Chapter 35

When Mrs. Lovett lit a candle the following morning to get some light in her room without having to open the curtains, the first thing she noticed was the shape of some sort of package that was lying on the chair next to her bed. Curious, she reached for it, making sure her body remained covered by the blankets so she could postpone direct confrontation with the cold air in the room just a bit longer.

She pulled the package closer to her, noticing it was rather heavy. It was quite late already, but the baker wanted to find out about this mysterious thing before going to work.

Though she couldn't really remember what it felt like to receive a surprise present from someone, she did have the idea that this present was much better than anything someone had ever gotten her, and she hadn't even opened it yet. She didn't even know for sure from who it was; there was no note or message on the paper, but in her heart she knew that only Sweeney Todd could be the one who had bought this for her and found a way to deliver it to her room.

She felt too lazy and content to get out of bed so she just remained where she was, eyeing the package that she was holding now and enjoying the excitement that rushed through her mind as she considered the things that could be hidden beneath the paper.

But as she realized that this gift probably wouldn't be as wonderful as she was hoping since it was from Sweeney Todd after all, she decided not to torture herself any longer and just open the thing to put an end to her imagination.

Slowly the baker removed the paper, revealing fabric that seemed to be black in the candlelight. She pulled the now exposed present away from the remains of the paper and gasped when she realized what it was.

The thing in her hand was a dress, much like the one that Mr. Todd had destroyed the other day, but the color of this one was deeper and the fabric was much softer.

Deciding she'd wear this dress for the time being, she moved to put it on, only then noticing this wasn't the only dress in the package. Hidden beneath the dress she was currently holding was a second one.

Mrs. Lovett carefully took the paper away from this second surprise, her jaw dropping as she scrutinized it. It was certainly not a working dress, but a much more exquisite piece of clothing. Usually she didn't like those expensive looking dresses, but this one was simply breathtaking. Could this really be a gift from Mr. Todd? It had to be, because he was the only one who would sneak into her bedroom at night, but still... would he actually give her something this beautiful?

She stood up from the bed and walked to the mirror, holding the dress in front of her to admire the pure green color and the wonderful feeling of the fabric. It was probably silk, she mused, wondering how she'd look if she'd wear this.

She actually didn't have the time for this; the baker knew that she should have breakfast and go to work, but she just couldn't resist the temptation.

Slowly she removed the straps of the old working dress from her shoulders and let the sleeves slide down her arms. As the fabric fell down her body and landed on the floor, she stepped out of it and carefully pulled the new dress over her head.

Involuntarily, she shivered as the fabric touched her bare skin. It was so soft, so sensual, and it fitted her perfectly. She wondered how Mr. Todd had been able to chose something that fitted her as if it was made just for her; either he was very good at guessing or he had an excellent memory and she had shown a little bit more of herself than she should've – but she didn't really mind either way.

She stared at the image in the mirror, wondering how she could possibly be this angelic looking woman. The baker rearranged her hair so the curls framed her face more gracefully and she adjusted the dress a little so the fabric hugged her curves in an even more beautiful way.

She had to squeeze her arm to be sure that this was reality and not a dream. But indeed, she wasn't looking like the tired and overworked baker anymore; she seemed to be a younger looking version of herself, a vivid woman who had her entire life ahead of her.

If only Mr. Todd could see her like this... he probably wouldn't notice the difference, but if he would just look at her, showing somehow that he appreciated the way she looked... then everything would be truly perfect.

As if he had read her mind, Sweeney Todd emerged from the darkness of the back of her room. Mrs. Lovett had to blink twice to make sure it really was the barber whose reflection she saw in the mirror, but it was him indeed.

"Mr. Todd?"

The barber didn't reply and slowly he stepped closer to her, only standing still as he was stood directly behind the baker.

She watched the two of them in the mirror, not daring to look around as though she was afraid he'd be gone if she directly saw what he was doing.

He moved his hands to her hips and let them rest there, so their skin was only separated by one thin layer of silk, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"Nellie," he said; she could tell he had trouble keeping his voice stable.

She wondered how long he had been watching her and how much he had actually seen of her when she changed her clothes.

"You are... I..."

It was clear he couldn't say anything that made sense at that moment, so instead he moved closer to her and moved his head down.

At first Mrs. Lovett didn't understand what he was doing, but it was clear soon enough as Sweeney's lips carefully brushed her shoulder. She gasped for air as she realized what exactly he was doing.

His kiss was filled with a tenderness that she hadn't thought possible, especially not from him. But it was real; he was real, they were real and her eyes fluttered closed.

Her knees went weak because of his attention and she leaned backwards against his chest, needing something to prevent her from falling.

His hands, which had been resting on her hips, caressed her skin through the fabric of the dress. Her chest was heaving rapidly because of her frantic struggle to keep breathing, and this time he did notice.

She could sense that the barber himself was loosing control too. He turned her around and gently cupped her cheeks with his hands, staring into her eyes as if he could look straight into her soul. Together they closed the last distance between them and their lips locked for a too-long postponed kiss.

Mrs. Lovett thought she'd faint when she felt Sweeney Todd's lips against her own and his irregular breath told her she wasn't the only one who was overwhelmed. Yet, she managed to pull him closer to her and continue the kiss with as much love as she had felt for the barber all those years.

The sensation that Mr. Todd's kiss caused was overwhelming and the baker felt as if she was floating, knowing this was the closest to heaven she would ever get.

He broke off the kiss after a while, leaving Mrs. Lovett to wonder what was wrong this time. But when she looked in his eyes and read sincere affection there, she smiled. Not having felt that happy before, Sweeney returned the smirk, making him look so much more like the man he once had been.

He moved his head to her face again, but instead of her lips, he kissed her jaw tenderly. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as his surprisingly warm and soft lips caressed her skin for the second time.

She held the barber closely as he clung to her, kissing her and she started to realize that she had been right all those weeks ago: Sweeney Todd could love again. He had changed and he was showing fondness for her now that he was finally recovering from the terrible years that he had been through.

Every time Sweeney's lips left her skin to find another spot to kiss, he whispered her name, making Mrs. Lovett's heart beat faster with joy.

"Mum?"

The baker vaguely noticed that Toby was calling her, but she didn't listen to it now that she had so much better things to do.

"Mum!"

Mr. Todd heard it too, but except for cursing the noisy boy he just continued what he was doing, much to the baker's delight.

The barber's hands moved towards the front of her upper body slowly but surely and she writhed impatiently in his arms, causing him to smile into the kiss.

"Mum, listen to me," Toby yelled, louder this time. "The Judge! He's in your shop!"

Sweeney Todd froze as he understood what the boy was saying; he pulled away from his landlady abruptly.

Loathe and hate was visible in his eyes, the rage his landlady had been so sure only seconds before that she would never see again.

As he distanced himself from her, Mr. Todd didn't even look at Mrs. Lovett. The barber hurried outside the bedroom and parlor, leaving Nellie as if absolutely nothing had just happened between them. Although the baker was standing extremely still, she felt as if she was falling from the highest peak of bliss into an abyss of desperation.