Chapter Three
As soon as Ben reached his room, he closed and locked the door. The boy got down on his knees before taking his bag from under the bed and quickly stuffing the majority of his clothes and his few prized possessions inside. He was done in a matter of minutes. Throwing the bag over his shoulder, he sat down next to his door and waited for Johanna.
As he was sitting there, the young Barker studied his room. It was nowhere near as grand as his sister's. Small, dim, no fancy decorations. The furniture consisted of a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe. And yet, it suited him. Ben Barker, Junior, was a simple lad; he never felt the need for the outlandish outfits and parties he had quietly witnessed over the years. The Judge never felt he deserved as much as Johanna, and, quite frankly, he preferred it that way.
Suddenly a shriek pierced the air, stirring the boy from his thoughts. Then there was another shriek, which Ben recognized as that of Johanna's. Instantly worried, he moved to his knees, unlocked the door, and opened it a crack. At first, there was nothing but an empty stretch of hallway but as the cries grew louder he soon saw his twin struggling in the arms of the Beadle with Turpin walking behind them.
He moved his door so it was practically closed as they passed by before watching them disappear down the stairs. Ben quickly ran to his small window and looked out, straining to see through the dark. The cries and shrieks of Johanna moved outside and only a few seconds later the group came into view. He watched helplessly as the horrible Judge's right hand man forced his dear sister into a coach before getting in himself.
As the coach pulled away, he heard a new voice that he did not recognize yelling, "Johanna!" Struggling to hear, the young Barker could barely make out this new person, whom he then realized must be Anthony Hope, ask where the girl was being taken.
However, he could hear the Judge's answer loud and clear. "You'll kill me, boy? Well here I stand!" Pushing his face against the glass while fighting back his angry tears, Ben watched as the sailor took off down the street, trying in vain to follow the coach.
The lad realized that with Johanna gone, there was nothing to keep him there. So, he pulled himself from the window and rushed to his door. With a quick glance to both sides of the hallway, he hurried to the stairs and descended them. While continuously checking for Turpin or any staff, he made his way to the back door and, with one last glance behind him, left.
Ben found himself in a back alley but wasted no time in moving. Once he reached the main street, the boy cautiously looked around the corner. Satisfied that the Judge was definitely back in the house, the young Barker took off for the only place he could think of to go: Fleet Street.
Mr. Todd had just reached his room after helping Mrs. Lovett with Pirelli's body in the bake house when the door to his shop burst open. The man jumped and, grateful that he already had his jacket on covering his bloodstained shirt, turned while putting on a pleasant face.
However, the barber was caught off guard when it was revealed that his company was none other than his own son. His forced smile fell instantly as he took in the state of the boy, a bag on his back and red faced with tears running down his cheeks. The two just stood there, staring at each other for a minute before the younger man spoke, his voice wavering slightly against his will.
"Mr. Todd?" In that second, Sweeney Todd was brought back to his time as Benjamin Barker, looking down at his infant son who had finally stopped crying after waking up in the middle of the night. The barber quickly crossed the room and put his hand softly on the lad's back, leading him to the chair before gently pushing him down onto it.
He then crouched slightly so they were eye to eye and gently asked, "What's wrong, son?" Ben gazed into the older man's dark eyes for a minute before cracking. "As you may already know, sir, my dear twin sister, Johanna, and I are the wards of Judge Turpin. He is truly a wicked man and has made both mine and Johanna's lives miserable," he stated in a rush.
"Earlier today, a sailor by the name of Anthony Hope had visited my sister while both the Judge and myself were out to convince her to run away with him. However she refused if I could not leave with them, so he agreed.
"When I left this shop earlier, I went to see her and this is when she told me what happened. She was already in the midst of packing when I interrupted her. After some discussion, we heard Turpin return home so I hurried to my room to do my own packing; as you can see, I don't have much to pack.
"It wasn't long after I had finished that I heard Johanna shriek. I got worried and peeked out my door. I watched as the dreadful Beadle carried my sister against her will with the Judge following. They took her outside, where a coach was waiting.
