Benjamin looked back down at the pearls and ran his thumb over them. They were so smooth, so perfect…
"And who is Mark Ingestrie?" he asked softly, trying his best not to let the premature dejection taint his speech. He couldn't lose her… Yes, he really couldn't afford to give her such extravagant gifts, either, but if she wanted things like this, he would put himself in debt for a lifetime if he had to.
Now neither was looking at the other, but it seemed to give her courage enough to speak.
"We knew each other when we were young, but he went on a voyage to India some years ago. He gave those to me before he left."
Still caressing the treasure in his hands, Benjamin asked, "And did you love him, this Mark Ingestrie?"
He heard the rustle of clothes and the familiar soft footfalls, and soon felt Lucy beside him, her hand over the pearls.
"He's gone, Benjamin. Whatever I felt for him passed with him," she whispered, her breath gentle on the side of his face.
She grasped the pearls and flung them aside carelessly, placing Benjamin's now empty hands in hers.
"I've only love for you."
~*~*~*~
"Lucy! Lucy, over here!"
The crowds were still as energetic as ever when Benjamin and Lucy finally arrived. Her father had greeted them, waving off Benjamin's justification for not being as punctual as he was opt to be (Lucy sent a smug look his way). They were weaving through the crowd, trying to find one of Lucy's friends when someone had called to her from the middle of a small ring of people.
Arabella, a blond-haired, cheerful spirit, grabbed Lucy's hand as soon as she was near enough, leaving Benjamin in the throng to look over the heads of others to keep sight of Lucy.
"It's your turn, Lucy! We're bobbing for apples!"
Benjamin knew Lucy loved these games, even if she didn't always win. Her friend's enthusiasm was enough to compensate.
He only saw as much as her head lowering to the barrel, then he the crowd interrupted the rest of his view. The small cheer from the inner ring told him she caught an apple before he saw her raise it above her head triumphantly or heard that uplifting laugh of hers.
"Ooh, let's see what letter you have!" Arabella urged, handing her a small knife.
At this, Benjamin squeezed his way past a few people, standing a few paces from where the peel would land. The idea was that the peel from the apple was to be thrown over the left shoulder, and it formed the first letter of one's true love. As Lucy finally tossed the peel, he told himself it was just curiosity as to whether apple peels could form anything other than a "C." He didn't believe in such superstitions, after all.
It was a lowercase "b."
When Lucy turned around and saw, she looked up and caught Benjamin's gaze.
Arabella squealed when she saw the two. "It's fate!"
Lucy glanced at her friend and smiled.
"I know."
~*~*~*~
Benjamin hadn't escorted Lucy back home the night before, and he had lost track of her towards the end of the festivities. He woke up as anxious as he was the previous night to see her face again, but he knew that there was a chance of Turpin visiting. It was All Saint's Day, and both knew most Londoners would be in church or at home, leaving this the perfect opportunity for a rendezvous in the middle of the day. Benjamin was having a difficult time trying to decide whether to go to Fore Street and risk Turpin coming to an empty shop -- which he would not like in the least -- or staying and having Lucy walk in on whatever activity Turpin had planned -- which would mortify Benjamin and might drive Lucy from him.
He didn't have to wait long to have his decision made.
It was just before noon, almost time to close up the shop for lunch. Lucy obviously knew this, because she was at his door as soon as he had finished shaving his last customer for the morning.
He opened the door hurriedly, expecting the worst, as her cheeks were flushed and there was an air of anxiety about her. "Is there something wr-- ?"
"Happy birthday, Benjamin," she interrupted, holding out a box in her hands to him.
At first, he only looked down at it with surprise, then he looked back up to see a huge smile on her face.
"Your mother had told me one day, and I never forgot," she explained.
Now he was openly staring in awe. That must have been months ago now! Even then, she had found him important enough to remember something as trifle as a date? He, of course, had been keen to learn anything he could about her (if only to distract himself from a broken heart), but he didn't know she had felt something for him even then.
When he held the box in his hands, it was heavier than he expected. He felt her pushing him gently from the doorway to the window on the other side of the shop. He sat automatically, and she sat beside him, half turned so she could see him properly. She gestured to the box.
"Open it! You haven't all day," she reminded him with a small smile.
The corner of his mouth twitched and he did as he was told, starting with the red ribbon, then carefully unfolding the white paper to reveal a dark, wooden box a bit longer than the length of his forearm…
… And in it, the most exquisite set of razors Benjamin had ever seen.
"Is this silver?" he asked with a gasp.
His angel laughed and stroked the set with one finger. "Exactly. And there is, and always will be, only one set like this. Yours."
Lucy was not from a rich family, and many of those treasures she had inherited were too memorable for her to consider selling -- but Benjamin had an idea as to how she acquired these.
He balanced the box on his laps and took one of the razors out, flipping it open in a smooth, natural motion. It felt so right! The handles were intricately designed and fit comfortably in his hand, and the blades themselves incredibly sharp. Lightly, he pressed his finger to it and sighed softly.
"That… the pearls… Did you sell them?" he whispered.
"I did."
"… For me?"
"For you."
Gently placing the razors aside, he took Lucy's face in his hands.
"Lucy… "
He leaned close to her, almost hesitant, and pressed his lips to hers firmly. Her hands went over his in response and pressed closer to him, but before they could deepen the kiss, they heard the bell signaling the opening of the door and they drew away from each other.
But no one was there.
Benjamin stood up and walked to the door, then crouched to pick up the leaves on the ground before the door. They didn't seem to be thrown in -- the leaves were just in one area. The leaves had fallen as if from a bare bouquet.
He glanced at the vase on the table beside the door; Turpin sometimes brought new flowers for that vase… What if he had seen… ?
Lucy was smoothing her dress, and though Benjamin had hardly laid a hand on her, she looked quite ruffled. It was terribly endearing.
Turpin was immediately driven from his mind again.
"I'll just be on my way then," she said hurriedly.
Benjamin grinned and grabbed her by the waist as she tried to pass him. "I'll see you tonight," he promised, pressing a kiss to her nose.
Her fingers curled over his and she nodded. "I love you, Benjamin," she whispered sweetly, and he finally allowed her to slip from his grasp.
He took the razors from beside the window and sank onto the chair his customers sat in for their shave.
Lucy had give him so much… and though he loved her fully, he still heeded Turpin when he was called on. And why? To satisfy a physical hunger? To have that pleasure?
No, it was more than that… but however much he craved Turpin, he would sacrifice anything… anyone for Lucy.
A/N: If there's anyone who'd like to read the original The String of Pearls, just say so.