Three years later, Estella sat at home teaching her now six year old daughter to read, write, and play piano on the grand that Sweeney had bought her a few years back after suggesting that Estella should adopt more feminine pass times. Mr. Todd was out of the house more and more often as the anniversary of Lucy's death drew nearer. He found himself growing more and more angry as the date approached and intended on being out of the house at the time so that he may avoid abusing his wife and daughter for no reason. Estella understood why Mr. Todd hadn't completely moved on from that life… it was fifteen years of angst built up after all. She, however, found the luster of her hair die down slowly and her eyes seemed duller with each visit of her little friend who had helped her through so many beatings. Lucy, her ever growing little girl, had learned to read rather well and speak properly. She stood straight and was as proper as her father forced her to be. She wandered into the foyer to see her mother veiled by the grey breath of the monster who had taken control of her pitiful life. She coughed and looked at her drowsy eyed mother with her own watery eyes. "Mum…" Estella didn't answer. Her daughter's voice seemed a million miles away from her. "Mum… Please, listen to me."
Estella opened her eyes a bit wider as if to clear the haze that her now twenty two year old mind was in. She looked at Lucy and smiled a little, "Y-Yes dear?"
"I'd like to go to Toby's house to play if you don't mind, mum."
"Yes, dear… have fun at Tony's house… Be back before its dark, love. Goodbye… Goodbye… Goodbye." Lucy, of course, was already out the door and dashing down the steps by the time Estella had said the first farewell but Estella's mind, barely catching up with the situation she was presently in, forced her to repeat herself over and over again. A long while after that, which seemed like only seconds to Estella, she stood and put her little friend in the back of the cupboard and hid it behind several miscellaneous items of lesser importance. She could feel herself returning to her drab life that was hers and after the haze retreated, she opened the windows to rid the smell of the smoke and keep her little secret from Mr. Todd who would be returning shortly. "Lucy?" Estella called, not remembering what her daughter had been doing for the last couple of hours.
Across town, Lucy couldn't hear her mother's beckons and was contently playing the piano with her twenty year old friend, Toby. Toby, who'd met Estella many times but always walked away from their meetings coughing from the smoke that shrouded her, didn't know who Lucy's father was… she didn't speak of him much. He just knew that at times, little Lucy needed a place to go to escape her father's rage and he would give her a place to stay as long as she needed. He often remembered a woman who'd taken care of him when he lived in London with a murderous barber, which wasn't so long ago. She was gone now… "Poor Mrs. Lovett" He'd say, mumbling and shaking his head, "Left this world before her time." Lucy would always sit with him quietly as he remembered things about a woman she couldn't dare imagine in her young mind.
"Must've been a real lady," She piped after Toby muttered it this time, hitting the wrong note as he played a song on the piano.
"Yeah…" Toby said quietly. He looked up at Lucy and smiled a bit, "She'd love you, though… You're beautiful." Lucy smiled and accepted the compliment. Toby went back to playing the melody on the piano and said between notes, "You know, Lucy… one of these days, you'll make a fine wife."
"You think so?" Lucy pondered, watching his fingers dance across the ivory keys.
"Course, Lucy… I'd be so lucky to have such a girl now."
"Why don't you?"
"Revenge… I vowed to kill the man who'd done my mum wrong in the cellar that night… after finding her smoldering body, a wandered into the streets, overcome by what'd happened… I promised her, you know?" Toby cleared his throat. "That's neither here nor there… He's fled the country by now. I moved to Peru to find a nice respectable job… but o' course no woman really wants to marry a black smith… But I'll get him back one day… Sweeney Todd… that bastard will pay for what he did." He grinded his teeth a bit then looked at Lucy who was looking at the floor. She couldn't tell Toby that the man he'd vowed to kill however many years ago was her father… she didn't want him dead.
"What's wrong with marrying a blacksmith?" Lucy mumbled to the hardwood below her, changing the topic of conversation.
"Oh nothing… it's just that most good, virtuous women go for the rich men."
"So you're saying my mother isn't good and virtuous?" Lucy asked, lifting her head a bit.
Toby thought a moment and decided against pointing out her mother's obvious flaws, then shook his head saying, "No No No… I'm sure that there are some women, like your mother, who are very virtuous… they just fell into the wrong circumstances when it came to who they married."
"My mother and father love each other…very much… that's why their married! Not because my Mother was pawned off on him." Lucy said, getting a bit angry as she sat up straight on the piano bench.