"After shoving her inside, the Beadle got in and they left. I could just make out someone else come out of the shadows shouting for her, I believe it was the sailor, Anthony, and I think he threatened the Judge.
"That was when I realized I had no reason to stay in that horrible place, so I ran away. I know it's not right nor fair that I put all of this on you, Mr. Todd, but I honestly have no place else to go. No one wants to be responsible for housing Turpin's ward, but you seemed so kind and you helped me earlier, so naturally this was the only place I could think of."
The young Barker finally stopped talking and was taking heaving breaths. He did not notice how Mr. Todd's eyes had hardened throughout his tale. The barber felt his hatred for the Judge grow as he listened to what the man had just done to his Johanna and how obviously terrified his son was of him.
When Mr. Todd realized that his child was now silent with fresh tears of frustration trailing down his face, his eyes softened and he gently rubbed circles on the boy's back. Knowing there was no ignoring or forgetting this, he spoke. "I'm glad you came here, Ben. Together, we will figure this out. We will find a way to get your sister back. For now, you are more than welcome to stay here."
He watched his son, who suddenly seemed much younger than his sixteen years, look up with a mixture of surprise and relief and choke out a quiet "thank you, sir." Mr. Todd once again found himself slipping into his role as a father as he took the bag from the boy and set it down. He helped Ben stand before leading him over to the cot and gently pushing him down.
When the lad went to oppose, the man shook his head and told him to rest. Used to following orders, Ben nodded and hesitantly stretched out on the cot. In a matter of seconds, the teenage boy was curled up, sound asleep. Sweeney Todd watched the sleeping form with haunted eyes and renewed his vow to make Judge Turpin pay for his sins.
Mr. Todd spent a sleepless night alternating between watching his child sleep eerily still and gazing out his large window. Time passed quickly and all too soon the man could hear Mrs. Lovett making her way up the stairs. He vaguely wondered how the woman would react once she realized that he was not alone. However, no more than a minute later, his silent question was answered.
Turning, he watched the baker barge through the door carrying a tray with some breakfast food, nothing containing her new 'meat' as she still needed to experiment with it. The woman stepped inside, commenting on the morning chill, before her eyes were drawn to the cot or, rather, the figure asleep on it.
She gasped before turning to Mr. Todd, looking for an explanation. He turned his gaze away from her questioning eyes and studied his son for a moment before quietly informing Mrs. Lovett on what transpired the previous night. When the man had finished speaking, she glanced sadly at the boy and whispered, "Poor Ben…poor Johanna." The baker then quietly stated that she was going to fetch a second tray.
Once she had left after bringing more food, Mr. Todd silently walked over to his son. The barber hesitated, not sure if the boy should be woken or left to sleep a little longer. Debating for a minute, he finally decided that it would be best to wake Ben now and gently shook the lad's shoulder.
To his immense surprise, the young Barker shot up into a sitting position, eyes open, blearily asking, "Yes, sir? What can I do, sir?" A couple of seconds later, the lad became fully awake and offered a quiet, "I'm sorry about that, sir. I shouldn't have said that." Mr. Todd raised his hand to silence the boy and was shocked when he flinched away. Lowering his hand and feeling his anger rise, he stiffly asked, "Ben, did Judge Turpin ever hit you?"
While his son refused to speak, the guilty look in his downcast eyes told the barber all he needed to know. This new piece of information nearly sent the older man over the edge. Forcing himself to remain calm, at least, on the outside, Mr. Todd walked over to the trays of food and carried them back to the cot and sat down. He handed one to Ben and set the other one down in his own lap to be untouched.
When the man realized that his child was waiting for an okay, he simply said, "Eat." Ben nodded timidly and took a bite of food. Discovering that he was actually starving, the young Barker dug in, finishing in a matter of minutes. The barber, who had been watching closely, silently took the empty tray and offered up his own.
The lad stared at him for a minute, as if to see if he's being tested, before tentatively taking the second tray into his own lap. Fed up with his son's behavior, which was completely wrong, the man told him to go on and eat it. Satisfied, Ben began eating, albeit a little slower.
