Title: I Leave My Heart With Thee
Summary: A oneshot of the day that Albert dies. I know there are a lot of stories where Albert treats Mrs. Lovett poorly, and I do indeed like those type of storylines, but this idea came to me, and in this story, Mrs. Lovett is madly in love with Albert. Yes, she does take a couple of peeks at Mr. Barker when she can, but besides that, she is completely faithful and happy with her marriage.
Also, incase anyone was wondering, the song that I use for this, 'I Leave My Heart With Thee,' was a song written sometime between 1804 and 1806, by Mr. James Hook. Hope you all enjoy!
It was another beautiful day in London, and the sun had so graciously risen over Fleet Street, making the sky bright with color. Women took strolls with their lovers and children roamed the streets, playing carelessly. Mrs. Lovett watched these beautiful sights around her, as she stood outside of her pieshop, leaning against the railing of the stairs that led up to the barber shop above. A red ball was rolling towards her out of nowhere, and she put her foot down on it, stopping it from rolling into the streets. She bent over and picked it up, and surely, a little boy with red hair and a crisp smile soon came running up to her.
"Lookin' for this?" She asked, giving him a warm smile as she handed the ball to him. She was a small woman, but the boy was even tinier. He couldn't have been any younger than ten, but standing up straight, he only came up to her chest.
"Thank ye, Mrs. Lovett," he said, as he took the ball.
"You 'ave fun now. Be careful in the streets." She gave him a quick wink and ruffled his hair, as she sent him on his way. She leaned back against the railing and sighed dreamily. It would be nice to have children, she thought to herself. But sadly, she wasn't making quite enough of the money she had hoped to, and knew that her and her husband, Albert, couldn't afford a child. How they both loved to dream about it, though.
At that moment, Benjamin Barker, the charming barber who worked above Mrs. Lovett's pie shop, walked by, pushing a carriage with a baby in it. She watched him, and couldn't help but think how wonderful of a husband he must be. Of course, she was quite happy with her marital life, but there was something about Mr. Barker that just caught her attention. She always had quite a fondness for him, from the very minute he moved in. Her right hand instantly went to her left and her fingers played with her wedding ring. It wasn't much, of course, but it was rich with love and that was all that mattered. Yes, she was in love, and having improper thoughts about another man wasn't right. Benjamin looked up and he caught her eye, and he flashed her a smile. She melted a bit inside and returned the smile, giving him a small wave of the fingers. Then again, she thought to herself, as she turned around and walked back into the pie shop. As long as no one found out, it would be okay.
"There you are, Nellie," a low voice came from inside the pie shop. Mrs. Lovett looked up to see Albert sitting at the table. She smiled and walked over to him, giving him a sweet, tender kiss on the lips. His large hand rested on her side, and gently rubbed her hip. There were often jokes thrown around about the two, and how funny they looked together. Albert was such a tall, large man with an appetite almost as big as his stomach, and Nellie was a small woman, and very fragile. But of course, as the saying went, opposites attract, and they were the living proof of that.
"Yes, my love, jus' went for a bit o' a break." He smiled at her, and she automatically felt a bit guilty for thinking about Mr. Barker in such a way. He had a wife, and she had a husband, who loved her more than life itself. She should've been happy, and she was. She smiled at him and gave him another kiss, before returning to the kitchen. She cooked him up a couple of pies and put it on a plate, and grabbed a bottle of gin. She brought it to his table and set it in front of him, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Eat up, my love," she said, rubbing his back.
Without another word, he began devouring the pies, one by one. He was quite a quick eater, with a very big appetite that never seemed to rest. Sometimes she wondered how it was possible for one man to be so hungry. She poured the gin into a glass, and was startled to hear a wheezing gasp coming from him. She looked up, and noticed he had stopped eating, and his hand was on his neck as he struggled to breathe.
"Albert?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice. He was also quite a joker; he was always making foolish sound effects like these, leading her to believe he was just teasing her. "You alright, my love?"
