Chapter 1
"Mr. Todd," a voice called from the doorway of the barbershop.
Mr. Todd slowly lifted his gaze (which had previously been set on his shimmering 'friends') and craned his neck ever so slightly towards the caller.
"At your service," he said, his voice beginning to quiver.
The gentleman took a small step towards Mr. Todd, revealing a young lady who had previously been hidden behind him by his tall form. He gestured for the lady to cross towards a small window adjacent to the barber chair.
"How may I be of service?" Mr. Todd asked, attempting to seem cool despite the fact that his eyes had not shifted from the gentleman since he entered the room.
"I'm here for a shave," the gentleman explained. "I hear you are quite proficient in your skill and as I have no prior engagements I've chosen to bestow my patronage upon your quaint little shop."
Mr. Todd's gaze slowly drifted towards the young lady, who was staring out the window in some sort of a daydream. The gentleman quickly took notice of this and took several steps towards the young lady.
"You'll pardon me, Mr. Todd. This is my young ward, Johanna. I realize it may be rather peculiar to bring a young lady to a barber shop, but… recent events have made it quite impossible for me to trust her out of my sight for even the slightest measure of time." At this, the young lady Johanna fixed her gaze on the floor, her soft, warm cheeks beginning to glow with humiliation.
"The young lady has done nothing disreputable, I trust," Mr. Todd mumbled, realizing that the gentleman might have caught the soft tone of concern in his voice, though he had meant to conceal it.
"Not exactly," the gentleman admitted, his eyes still fixed on Johanna. "Nevertheless…"
"I need no explanation," Mr. Todd said at last, moving with his razors towards the barber chair. "Sit, sir. Sit." After a brief moment of hesitation, the gentleman turned from Johanna towards the chair and slowly situated himself in it.
Mr. Todd lifted the small cup of shaving cream and began to mix it steadily with a brush, unable to turn his eyes from the pretty-faced girl gazing out his window.
"Make haste, Mr. Todd," the gentleman said irritably, well aware of the barber's gaze.
"Of course, sir," Mr. Todd said at last, approaching him with the shaving cream. He lifted the brush from the cup and stroked it meticulously over every inch of the gentleman's lower face. "May I offer you a soothing face massage once I finish with your shave?" he offered cordially.
"I thank you, no," the gentleman mumbled, trying to prevent the cream from seeping in between his lips.
"Is there anything that can be done for the young lady?" Mr. Todd asked, his razor pressed against the man's chin, though his eyes were still fixed on Johanna.
"In a barber's shop?" the gentleman questioned with a slight scoff. "What could you possibly offer her?"
"Nothing, sir. Nothing." Mr. Todd fixed his attention on the prickly chin before him, brushing the slender blade against the skin with remarkable precision.
"Johanna," the gentleman called out. The young lady at the window turned sharply towards him, her eyes widened.
"Yes?" she whispered softly.
"Fetch me my purse from downstairs. I believe I left it on the table when you were waiting for a meat pie."
"Yes, sir," she whispered, swiftly moving towards the door. Within a matter of moments she had disappeared, leaving the two gentlemen alone together.
"Horrendous service," the gentleman commented. "From the pie shop, that is. We waited for over ten minutes for someone to serve us and no one even bothered to give us a common greeting. Most absurd, I think." Mr. Todd made no reply, but continued running his blade over the man's chin.
"An honor to receive your patronage, me lord," Mr. Todd mumbled, slicing another thin layer of stubble from his cheek.
"You know me, sir?" the gentleman questioned, trying to move his lips as little as possible.
"Who in this wide world does not know the great Judge Turpin?" Mr. Todd asked quietly with a subtle hint of disdainful mockery in his tone.
"Yes, of course," the Judge mumbled quietly through his unmoving lips. "And… I might know you as well, Mr. Todd."
Mr. Todd lifted his razor suddenly, staring at the judge with sudden intrigue. "Is that so?" he said, attempting to remain composed, though his pitch had risen considerably.
"Only… When I knew you, you never went by the name of Todd… Did you, Mr. Barker?"
Mr. Todd suddenly felt the thin-bladed razor slip from his fingers, landing on the floorboards with a vociferous clatter.
"You thought it possible that I'd forget the face that tormented me all those years ago?" the judge demanded, wiping the remaining cream from his cheeks with the bloodstained sheet that had previously been tied around his throat. He lifted himself from the chair and advanced in the direction of Mr. Todd. The barber took several quick steps back in order to avoid the judge's injurious contact, wishing that he were able to reach the set of shimmering razors, which he had placed neatly in their case after sharpening them no more than several hours prior to this somewhat unexpected turn of events. "If the prisons in Australia cannot somehow manage to constrain you, I shall have to finish you myself!" the judge hissed, turning his eyes in the direction of the razor that Mr. Todd had dropped. "It won't be difficult to convince anyone that I acted in self-defense against a crazed lunatic."
