It was midday in "jolly-old-London," and Nellie was stuck on thinking what she would give a little girl for her birthday, since she was to attend the party that evening. Mrs. Mooney's daughter was about five years old at this time, and Nellie had not exactly had experience with children. This got her thinking about how one day, she would have liked to have a darling family of her own. She and Albert were not able to conceive children, which to her, at that time, was dream-crushing. Though as time passed, she figured that maybe it was best she had not borne a child during that time. Ever since then, the thought of raising a kid still lingered from time to time, though the idea was quite too far of a stretch at this point.
"Nellie!" A cheery voiced exclaimed while entering the shop. Nellie propped herself up from pondering on her kitchen counter and nervously smiled. The ever-so-cheerful Benjamin Barker had just stridden into the shop from above.
"Yes, Benjamin, wot is it?" she asked.
"It's only around noon and I've had ten customers come by! Business is booming!" he excitingly announced to her. Nellie laughed at his charm.
"That's wonderful love." She reassured him of his great success and congratulated him for it.
"Thank you, thank you. Have you eaten yet? It's about lunch time." He made sure to check if she had taken care of herself first, knowing how hard she had been working.
"Afraid they're still in the oven dearie. I started lunch a bit late, me mind 'as been quite…occupied today." Nellie explained as the rubbed at her forehead, appearing clearly exhausted over what she was thinking about. Benjamin expressed worry for his friend.
"What has you concerned?" he asked her. Nellie sighed. She didn't want to give him a long story on why her own thoughts were bothering her. The source of the problem should be good explanation enough.
"Well, y'know 'ow we 'ave Mrs. Mooney's party tonight?" she asked. Benjamin nodded, awaiting her answer. "I cannot think of a suitable present to give to a toddler." After hearing this, Todd laughed. He was not quite laughing at her, more of how serious she took the predicament.
"Is that all?" he asked. Nellie nodded and then shrugged. Benjamin walked around the counter to her and pulled her into a warm embrace. Nellie felt quite confused, but deep down was very well pleased. The hug seemed to last for hours until he finally let her go, and gave a reassuring arm around her shoulder. "Tell you what," he comprised for her, "we'll close up shop early. Then, you and I will go down to the boutique and pick something up for Mrs. Mooney's little darling. Agreed?" Nellie slowly looked up at her friend, up into those shiny onyx pools of his. His smile towards her just radiated with warm and comforting reassurance. Something about this boy…she did not know what about him just made her so giddy. She was a woman in her twenties for goodness sakes. These childish feelings should have been extinguished long ago.
She was staring at him for a good couple seconds before breaking into a giggle, in which Benjamin laughed as well. He tugged her into a one-armed hug before letting go of her and heading out of the kitchen to the indoor staircase. Just as entered the hallway, he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. Nellie couldn't help but just stare into space with adoration with a goofy smile on her face.
"Nellie." before climbing the steps, Benjamin poked his head out of the hallway.
"Hmm?" Nellie, being too preoccupied with her feelings, replied, still staring out of the shop's front window. The sunlight shone beautifully on the cobblestone streets that afternoon.
"Your pies are burning." He let her know before disappearing upstairs. Nellie suddenly snapped out of it as the smell of burning pastries was filling the room. She scrambled over to the oven with her mitts on and took out the hot pan, quickly placing it on the counter before taking off her mitts and fanning them. She could not help but feel ticked off she let herself get distracted for long. She was ticked off at Benjamin for being the distraction. She shot a glare up at her ceiling and shook her head from side to side. But it all dissolved into a sigh and eventually a smile. Luckily for her, the entire batch of pies was not burnt. She then concluded her option was to sell them as "Extra Crispy."
It was about 6:30 in the evening when Nellie had started cleaning up early. She was wiping down the counter when Benjamin came treading down the steps and back into her shop.
"Are you ready to go, Nellie?" he asked. Nellie nodded and grabbed her purse before heading out with him. The two walked alongside each other, looking rather underdressed to be out doing errands, though it did not matter to them. Down the street they walked, passing by other street shop windows, the church, and the other various purpose buildings. A number of people were still out strolling through the streets as they were, and so were carriages. They turned left to a busier street, where in one corner of the block, the toy shop was located. The lights were still on inside so they hastily made their way towards it. Benjamin sped slightly ahead of Nellie so that he could open the door for her.
"Thank you." She smiled at him before entering. Benjamin just bowed his head with a smile and followed. As they entered, the doorbell rang, alerting whoever the owner was that someone had arrived. At first, there was no one in sight; Just a quiet and dusty feeling inside an old toy shop.
"Oh, may I be of assistance?" they heard an old man's voice say. Approaching them was a rickety looking old fellow with big round glasses and illuminatingly white hair.
"Good evening sir, we've come here looking for a gift for a neighbor's daughter." Benjamin answered and smiled politely. Nellie just nodded along.
