The following weeks brought much success to the shop and Toby was beyond thrilled. He became so busy in the evenings that he decided to close the shop every other morning and on Fridays so that he had enough time to prepare the pies and shop for ingredients. It was a tedious routine at times but Toby enjoyed it, however, he soon began to realize that he needed to find other ways to pass the time he had free. He hadn't made any friends, despite having friendly recurring customers. He knew many were suspicious of the pie shop's history but not many wanted to befriend Toby, and because of this, they distanced themselves from him. On many occasions, Toby could have sworn that he saw the woman from the grand opening, Miss Marsden, peeking through the window during the morning as he worked inside the shop. Whenever Toby would look up to see her fully, she would be gone. Toby eventually convinced himself that it was not her for why would a woman like her care about a man such as him? Despite the loneliness, Toby was feeling exceptionally well.

It had been one month since the shop had been open and Toby decided it was time for him to splurge a bit on himself. He had set aside some money for himself from the shop's earnings in hopes of purchasing a new coat and possibly a hat he had seen many of the gentlemen wearing. He eagerly locked up the shop and went on his way, glancing back at it as he walked. His eyes darted up to his bedroom windows, which now were covered by curtains. He had not seen any shadow or felt anything eerie in the room since the night of the shop's opening, which was a relief to him. The paranoia had to be put to rest.

As Toby walked along the London streets, he could feel curious eyes on him. Only when he looked back at them did passers-by greet him. It did not bother him too much as he knew that after some time, the stares would stop and people would know him as Tobias Ragg, the pie shop owner, not Tobias Ragg, the boy who was tangled up in a murderous mess.

Toby was not searching for any shop, in particular, simply one that had what he needed. He crossed the busy carriage-filled streets and approached a shop that had what seemed to be hat displays in the window. As he drew closer to the window, he realized that the shop was a woman's hat shop. The pale-colored hats were displayed beautifully on velvet boxes with delicate flowers. As he gazed past the hats, he realized that there was something far more beautiful within the shop. Belle Marsden was standing next to a hat stand with a slight frown on her face. Her attention was focused on the sleeve of her dress until she suddenly looked over her shoulder as if someone had been calling her name. Toby watched as she gently shook her head in reply and face forward. Their eyes met. Toby suddenly embarrassed at his apparent gawking, took a step back while Belle tilted her head slightly in confusion. Her mouth opened to speak but a woman stood in front of her with an obnoxious feathered hat, blocking Toby's view. Toby took this moment as his chance to walk away from the store. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk away. He wondered what she must think of him; was she telling others about the strange pie shop owner staring at her through the window?

Within seconds, Toby heard the bells of an open shop door chime followed by the sound of light yet determined footsteps. Toby continued walking but hopeful thoughts of it being Miss Marsden entered his mind though he forbade himself to entertain them.

"Mr. Ragg?" A voice called out from behind him.

So it was her. Toby smiled to himself and turned around. "Yes?" He asked. Belle Marsden stood before him, cheeks slightly flushed from either walking too quickly or the impropriety of leaving a store to follow him.

"I thought it was you," she said coolly. "I saw you admiring the hats through the window and I thought I would say hello to you."

"Oh, that is very kind of you. Hello," Toby said with a slight nod. "Miss Marsden, isn't it?" He asked, though already knowing the answer, of course.

Belle smiled. "Yes. You remember me."

"Of course, I do. I remember faces quite well," Toby said to her. "Ah, and I do apologize, I did not know you were on the other side of the window. I hope I didn't frighten you."

"Frighten me? Of course not. I was surprised to see you looking so admirably at the woman's hats, though," Belle said. Toby chuckled but said nothing, they both knew he hadn't been looking at the hats. "Is your shop closed today?" Belle asked.

"Closed today, yes. I've spent so much time in there that I decided I am in need of a day out and a new coat," he said.

"A new coat?" Belle asked. "My sister's husband is looking for a new coat today, as well! Please, join us."

Toby was dumbfounded. "Join you?" He repeated.

"Yes, join us, please. Philip knows of a wonderful coat shop."

This sudden kindness took Toby by surprise and he pondered whether or not Miss Marsden's family would approve of him tagging along with them. "I… Yes, I'll join you."

"Wonderful," Belle smiled as she clasped her hands together. "Come." She walked back and into the shop while Toby reluctantly followed, hoping that her brother-in-law would not send him away.