The judge struggled to bend in the direction of the razor, giving Mr. Todd one last moment to glance about the room in search of any makeshift weapon he could use in his final moments. There were no sharp pieces of glass or sturdy pieces of wire. There was, however, an inconspicuous little teapot boiling over a dancing flame.
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"A purse, you say?" Mrs. Lovett repeated, turning from side to side in search of the said item. "I can't imagine where it would be… Did you check by the window over there?"
"I looked there as soon as I entered, Ma'am," Johanna explained softly.
"Well, check again, love! I'm sure it's somewhere!"
As Johanna turned in the direction of the window, Mrs. Lovett quickly reached down the front of her dress and pulled out a small purse she had previously tucked away. "Oh!" she explained. "Look here, love! It's been under the table there all the time!"
Johanna's eyes quickly lit up when she recognized the purse. "Thank you, Ma'am. He'll be so pleased that I found it. I'm sure he'd be most displeased if I didn't." Johanna's expression grew painfully dark and she quickly lowered her chin.
"You're familiar," Mrs. Lovett commented. "Have I seen you in here before?"
"No, Ma'am!" Johanna quickly replied. "I never go anywhere. The judge only wanted me here because… well… I…" As her thoughts began to trail off, Mrs. Lovett quickly turned in her direction with a most dumbfounded stare.
"Judge, you say?" she inquired, her voice suddenly softened.
"Yes, Ma'am. Judge Turpin."
Mrs. Lovett's stare was becoming less and less subtle. "Turpin? You mean… Judge Turpin's upstairs alone with Mr. Todd?"
Johanna shifted her eyes towards Mrs. Lovett, slightly puzzled. "Well of course, Ma'am. He's come for a shave. And I should return to him now. I suppose he's wondering what has kept me for so long as it is. I thank you for your assistance in my search for the judge's purse. I'm most obliged to you, I'm sure." After making a brief curtsy, Johanna started in the direction of the door but was quickly stopped by her newfound acquaintance.
"No, my dear! You just sit down right here… and have a nice, delicious pie." As Mrs. Lovett placed an overcooked, molding piece of crusting before her, Johanna could not help but softly raise an eyebrow.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Johanna replied, attempting to lift herself from the bench. "But I'm afraid that I must return to the judge. He will be most angry with me, I'm sure, if I remain-"
"How about…" Mrs. Lovett interrupted, gently pushing Johanna back onto the bench. "I go upstairs and explain to the judge that you're down here having a pie free of charge… and he may collect you as soon as he's finished with his shave. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"Well…" Johanna absent-mindedly poked at the distasteful layer of crusting. "Thank you, Ma'am. I'd be much indebted to you if you would do so. But if the judge wants me upstairs, I'll accompany him as soon as you return with his answer. You'll tell him so, won't you?"
"Of course, love," Mrs. Lovett replied, moving towards the door. Though she smiled congenially, Johanna couldn't help but notice an anxious expression in Mrs. Lovett's eyes.
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"Mr. Todd! Ya didn't!" Mrs. Lovett quietly gasped upon observing the glaring blood spatter across Mr. Todd's crisp white sleeve.
"He recognized me," Mr. Todd mumbled unenthusiastically. "You knew what my plan was from the beginning, Mrs. Lovett. Why act so surprised now that I've finally carried it all out?"
"I'm not surprised," Mrs. Lovett replied, slowly crossing to the large wooden casket situated against the wall. She opened it hesitantly and upon observing its contents nearly jumped back with a large yelp. "Blimey! Ya got two of 'em in there!"
Mr. Todd began to grin sadistically. "I can see that. Apparently the judge had been accompanied not only by his young ward… but also by the Beadle… The Beadle had grown tired of waiting for the judge and was about to go along his way. He was preparing to tell the judge just that when he entered… Clearly you see what happened after this."
"All that blood," she remarked. She glanced down, noticing the teapot clenched in his hand. She gasped accusingly. "Not the teapot! That was a wedding present, Mr. Todd!"
"It's all I could find before he came at me with me own razor. I had to use something. Would you have rather had me cut to bits?"
"Well… No." She was far too hesitant in giving her answer, he thought.
"Where's the girl?" he asked suddenly.
"Downstairs. I have her eating a pie. Pretty little thing, isn't she?"
"Pretty as her mother," he mumbled in a soft whisper, glancing towards the window sullenly.
"What shall I tell her? She's bound to ask questions!"
"Send her up," he ordered quietly.
Mrs. Lovett glanced from the casket to the dripping razor in his right hand. Her eyes widened, mortified. "No! Mr. Todd, are you quite out of your head? She's your daughter! You can't-"
"I'm not going to kill her, ridiculous woman!" he snarled, giving her a chastising glare. "Send her up. I'll conceal everything that needs to be hidden before she comes… I think I should… have a quiet talk with her…"
"What are you planning on telling her, Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett stepped towards him, intrigued.
"Never mind," he demanded. "Send her up!"
After staring at him for several more minutes, Mrs. Lovett at last sighed and crossed to the door, quite resolved to obey her mysterious dominator.