Author's Note: This story is entirely, and 100 original. The events and situations were created by me, and me alone.
I don't own Sweeney Todd (although I wish I did!), nor the characters named from the play. The rest, however, are of my own creation. The characters and lyrics belong to the fabulous Stephen Sondheim. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!!!
REDEMPTION
By: Rose in Misery
CHAPTER I:
These Are Desperate Times
The air was a great deal too cold and damp inside the cell. One would think it'd be more pleasant since the diminutive cell was inside a larger building. That was the only thought that registered in Eleanor Lovett's mind as she started to regain consciousness. Flashes of the previous evening's events began to flood her mind as her body reminded her in physical pain of the abnormal strains she had been forced to endure. Images of a pair of icy clue eyes glazed over with a look of wicked thirst for vengeance. A waltz designed specifically to send her into the dancing flames of hell.
She had never been one with quick reflexes. Not when she had been forced into marriage at sixteen. Not when Albert forced her into bed every other night. Not when he beat her until bruises and cuts covered her petite frame, and she was out of breath. Oh no, Nellie was not particularly known for her quick reflexes at all. However, there were always exceptions to every rule. In Nellie's case, there had been two exceptions in the 36 years she had lived thus far. The first was the night she had put an end to her anguish and murdered her husband. The second was the previous evening as Sweeney Todd, former Benjamin Barker and the only person in the world other than herself she had ever cared about, attempted to end her life.
She had crouched away from his flailing arms and using her short stature to her advantage, she had managed to reach safety behind the counter, staying as far away as she could from the threatening gaping mouth of the flaming oven.
Lovett had no recollection of the events that followed her victorious escape. She fainted the instant her trembling hands had touched the rough surface of the countertop. She had never been one to have lady-like fainting spells, but for motives unknown to her, she had been experiencing them quite often in the past two or three months. She had meant to go to the Apothecary to acquire some solution for her situation, but as her business grew more profitable, it also became more demanding and she had never found the appropriate moment to do so. Now, as she lay uncomfortably in what she had identified as a reformatory cell, she began to regret not going to the Apothecary. She would have gotten rid of her problem, and perhaps would be able to remember what had happened to her, and to the man she loved.
Voices could be heard in the distance, along with the unhappy screech of a door opening. There were footsteps, and a man close to 6 feet tall, clad in an elegant dark navy waistcoat and with a glistening silver cravat approached her cell. He had immaculate blond curls slicked back; his emerald eyes were smeared with a faint look of pity, and he spoke in a rich and gentle accent that resonated profoundly in the enclosed space.
"Mrs. Lovett, I presume?"
Lovett didn't make a move. It was agonizing for her to do so; but instead she opened her eyes to look at him, and attempted to speak, which resulted in a moan barely louder than a whisper.
"I am very sorry, madam, to see you in such conditions. I was just informed of the strenuous incident you were forced to endure last evening. My name is William Collins, and I am here to retrieve and transfer you to more… accommodating conditions. A doctor has already been called for, and rest assured that you will be examined directly."
Collins presented her with too much information in a very short amount of time. Lovett's mind was beginning to fog, and the last thing she saw before she once again blacked out was the strange man making a move towards the door and calling out for help.