Once he had finished breakfast, feeling full, the teenager watched Mr. Todd take both trays and set them down on the table across the room. He saw his, for lack of a better word, savior nod to his bag. "There's a bathroom across from the internal stairs over there," the barber told him, pointing.
Mr. Todd watched Ben nod again before rising, grabbing his bag, and disappearing into the bathroom. About ten minutes later, he turned around upon hearing the bathroom door open. He was greeted by the sight of his son in fresh clothes, hair combed, and face washed.
"You'll be spending the day in Mrs. Lovett's parlor, out of sight, seeing as you are easily recognizable," the older man explained, "There are some books down there, if you'd like, or perhaps that lad, Tobey, could keep you company."
The young Barker once again nodded and replied, "Thank you, again, Mr. Todd. I greatly appreciate all that you're doing," before disappearing once more, this time down the stairs. Mr. Todd just stood there for a few minutes, thinking about how different his son was when he was relatively free outside, like the first time they met, compared to truly being with someone for an extended period of time.
The day passed slowly for everyone. Mrs. Lovett experimented with her new 'meat' to discover just the right blend of spices to enhance the flavor. Ben spent hours in the parlor, alternating between reading and listening to Tobey, who could actually talk for ages about nothing.
And Mr. Todd used the time to stare about his room and daydream about the old days when he was Benjamin Barker and had it all. There were a few times when the man felt the urge to call his son up, but the chance of receiving a customer meant it would be a bad idea.
As the day turned to dusk, Sweeney Todd was struck with an ingenious idea, one that could greatly help his plan with Mrs. Lovett. He stood and walked over to the chair the woman 'donated' and began to study it, trying to figure out how to make his plan work.
As the sky darkened further to the point of black, the barber realized he was being watched. Whirling around, he stopped short at the sight of young Ben holding a tray of food. "Mrs. Lovett was worried that you didn't come down for lunch or supper, so she asked me to bring this up," the lad explained a bit sheepishly. Mr. Todd glanced at the tray before returning his gaze to his son. "Did you eat enough?" he chose to ask.
His face tinged red, Ben replied, "Um, we-well Mrs. Lovett tried to have us, uh, T-Tobey and I, taste-test for her this afternoon, but I, uh, wasn't very enthusiastic about the prospect." The older man cocked his head to the side studying the poor boy, who was quite unused to anyone other than Johanna showing concern for his well-being, as he continued.
"But, um, I had my fair share for supper, I suppose. Uh, where would you like me to put this, sir?" The barber waved his hand and told the young Barker, "Put it anywhere and take what you want, if you're not full." "But, sir," Ben started to resist before being interrupted. "I must insist, Benjamin. I've not been hungry today, and it is only fair that those who are get their fill."
After giving another few weak protests, Mr. Todd saw his son finally give in and take some of the food. Watching the lad, he wondered what else he did not know about the way Turpin treated his children. Soon the boy had finished and disappeared to return the tray to Mrs. Lovett. Moments later, he returned and stood awkwardly in the doorway.
"Mr. Todd?" The man in question turned once more from studying the chair, finalizing his plan, to gaze at Ben. "Yes, son?" He nearly bit his tongue at slipping up again and vaguely wondered why the lad winced at his words.
Taking a deep breath, the young Barker posed his question. "I was just wondering where I am intended to sleep tonight? Obviously Mrs. Lovett has her room and you have your cot here; it's just that the boy, Tobey, has passed out on the couch, leaving me with no option." Mr. Todd stared at his son before replying as if it were obvious, "You will be taking the cot."
"I could never do that sir, the floor isn't too bad," Ben protested. The barber was getting quite tired of his child's constant nodding at 'orders' and protesting suggestions meant for his wellbeing. So, with a sigh, the man said that he took a nap that morning and would not be able to sleep that night anyway, and put an end to the subject.
Ten minutes later found the boy once again curled up on the cot, fast asleep. Mr. Todd watched him for a moment before grabbing his tool box and setting to work as quietly as possible, just in case his son was to wake.