"There you are, Belle!" Her sister, Vivian, said as Belle entered the shop. "Where did you go?"

"I went out for some fresh air," Belle answered. "And I found someone outside, as well." She said, looking at Toby, who had followed her in.

Toby smiled at her sister. "Hello, Mrs…-"

"Andrews. It is so nice to see you, Mr. Ragg. How is your business?" Vivian asked, mentally wondering how and why his sister brought him into the shop.

"Business is wonderful, thank you," Toby said. He noticed Mr. Andrews was approaching with a hat box. He seemed puzzled by Toby's presence but nodded in greeting as he approached.

"Mr. Ragg," he said and firmly shook Toby's hand. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I was on a walk and saw your sister-in-law. She tells me you are going to go coat shopping and I happen to be looking for a coat myself. I don't get out much so she suggested I join you."

"I see," Philip said and glanced at Belle.

"How very kind of her!" Vivian smiled.

"I suppose you can join us," Philip said. Belle nodded in thanks while Toby breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Thank you," Toby said.

"Of course. Let's go then. I'll hold your hat, darling," Philip said to Vivian as he began to walk out of the store.

"Thank you!" Vivian said as she followed. "You didn't find a hat you wanted, Belle?"

"I think I shall return some other day," Belle told her. She looked at Toby and slowly walked out of the shop, waiting for him to join her side, which he did. She was pleased with Philip allowing Toby to join them since he had not been too impressed with him at the opening of his shop. Belle could see that Tobias Ragg was a man in need of friends; he had said so himself that he did not go out much and Belle wanted to change that. If the rumors and stories about his past were true, Belle only deemed it necessary to treat him with kindness so that he could feel comfortable being back in society. She did not fear the fact that he had been in an asylum all these years as he seemed perfectly sane to her, but then again, she had never been around anyone classified as insane. In her eyes, he seemed to be severely misjudged. She also found him to be rather handsome. He was tall, had kind eyes, and seemed like a gentle soul, something she had not felt with Philip's bachelor friends whom she was introduced to on numerous occasions.

Toby walked alongside Belle as they follow her sister and brother-in-law. Not wanting to walk in silence, he mustered up his confidence and began to converse with Belle. "Do you live near here?" He asked, unsure if that was an appropriate question or not.

"Not near here, no. My sister does not live too far, though." Belle said. "And do you live at the shop? You always seem to be there."

"I do," Toby said. "And how do you know I'm always there?"

"I can see you working through the windows sometimes," Belle confessed. "My sister and I go to a dress shop near there and we always pass by your shop. I usually take a peek inside of the windows." She suddenly regretted her disclosure but to her surprise, Toby smiled.

"So it has been you," he laughed. "I've noticed you sometimes but I'm never sure if it's you or not."

"Yes, it's me," Belle chimed. "I'm just a curious person, that's all."

"So am I," Toby said. He looked to his side and noticed that they were passing by cemetery gates. A couple could be seen standing in front of one of the graves, comforting each other. He had remembered passing by the cemetery many times as a child while in Pirelli's caravan or on errands with Mrs. Lovett. He remembered one occasion when he passed by with Mrs. Lovett while they were on their way to buy toffees. There was a family gathered around a grave crying softly. "Oh, that breaks my heart, it does," Mrs. Lovett said as she looked away. "But, life goes on, doesn't it, darling?"

Toby watched the family and looked at her. "Yes, but they seem so sad. I wonder what happened."

"Well, that's none of our business, darling," she said, suddenly pulling him along. "Let's go get our toffees and then we'll tell stories later."

Looking back on the memory now, Toby realized that perhaps Mrs. Lovett's sudden hastiness to walk past the cemetery was most likely due to guilt. The family was in mourning as were the other families of those that had fallen victim to him and Mrs. Lovett had been part of that. She had not meant to, though, Toby thought. She had fallen under the devil's spell.

"Mr. Ragg?" Miss Marsden's voice pulled him away from his thoughts. "You've been staring off into the cemetery as you've been walking. Is everything alright?" She asked, concern filling her voice.

"Yes," Toby sighed. "Everything is alright. I just am not fond of cemeteries."

Belle looked through the gates as they walked, her gaze on the mourning couple. "Neither am I," she said softly. "They seem peaceful but full of sorrow. I've also heard stories of ghosts and phantoms being in cemeteries."