"Ah," the old man smiled, "well you've both come to the right place. The store has many trinkets and doo-dad's to choose from for a young girl. Please call if you require my aid." He chuckled and headed into the back room. Nellie turned to Benjamin.
"That girl has an exceptional number of dolls. I refuse to get her another one." She straightly addressed him. Benjamin then looked up at the ceiling as if he were thinking for a solution.
"What shall we purchase then?" he asked. Nellie thought about it. She scanned the room, looking for something unique and affordable for them to buy. There was no way Mrs. Mooney would let her daughter play trundling-hoop in the street. The child was what society would name a "rich-child" but in the lowest form. Still, Mrs. Mooney had to hide that fact. Tops just would not be of the girl's interest anymore considering her age, and most of the games sold in the store were for two or more children to play. Mrs. Mooney's daughter was an only child and was not let out often. "Sir!" Benjamin called out. Nellie was slightly startled due to being lost in her own thinking.
"Yes?" the old man came to them.
"If you could help us find something…intricate for the child we are gifting…" Benjamin tried to ask politely. The old man seemed to understand their struggle and motioned for them to follow him into the well-lit back room.
Where they both found themselves in was a different world. The warmth radiating from the fireplace enveloped the innocent atmosphere. There were intricate clocks, dolls, and puppets hung from shelves on the walls. Adjacent to the left of the fire was the crafting table, where wood carvings and porcelain faces waited to be assembled onto their proper bodies. A rocking horse stood in the corner with the outmost refined polish. Nellie and Benjamin could have sworn that every color that existed were present in that one shop. The old man strode over to where the rocking horse was and reached behind it to grab a lovely looking parasol. He walked over slowly to Nellie, holding it out before her.
"This here…I made with red silk. The tassels are made with the brightest yellow thread I could find. There are other such embroidery around the top of it, as you can see there. The handle is of carefully crafted and carved wood. Though it should be worth more, I'm willing to sell it for less, since it has sadly sat here for quite a while. " He explained. Nellie looked it over. It was quite nice for such a pretty accessory. Benjamin peered over her shoulder, examining the object as well.
"It looks grand enough if you ask me." He told her.
"Might I agree?" she smiled and looked at him, in which Benjamin just beamed back.
"Splendid! I'm glad I could help." The old man expressed his joy in such a shaky voice.
"Sir, what are you working on?" Benjamin just had to ask about a certain group of items on the crafter's table. The old man turned around to see what he was inquiring about. On the table was a miniature dress on a doll mannequin. The dress was glowing of pure white and softness. The threading on it seemed to be shining with gold.
"Oh, that is just one of my recent projects. See here," the old man walked to the table and picked up a doll base that was incomplete, except for the hair. "This is the doll in which that dress will be fitted onto." The doll's body was stuffed and made out of fabric, but the hands and head were made of either clay or porcelain. The face had not been painted on yet, but the hair of the doll…The hair was of curly yellow that just stood out to Benjamin.
"It looks stunning so far." He complimented. Nellie noticed how amazed Benjamin was towards the doll. She found it sort of sweet, though odd.
"Ah, thank you, lad. Now you all better be going, I'm afraid I must be closing shop soon." The old man informed. Nellie recalled the time and did not want to be late for the party. After paying for the parasol, they thanked the man and were off back to the pie shop. Nellie stopped before going in and stood with Benjamin outside the door.
"Now, just get ready and I'll be up as soon as I am." Nellie instructed him. Benjamin nodded and headed upstairs. Nellie went into her home and dressed in one of her more formal dresses and did her hair slightly neater. After powdering her cheeks, she went upstairs to retrieve her friend. She lightly knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter.
"Come in!" He called form the other side of the door. Nellie was delighted by the sight of her friend. They were booth looking quite astonishing for what their routine appearance consisted of. "Oh my dear Nellie, you look ravishing in that dark yellow dress of yours." Benjamin tried imitating the voice of a proper Englishman. Nellie giggled and played along by curtsying.
"As do you, Lord Barker." She returned. At that statement, Benjamin just started laughing.
"Lord Barker?" he asked. The thought of his name sounding so posh was a hilarious thought to him. This had Nellie laughing as well. "Shall we carry on then?" he straightened up and asked her.
"Yes." Nellie answered and headed towards the door. Benjamin swiftly moved ahead of her to open the door and left his arm out for her to grab onto. Nellie politely accepted this invitation and held onto his arm with her hand. The two walked down the steps and strolled across the street together towards Mrs. Mooney's abode. Upon arriving at the door step, there was not any need to knock, for Mrs. Mooney was right at the door.
"There y' are love!" she exclaimed and pulled Nellie in for another bone crushing hug. "And this must be Benjamin Barker. My, he's a handsome young fellow isn't he Nellie?" she teased. Nellie just nervously laughed and rolled her eyes. The awkwardness made her let go from his arm. Benjamin was laughing as well.
"Thank you for the gracious compliment, Mrs. Mooney." He replied.
