Blood. The smell of the crimson liquid poured down the stairs, filling the air. It was late and no one but Nellie Lovett could smell the sweet liquid. She was stood in the doorway to her pie shop waiting. That's when she heard it the scream of his dear Lucy, vile thoughts of the stupid women flashed through her mind to fast for her to register, it was a usual occurrence when she saw or heard the women, but this time it was panic that restricted Mrs. Lovett from dwelling on the nasty thoughts for Benjamin Barkers dear wife.
She'd seen the elaborately dressed men walk with purpose up those stairs about half an hour ago, whilst she was finishing cleaning for the day and instead of going to bed she had waited to see what they wanted. Her curiosity would kill her one day she was sure. But still half an hour later she was stood in the doorway, straining her ears to hear what these men wanted. She had only heard the odd muffled shout and of course Lucy's cries and screams but she was sure that those men were not here on a friendly visit. The judge. It was the only explanation, she had seen him peering on Benjamin's sweet wife for weeks now, and she had the unfortunate past to now what the judge was capable of doing, to get what he wanted. As she stood there thinking further into this horrific memory, it wrapped itself around her so she forgot where she was, until the bell of the barber shop chimed violently and the smell of blood was replaced with the shouts of men and the screams of a women in distress.
She jolted out of her thoughts to see Benjamin wrestling with two of the elaborately dressed men, as they tried in vain to get him down the stairs. It took a lot of effort for Mrs Lovett to not start crying and screaming like Lucy was doing. Instead she composed herself and stood at full height at the bottom of the stairs. She took a deep breath before engaging the men.
"Can I ask dear sirs why you are wrestling with my tenant on my property?"
The third man that was not clinging onto one of Benjamin's arms answered her,
"He's being arrested"
"At this time? On what charges?"
"Foolishness, now let us pass"
Mrs Lovett didn't now what to say, what type of charge was that, they couldn't arrest someone for that could they. But she saw nothing she could to help her love and so she stepped aside, as the men pulled Mr Benjamin Barker into a carriage parked over the road. Nellie could do nothing but watch the poor man be battered and pulled to his fate.
Lucy collapsed on the bottom stair sobbing into her dress, Mrs Lovett was secretly enjoying her misery but still she felt compelled to comfort her. She sat besides her, putting her hand on her shoulder whispering words of comfort in her ear, but none seemed to help. It was only now she could hear the baby crying upstairs. She left the distraught women to tend to the now fatherless child.
She was stood baby in arms softly singing to it. When Lucy finally made it up the stairs. She fell into the barbers chair, exhausted. Mrs Lovett placed the baby back in the cot and knelt next to the women that looked like death. It was the only way she could describe it.
"Lucy what happened?"
In between sobs Lucy tried to explain Benjamin's innocents but still didn't tell her why. Mrs Lovett knew that Lucy secretly knew it was her fault, her beauty her innocence had called to a man that she couldn't possibly control and his greed, his lust had got her lover arrested and Nellie Lovett hated her for this, nearly as much as Lucy hated Nellie for her and Benjamin's supposedly secret antics. Nellie had to go and visit him. Anger boiled in her stomach and she turned swiftly leaving the room and the now broken family.