"Oh, you really do not believe all that, do you?" Toby asked.

Belle looked away from the gate and at him. "Well, no, but one cannot help but think it." She noticed her sister glancing over her shoulder for a few moments before facing forward and Belle lowered her voice so that Vivian would not be able to hear her. "Actually, Mr. Ragg, I must confess I find those stories rather interesting."

Toby leaned in slightly to hear her and smiled. "Do you? My, my, Miss Marsden, you enjoy those stories? Stories of monsters and ghouls?"

Belle lightly shrugged her shoulders and blushed at his teasing. "Well, I do not hear them often but there is one I found particularly interesting. No ghosts, though, just monsters. Do you read, Mr. Ragg?"

"I… can read," Toby hesitated. He had taught himself how to read well and write while at the asylum along with the other wrongly imprisoned patients. He read letters and some short stories but never anything challenging. If Miss Marsden could read, he certainly did not want to reveal to her that he had never picked up a novel and read it for pleasure. "Why do you ask?"

"I have a novel that you may be interested in if you enjoy tales of monsters. It's called Frankenstein. I took it from Philip's office one day and read it all. It was fascinating although I don't think he would enjoy the idea that I read it," Belle said quietly, making sure Philip and Vivian could not hear her.

Toby's curiosity was piqued. "Frankenstein? How interesting. What's it about?"

"A man who creates a monster," Belle said. "But I won't spoil it for you. Would you care to borrow it sometime?"

Toby smirked. "Well, you have me interested now so I'll have to borrow it."

Belle smiled as though she had been victorious. "Wonderful."

Minutes later, the group found themselves at the coat shop. Philip entered first and greeted the shop owner and introduced Toby to him. The owner was gracious and immediately began showing Toby the suits he had available. Belle watched and looked around the shop, as well. Vivian followed her. "You know Philip isn't too happy about this," she told her.

"Mr. Ragg needs good company, sister," Belle reminder her. "And I do believe that we are good company."

"I think you may fancy him," Vivian said with a raised brow. "You can admire him, Belle, but Philip would never approve."

Belle turned away from her sister and picked up a pair of dark gloves for sale on the counter. "I'm not seeking approval from anyone. I simply want to be kind and be a friend," she said as she examined the gloves.

"I understand," her sister sighed.

On the other side of the store, the shop owner was giving Toby a coat to try on. He stood in front of a mirror and slipped into the dark grey coat on. The owner placed a hat on Toby's head and suddenly Toby didn't recognize himself. "I look like a posh gentleman," he said out loud.

"The coat looks fine though it needs to be tailored," Philip said to the owner.

Vivian and Belle rushed over to see how Toby looked. "You look very well put together, Mr. Ragg," Vivian said.

"I agree," Belle smiled. "All that's missing are these." She held out the pair of gloves to him. Toby took them with a smile and slid them on. If his friends and the doctors from the asylum could see him now, they'd be shocked.

"I think the gloves complete it all," he said to her as the owner began to take his measurements.

"They do," Belle agreed.

Toby turned to the shop owner and took the hat off. "I'll take it all," he said, words he had never said before in a shop.

The owner looked pleased and continued taking measurements. "Excellent, Mr. Ragg! I shall finish taking your measurements and tailor the coat to fit you perfectly."

Toby nodded and said his thanks. Philip soon walked away to try on other coats while his wife followed. Belle remained with Toby. "Do I look dashing, Miss Marsden?" Toby smirked.

"You do," Belle smiled. The two locked eyes for a moment, both surprised at their boldness. "As dashing as anyone else would look dressed like that," Belle said quickly.

Toby chuckled and looked back at himself in the mirror. He took the coat off and handed it to the owner, who took it from Toby and laid it on the counter. "I shall have it delivered to you, Mr. Ragg. Please fill out this card for me."

Toby followed the shop owner and wrote the address of the pie shop on the card. "I'm always there so it can be delivered any time, including the hat and gloves."

"Perfect."

Toby spent the remainder of the afternoon with Belle and her family and enjoyed every moment of it. Philip did not converse with him much but he did spend most of the time talking to Belle. He learned that she filled her time with reading novels and going for walks with her sister. She revealed that she also lived with her aunt but frequently stayed in her sister's home. She said nothing about her parents and made sure to not reveal anything personal, as did he. The conversation remained focus on interests alone. Toby was surprised that she had not asked him anything about his past and she seemed to not even have it on her mind. He found her to be a genuine person based on their interaction but he knew there would come a point where her curiosity would get the best of her.