"Oh, nothing to worry about, chap. Now come in, come in!" she herded the two inside with the other guests. The house and shop were full of people conversing amongst themselves, eating, drinking, and having a good time.
"Oh, Victoria, 'ere's a present for the littl' one." Nellie handed the parasol to Mrs. Mooney.
"Thank you dearie." Mrs. Mooney was then interrupted by a small voice.
"Mother, mother," the birthday girl had come rushing up to her mum. "Cousin Louie isn't playing fair with the game again!" she yelled to her.
" 'appy Birthday, Emily." Nellie greeted the girl. Emily looked up at Nellie and shyly nodded.
"Oh dear…Please help yourselves to anything, dearies. And Mr. Barker, I suggest you introduce yourself to as many people, since you are new to this neighborhood." Mrs. Mooney disappeared into the crowd to set the gift aside. Nellie and Benjamin looked towards each other for a second, unsure of what to do now they were at the party. They quickly both figured that they should grab something to eat so they made their way over to the counter. Assorted delightments were all arranged for the guests to eat. Nellie was just helping serve Benjamin when one of two middle-aged men who were getting food noticed them.
"I say, aren't you the new barber renting above Mrs. Lovett's shop?" one of them asked.
"Why yes sir, I am." Benjamin smiled politely.
"Ah, see," the man turned to the other who only now just looked up, "I told you there was a new barber in town. How's about getting new haircuts next Sunday?" he asked his friend.
"Sounds about right, John." The friend answered. The two men pulled Benjamin into a conversation, guiding him towards another crowd of people. Nellie just watched, smirking and shaking her head as Benjamin was swept away. Nellie went ahead and just ate a plate of food, keeping an eye on her tenant from across the room. There he goes…Nellie thought to herself. She was personally shy and quiet in public. So, she just could not believe how right and lively Benjamin was with people.
"How's everything, love?" Mrs. Mooney's booming voice rang through Nellie's ears. Mrs. Mooney came over with another plate of food that was running out on the table.
"Oh, it's quite well." Nellie replied.
"That's good. I see your suitor is familiarizing himself now with the fellow gentlemen." Mrs. Mooney teased once again. Nellie sighed.
" 'e's only a confidant. You do forget I'm widowed, Victoria." Nellie pointed out. Mrs. Mooney shrugged.
"Oh, well dearie, if you ask me, I don't know why you just remarry. It's only been a couple months after Albert died and so I don't see it being a pro-" Mrs. Mooney started.
"Please Victoria, don't bring Albert into this." Nellie interrupted, not trying to sound rude. The topic was getting on her nerves, but she didn't know exactly why. Though the feeling of her not knowing felt more as if her mentality was trying to subdue part of itself. "I just don't feel I'm what he'd want…" Nellie whispered under her breath. She knew she couldn't just jump into a relationship with her friend. It seemed almost pitiful to her, and what are the odds of such a man like Benjamin would even like her that way?
"What was that, dearie?" Mrs. Mooney asked. It came to Nellie's attention she had started thinking out loud again.
"I said, I don't feel that's wot we'd want," She covered up, "I don't really know wot I want exactly."
"Well, I would say, you both should make up your mind soon." Mrs. Mooney ended the conversation with what she'd thought was a good note before walking away to tend to the guests. Nellie just lightly laughed at what she said. What did Mrs. Mooney know about her or Benjamin? It was not exactly her jurisdiction, but Nellie knew that her neighbor was only trying to look out for her.
After boredom just completely swept over her, Nellie found herself walking across the street with a plate of food, which were mainly desserts. The exhaustion of the day, confusion, and boredom just morphed her into this zombie of the night, craving pretty much just peace and quiet. She entered her own shop and sat down at the table, eating what she had brought home. It seemed like hours staring down at her food and eating it before she heard the doorbell of her shop open. There stood Benjamin with his coat in hand, looking a bit frantic.
"Oh, you're here. I was looking for you everywhere at the party." He told her as he shut the door and approached her.
"Well, I just thought I'd 'ead home after a while. I grew bored quite quickly." She nonchalantly explained. Benjamin grabbed a fork from one of the cupboards and sat across from her. "Oh no you don't." Nellie was about ready to grab her plate from the table and go, but the barber was too quick for her. Benjamin stabbed the cake she was eating and was able to get a piece of it. He then ate it in a way that rubbed it in Nellie's face that he was the victorious one. Nellie sat there, quite shocked and almost offended. Benjamin went in again with his fork and acquired another piece. "You little-" Nellie was about to curse at him when she was interrupted.
"Open wide, Nellie." He laughed, and fed her the piece of cake.
Whoa! That took me a while. Anyways, here's a little something for your November holidays. ;) To be honest, I felt like this chapter got a bit too "cute-sy" for me, but whatever. A little fluff doesn't hurt. Feel free to tell me what you like/don't like, and I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be up: I don't know when.