He tried to cough but couldn't, for the pies he had so greedily shoved down his throat was lodged deep, and wasn't moving up or down. Once his skin began to drain of color, she leaped up from her seat, almost knocking the gin bottle over. "I'll get 'elp; jus' stay calm." She ran out of the pie shop, her heart pounding in her chest, in fear of what might happen to him. She wasn't a doctor and knew nothing about what she was supposed to do when a man was choking, and was now silently cursing and hating herself for being so ignorant.
"Mrs. Lovett, is something the matter?" Benjamin Barker was still outside, although he was alone now, and had noticed how quickly she erupted from the shop. She ignored him, as she ran across the street to a passing police officer. He had been to her shop before, and had been praising her pies since the minute he had tasted them. Surely he could help her.
"Officer!" she yelled frantically, as she struggled to catch up with him.
He turned around, looking down at the little woman. "What is it, Mrs. Lovett?"
She spoke quickly, not wanting to waste any time. She couldn't even imagine the pain her poor husband must've been in. "It's-it's me 'usband, Albert. 'E's chokin', 'e needs t' go to a 'ospital. Please, ye need t' 'elp me get 'im t' one." She struggled to catch her breath, and she looked up at him, grabbing his arm as she tried to lead him back into her shop.
He stood still and wouldn't budge, and broke his arm away from the woman. "I'm sorry Mrs. Lovett, I'm on me way to a very important case right now; I 'aven't the time for the problems of the poor. You wouldn't be able t' pay 'is medical bills anyhow."
Mrs. Lovett gaped at him, shocked at the words that was coming out of his mouth. "No-no, ye don't understand-me 'usband is dying-"
"I'm sorry, I can't help you. Bring 'im to a hospital yourself." He tried to walk past her, but she violently grabbed him and turned him around.
"Are you mad!? There is a man in there, 'e is dying! 'E needs your 'elp! Please, scrounge up a bit o' dignity an' do ye job! You heartless bastard!" She spit the words at him and he grabbed her wrists in a tight grip, forcing her to look up at him.
"You have some nerve, Mrs. Lovett, a woman of your class t' talk t' someone like me this way. You're no lady."
She stared at him, feeling the anger and hatred boiling inside of her. She was nearly shaking with outrage, but she knew Albert couldn't wait any longer. "Go t' Hell," she hissed at him, spitting in his face before ripping her wrists out of his grip and dashing back across the street.
"Mrs. Lovett-" Benjamin grabbed a hold of her as she tried to rush back into the shop. He held her tiny body and tried to look into her eyes as she tried to pull away from him and get inside. "Mrs. Lovett if you please, what is the matter?"
"It's me 'usband--please, let go!" She broke away from him and ran inside, and Benjamin followed. The table that Albert had been sitting at was empty, and she was horrified to see what was on the floor underneath it.
Albert was no longer struggling, his body was limp and didn't move anymore. He laid facing upwards, and there were still bits of pie remains on his shirt. Mrs. Lovett took one look at him and her knees immediately gave out underneath her, causing her to fall on top of him. She was quiet at first, the only sounds coming out of her were sharp gasps and whimpers.
"Mrs. Lovett, please--you shouldn't be seein' this-please; come upstairs an'-"
As she stared at her dead husband on the floor, it finally hit her. She let out a loud sob and broke down, hot tears spilling from her eyes and loud wails of grief escaping her lips. She leaned over and buried her face in his chest, sobbing and shaking violently. Benjamin couldn't do anything except try and hold her, but it was hard with her trembling body moving uncontrollably.
"Albert!" She cried, holding his shirt collar and shaking him as if it would bring him back. She covered her face with her hands and collapsed on his dead body again, her hair messily falling over her face as she continued to sob. She bent over to the side and held her stomach as if she were about to vomit, but nothing came out except more cries of grief and lament. Benjamin merely held her, and continued to for almost thirty minutes.