"I haven't had these in ages," Toby announced, holding a small bag of toffees he had just purchased.

"You haven't? Oh, they're divine," Belle smiled.

"Are you hungry, Mr. Ragg?" Vivian asked. She had begun to take a liking to him during that afternoon. "You should join us for dinner."

Philip shot a surprised look at his wife. "Darling, we're going to the theatre tonight, remember?"

"Oh, of course," Vivian remarked. "Well, soon you should join us for dinner."

"Yes," Belle agreed. "And you must meet my aunt, as well."

"I would be happy to. Thank you," Toby said graciously.

"We really must be getting home so we can get ready for tonight," Philip said to his wife, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes," Vivian said and turned to Toby. "Until next time, Mr. Ragg."

Toby smiled at her. "Until next time, Mrs. Andrews… And Mr. Andrews."

Philip nodded and began to walk away, holding his arm out for Vivian, who took it. Belle watched them for a moment. "We'll see each other again soon, Mr. Ragg," she assured.

"I'm looking forward to it," Toby smiled. He took her hand and gently kissed it. "I hope you enjoy the theatre tonight."

Belle blushed. "I shall."

"Goodbye, Miss Marsden," Toby said. As he walked away, toffees in hand, he had a soft smile on his face. For the first time in a very long time, he felt a sense of belonging. Never in his life did he have a normal outing with a group of people and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. They all treated him as their equal, except for Mr. Andrews, of course, but that did not really matter. Toby walked home with a small skip in his step and he looked forward to the next time he and Miss Marsden would meet again.

"What a lovely afternoon," Belle said as she walked home with her sister and brother-in-law. "I think it is a wonderful idea, Vivian, that Mr. Ragg joins us for dinner sometime. That is very kind of you to say."

Vivian was about to say her thanks but Philip interrupted her. "I do not think inviting him to dinner is a good idea."

Belle frowned at Philip. "Well then, we'll have to go to the shop instead."

"No!"

Vivian and Belle were both startled by Philip's tone of voice. Others looked at them and Philip took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "But no. I do not want to go back to that shop."

"Why ever not?" Vivian asked. "We enjoyed dinner there so much last time."

Belle watched Philip. He looked uneasy and also, she thought, a tad bit frightened. "I just do not want to go back there. I've heard too many stories since then and I don't want to dine at a place where innocent lives were taken," he whispered.

"You don't know if that's true," Belle reminded.

Philip glared at her. "I do. If you only knew any better and believed the truth you would stay away from that place and from Mr. Ragg. Believe me, I remember being in there when I was a young boy and I could just feel-"

"What? Why were you in there?" Vivian asked with great curiosity.

"It doesn't matter but returning brought all the memories back. I just know it's dangerous."

Belle was angry now but kept her composure. "Whatever happened there does not define Mr. Ragg nor can we believe rumors. It's cruel to judge him when you know nothing about him."

"You know nothing about him either, Isabelle," Philip stated. "All I know is that a sane person does not return to work and live in a place where horrors such as that took place. If it was so traumatic for him, he should have opened up a shop elsewhere. He was locked up in a madhouse for a reason and even if he did nothing wrong, being in a madhouse for that long must have traumatized him. Think about that." He walked away in a huff. Vivian, wide-eyed, looked at her sister before following her husband. Defeated, Belle held her tongue and followed them. He had no choice but to live there, she thought. She knew many thought her to be naive but she refused to let the stories, true or not, cause them to treat Mr. Ragg poorly.

Days past and the thought of her lingered in Toby's mind. He remained eager and motivated to work, but whenever he heard the bells of the shop door chime, he expected her, but it was never her. He wanted to know more about her and knew she wanted to know more about him, but perhaps his wanting of some normalcy in his life was all just a dream. How could she care for someone like me?

The following Friday, Toby was washing all the dishes from the previous day. It had been a very busy week and he was grateful for the business, but the work was proving to be difficult for one person to handle alone. He wondered how Mrs. Lovett managed to do the majority of it all herself before he came along to be an extra hand; of course, he only helped her with serving and washing. He was never allowed to be in the bakehouse with her. Frequently, he ran errands for her and Sweeney Todd but noticed when he would return, they'd be talking quietly together either upstairs in the barbershop or downstairs in the shop. The air was always full of secrets but Toby never wanted to believed that Mrs. Lovett was involved in anything terrible. He still didn't want to believe.