"Yes well… perhaps that could fall into the category of unfortunate circumstances?" Toby replied, looking at Lucy with loving eyes. He kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand. "Come now, Lucy… its best I take you home." As they headed out the door, Lucy looked at the empty piano seat she was leaving as if she were going off to war and leaving the safety of her home.
Mr. Todd arrived home after the cool of night had extinguished the summer sun. He set his coat on the coat rack by the door and could smell the aroma of fried peppered meat rushing through the house and hear the pop of the grease over the fire in the kitchen. He recognized this smell as his favorite dish; Pork chops. After hearing the door shut in the other room, Estella left the stove unattended and rushed over to her weary husband, wrapping him in a welcoming hug. Sweeney, a bit confused as to why she was so excited to see him, hugged her back reluctantly then looked at her dull, blue eyes. "Hello, Mr. Todd," Estella said, smiling gently.
"Good evening, dear." He walked over to his favorite chair and Estella took off his shoes and put them away then went back to preparing their meal. Mr. Todd found his wife's behavior rather strange and wandered into the kitchen to talk to her.
"How was your day?" Estella asked, serving the meal she'd made onto plates on the table.
"It went rather well…" Sweeney mumbled, sitting at the table. "Where's Lucy?" Estella stopped serving the food for a moment and looked at the table with wide eyes, as if she were searching for an explanation. She couldn't remember where Lucy had run off to but hoped she would return shortly so that she may avoid a lashing from her husband.
"Ah… Lucy… She… well, I'm sure sh-"
"UNGRATEFUL WRETCH!" Sweeney shouted, standing from his chair and back handing Estella across her fragile face. She turned her head and looked at the floor, mouth agape.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Todd."
"Where is my daughter?" He snarled, backing her against the wall with a hand on her throat.
"I… I forgot…"
"Forgetful… uncaring… atrocious… "
He stopped beating his wife's now blood covered head against the wall when he heard the foyer door open and shut and Lucy called out "Mother? Father? I'm home!"
Sweeney rushed to her and knelt in front of her. Hugging her tightly he said, "Lucy, where've you been?"
"At my friend's house, Father." Lucy replied, hugging him back. She seemed a bit confused… hadn't her mother told him where she'd gone?
"Go wash up, dear." Todd said, standing and giving her a gentle nudge in the direction of the wash room. She skipped away to wash her hands and face while her father walked into the kitchen. There he saw poor Estella, sitting on the floor with streams of blood running from her crown and over her eyes. She looked up at her husband, afraid of what he'd do next.
"Why've you had such trouble remembering things?" Sweeney asked in a harsh tone of voice. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Answer me."
"Please, Mr. Todd, I don't know… Just please let me go back to fixing our food." Sweeney released her and sat at the table, still very angry about the whole situation. "Lucy!"
"Coming, father." She trotted in the room and sat at the dinner table. Estella set the food on the table then sat down herself. "Mother… you're head…" Lucy whispered, afraid that her mother was badly injured.
"I'm alright…"
"But, Mum,"
"I'M ALRIGHT." Estella shouted. Everything was quiet from there. The only sound heard in the kitchen were the sounds of forks hitting plates and food being consumed.
"Lucy, tell me…" Mr. Todd began. Lucy lifted her head and set her fork down.
"Yes, Father?"
"Why does your mother never remember where you are?"
"I would have to guess it was on account of the medicine she takes."
"Medicine?" Estella cringed in her seat, afraid of what her daughter would reveal.
"Yes, sir. She has it in a bag in the back of the pantry… she says it makes her feel better."
Todd looked at Estella then stood quickly from his seat and marched over to the cupboard, his shoes tapping quickly with each step. Estella stood as well and grabbed his arm as he reached for her secret. "Mr. Todd…please… that's just her imagination."
"Unhand me." He mumbled, pulling away viciously. He opened the cupboard and searched behind the random stocks of food they had and found a paper bag stuffed way in the back. He opened it and inside, found Estella's "medicen." Opium… and a lot of it too. "Medicen?" Mr. Todd mumbled, shaking a bit.
"Mr. Todd, I-"
"Medicen!" He threw the bag on the ground, allowing Estella's precious life line to spread across the floor in a grainy mess. "I feed you… clothe you… give you everything you want and you turn to THIS for your comfort? Why did I ever take you as my wife? Lucy was so much better than you'll ever be! I should have left you in the street that night!"
"Why did you take me as your wife?" Estella retorted, "Because you KILLED the one you had before!"
Mr. Todd rushed toward her and slammed her against the wall, staring harshly at her now blood stained face. "Shut your mouth!" He growled quietly.
"Shall I? Or what? You'll kill me as well? Here I stand!"