She eventually calmed down, very slowly, as if there were no more tears left to cry. She let out a small whimper and her bottom lip trembled, and Benjamin wiped some moist tears from her face. "Easy love," he whispered soothingly, stroking her hair. She closed her eyes and a small gasp escaped her lips; her breathing had been a bit uneasy since she had begun to cry. He continued to hold her tightly, trying to give her some sort of support. He rested his hand on the side of her face and gently turned her away from Albert, not wanting her to see him anymore.
"I'm going t' bring you upstairs," he whispered in her ear. "Ye' can't spend the night alone--me, Lucy, an' the baby'll keep you company. Don't you worry 'bout Albert, I'll take care o' him."
She stayed quiet, but didn't disagree. She certainly didn't want to stay in a house of a perfect, happy family, but it was better than being alone. Benjamin stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, helping her stand up. Her knees were still a bit weak, and she relied mostly on Benjamin to get her up the stairs.
An hour later she was sitting on the couch in the Barkers' house, a blanket placed around her shoulders, and a tissue permanantly held in her hand. It was just her, Benjamin, and the baby; Lucy had been out running errands and was expected to be home any minute now. There was a steaming cup of tea on the table that he had poured for her, but she wasn't in the mood to drink. She stared off into the distance; Albert's dead body was permanantly etched in her mind and she couldn't think of anything else, no matter how hard she tried. Benjamin rubbed her back soothingly, and the door was soon heard opening. Mrs. Lovett didn't look up, she kept her gaze on the floor, staring into the abyss of nothing.
Lucy walked in, a glowing smile on her face. She was beautiful, an angel face, as most would say. "Evening, my love," she cooed to Benjamin, as she leaned over to Benjamin and kissed him passionately. His hands went up to her hips and he kissed her slowly. Mrs. Lovett shifted uncomfortably, her eyes still on the floor. Lucy pulled away and looked at Mrs. Lovett. She smiled at her, but it was clearly out of confusion. "...'Ello there Mrs. Lovett," she said, taking notice of the grief-stricken look on her face. She looked at Benjamin, a questioning look on her face. "Is... everything alright?"
Benjamin licked his lips and looked uncertainly over at Mrs. Lovett, who didn't bother to look at him. He looked back at Lucy and lowered his voice as much as he could. "Mrs. Lovett's 'usband... Albert; passed away a while ago. The funeral will be on Tuesday."
Lucy gasped, her hand flying to her heart as she sat next to Mrs. Lovett. "You poor, poor dear," she said, wrapping the woman in an embrace, although it was painfully obvious she didn't look like she wanted to be touched right now. "I am so terribly sorry. If there's anything at all I can do..."
And that was the start of Mrs. Lovett's life as a widow. For the next years to come, all Mrs. Lovett heard from people were sympathetic words; even from people she never remembered meeting. Things such as, 'I can't imagine what you must be going through,' or, 'I'm so sorry for your loss; but he is in a better place now.' Horse shit. His place was right here on Earth, with his wife. It wasn't possible that death was his better place.
She didn't have any intentions of remarrying after that. Albert was her one true love, and she isolated herself from all other men after his death. Whenever she walked down the street, people would look at her and whisper about her. About how she should move on, and shouldn't feel forced to stay single. They said she turned a bit colder after her husband's death, how she had left her heart behind, and he had taken it to the grave with him. But they didn't understand; none of them understood.
The only reason she kept the pie shop open and didn't move away was to keep Albert's dream alive. She would take care of the pie shop and she would have a big picture of him on the wall, for all to see, in his honor. She sat at the table, the one that Albert had sat at right before he died, and sighed deeply. She closed her eyes and parted her lips, as she began to softly sing their favorite song-the song that had been played at their wedding.
"The fragrant wreaths my eyes invite, thy beauties smile around
In roses red, in roses white, thy blooming sweets are found.
No others charm my mem' can cheer alike all seem to me.
For ah, my love, my only dear I leave my heart with thee."
fin.