Once everything was clean, Toby leaned against the counter and wiped it down lazily with a rag. All was quiet except for the heavy rain outside, which Toby watched as he cleaned the counter. He softly began humming to himself and threw the rag into a cupboard. At that exact moment, the door opened and the bells chimed. He looked up in surprise. "Miss Marsden!"

"Mr. Ragg, hello," Belle greeted as she walked in. She was wearing a heavy black cloak wet with fresh raindrops. She dropped her hood and smiled at him. "How are you?"

"Very well," Toby beamed. "What brings you here in this rain?"

"Well, I brought you something," she said, revealing the book she held in the crook of her arm. She laid Frankenstein on the counter and looked at him. "I managed to keep it dry. Remember? I'm sorry it took me so long to bring it to you. I think you'll enjoy it and it is a good way to pass the time when you're not busy."

Toby stared at her in wonder as she spoke and then lowered his gaze to the book. He took it and began to flip through it gingerly. It looked intimidating for him but he was sure he could get through it. "Thank you, Miss Marsden," he said, smiling graciously at her. "I will take good care of it. When shall I return it to you?"

Belle shook her head. "Take your time. Philip won't notice that it's gone."

Toby made a face. "Ah. Yes, I forgot you did mention you took it from his office when you read it. I'll take good care of it. I don't want to give him another reason to dislike me."

A sigh escaped Belle. "Mr. Ragg, I apologize for his behavior during the outing. I know he treated you fine but he is really a much kinder man than he appears to be."

"I understand," Toby said. "It's because of all the stories, isn't it?"

Belle glanced at him nervously. "... Yes. He believes them, I know."

"Do you believe them?"

"I… I don't know. There's so many stories or rumors, I should say, but I don't know what to believe. I don't believe you were involved in it. You were just a child, weren't you?"

Toby felt his heart began to pound nervously. This was not the conversation he was expecting to have today. "I was a child, yes," he began. "And I wasn't directly involved with it."

"Involved with what?" Belle asked.

"All of it."

"All of what, Mr. Ragg? All of what?" Belle was pleading for an answer. "Are the stories all true?"

"I can't discuss this with you," Toby said to her. He took the book under his arm and walked into the next room hoping that somehow that would make her not ask any more questions. Belle followed him, however, and realized that she was now in a quaint sitting room. She looked around and saw an armchair and settee, both seemed aged but were taken care of. There was a fireplace, rug, small table, and an overall warm feeling to the room. She watched as Toby placed the book on the armchair.

"What a lovely room," she said quietly.

"Thank you," Toby said. He sighed and went over to the fireplace. "Miss Marsden-"

"You may call me Belle," she told him.

"Belle," he repeated quietly. "You may call me Tobias. Toby, actually."

Belle smiled softly. "Such a youthful name. Toby, I am only curious. Though, I understand. You do not need to tell me what is true and what isn't. It isn't my business but just know that my opinion of you won't change. I know people can move on from the past and become better people and that's how I see you as."

But you don't even know me. Toby stared at her. He knew this conversation should not be held but now, here was this young woman full of kindness and she intrigued him as he intrigued her. Her opinion of him would change, surely, and she would be the only soul who would know the full truth. That is if he told her the entire truth. "I'll tell you everything soon."

"When?"

"The next time I see you."

Belle remained silent for a moment.

"Really, I'll tell you everything, just not now," Toby told her. "I trust you, Belle."

"You don't have to but thank you," Belle said and looked back toward the other room. "I have to return to my sister. She's in the dress shop nearby." She walked back to the front of the shop and Toby slowly followed. "I'll be back soon. I'm not exactly sure of when."

"That's fine," Toby told her. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't come back at all. "Be safe, Belle," he said as he opened the door for her.

"Thank you. You too." She pulled her hood back over her head and swiftly walked away in the rain without looking back at him.

Toby closed the door quite heavily and he loudly sighed. Pandora's box had now been opened. He could not take back what he said and he began to despise himself for promising to tell her anything. He would tell her, though, but not everything, he decided. He would wait for her to return to him but he secretly hoped that she would be smart and keep away for as long as possible.